Bundaberg

All good here, we arrived this morning and couldn't have been better, Customs ect were excellent and it all went smoothly and we are now out in the anchorage for 2 days to finish quarantine and then we are free😊
Will update how it all goes once we finish the process 👍

Nearly There

Sunday 17/5
What a day, been really squally since the early hours of this morning but all from behind and not getting over 30kts so it's been pushing us along nicely. So many little rain systems all around, wind up and down like we yoyó and just all over the place, just about had enough. Trying to get to the channel at the top of Fraser Island just before dark and then we have 50nm more miles into Bundaberg and should be a little less rolly so we will just take it slow overnight for a 8am arrival.
Sunflower is loving it with a bit of headsail let out, much happier even though still got 3 reefs in made 135nm today.
25nm to Fraser, 75nm to Bundaberg, we are getting there

A Bloody Mess!!

Ahh the wind died of yesterday evening and left us rolling for a while but then calmed off nicely and we plodded along at a terrifying 2knts making Sunflowers record lowest days run of 90nm!! We did set up the pole this morning though and are going along now doing 4-5 with a little bit of Genoa and it's looking good for arrival first thing Monday morning without having to heave to and wait, lets see.
Being such a nice day we decided to fire up the watermaker as it had not been used for 6 months, we then flushed and pickled it once again with sodium metabisulphite. (A tip for anyone interested you can buy this at your home brew shop or sometimes supermarket anywhere that sells home brew beer supplies, costs about $5 and enough for 5 times, just make sure it's 100% Sodium Metabisulphite, same as baby bottle steriliser and a lot cheaper than from Spectra!)
Now we will fire up the BBQ and have homemade burgers, all we need to top of this day now is to catch a fish!!
Saturday 16th Pos 24*59s 156*09e 215nm to Sunny Bundaberg

Update-asked for a fish and got one, never seen such a mess, even 2m up the mainsail is covered with blood!!!

Rolling

Nothing to report, pure torture here, absolutely perfect wind and we can't use it, Sunflower is not happy, this could be an all time sail.
Emailing Customs Australia today to see if our sea time still counts for quarantine and all else is the same, fingers crossed.
Winds sse around 20kts, small swell but rolly.
Clear sky's, warming up, no fish as of yet
POS 25*33s 157*48e
111nm day, 310nm to Bundaberg

Waddling

Not much excitement to report from here, yesterday and today Sunflower would have been in her perfect element, nicest possible sailing with 2 reefs, staysail and just a wrap or 2 on the Genoa with the wind behind at 120 degrees. But no, poor Sunflower is left waddling like a duck with 3 reefs in the main and nothing else trying to go as slow as possible to make Bundaberg Monday morning, so far we are on time and won't have to heave to and wait.
The freezer also started working again in the early hours of this morning which is great news although it is still not really tropical rum and coke weather as today it is all grey sky's and drizzle rain, hopefully today is the day though we will catch a fish.
Hasn't really been fishing weather so far but we have landed a couple of really big flying fish but I let them go alive. A fishing boat went astern of us yesterday "Esbjorn" I tried to call them up thinking they might be Aussie and want a chat but they didn't respond, must be French
POS 26*32S 159*30E
416nm to Bundaberg 112nm days run

Happy Days

Well thank fuck that's over!! Ha what a day we had yesterday.....
After downloading a new forecast after lunch it confirmed what was already happening and it was going to keep picking up so we decided to heave too, and 'try' and relax a little, wind was steady 25-30 with squalls on top. Heaving too proved quite nice, sitting well with the 3rd reef in the main, traveller let out and main sheeted in and a preventer holding it tight. We sat really well only making about 1kt, was nice to watch and then a couple of hours later we had a big squall gusting to 45kts and it was amazing we just sat there sweet hardly moving and the waves parting around us. The squall being that windy it actually flattened out the seas was quite full on thinking our solar panels were going to get blown off any minute!! Luckily it didn't last long, probably only 5 minutes at full force then went back to the 30-35 mark but this is when the seas started picking right up and it was like a washing machine, Sunflower started going all over the place and twice nearly tacked into the wind with the main luffing. I think this was also because we were coming up to a contour and the seas were all over the place and really building, if we did tack we would be in a world of hurt with the preventer and the wheel lashed so while it was still light we decided to leave and just run with it heading north. This felt a lot better but soon after another squall and the seas really were big, this is when I am really happy to have a double ender, we surfed a few but if we ended up side on to one of these is not worth thinking about, luckily this squall just before sunset was the last one and slowly the seas died as the wind went back to a nice 20-25 and by midnight 20, then it was good enough to put out a little bit of Genoa and start heading a little more west again, happy days.
From midnight the seas dropped really fast, amazing and today we have just 18-20 and it feels like its flat calm, nice big lunch of chicken/salad and a beer to celebrate and now with a nice forecast for the next 5 days we can kick back and relax once again, and all of this will be forgotten soon enough
POS 27*24s 161*15e.
525nm to Bundaberg

How nice is the Pacific??

What a shitty night.... yesterday we motored until 1630 and then the wind filled in from the south and we sailed along nice. Looking at the new forecast it didn't look so bad saying we would have around the 20kt mark for the night. It slowly built at dark and by 2130 we had squalls gusting to 30 with lightning and the seas had built. Problem was also the wind angle SSW which meant to keep our reasonable course we have it right on the beam. With 3 reefs in and the tiniest triangle of Genoa we carry on WNW with very little sleep and a lot of creaking. It's a fine line as we don't want to go to fast and when we bare away we are doing 7+kts flying down the faces of waves so we then try and point up a bit but if to much we cop a few crackers slapping the side of the hull with a mighty crash.
Then just after daybreak the mother squall she came through bringing 40kts, she was really cranking. We started to go with it but then thought better and hove too for the last bit of it with just the main and waited for it to pass, it only lasted an hour and we were back sailing again. Looking west on the grib it shows we should have clearer sky's by this afternoon so the further west we get the better the conditions hopefully are, even though it says stronger winds at least there hopefully won't be the squalls, by tomorrow hopefully it's a lot better, it's definitely not a fishing trip!!
Our freezer has also given up, doesn't like the weather either but hopefully it comes good when it calms down, its like it gets a bubble in the gas or something with all the movement, so no opening it up today to get ice for the rum and coke that's for sure.
There was also a Chinese fishing vessel on AIS typically as everything is going on so no doubt there are more around will have to keep a closer eye out, first boat seen since NZ 6 days ago.
So all is well and hopefully the next forecast brings some good news
Midday update POS 29*00s 163*04e.
648nm to Bundaberg

Rainy Day

Had great sailing all day yesterday and through the night. Wind picked up just enough yesterday morning and slowly went around to the north by the afternoon until we were on a perfect beam reach. We then swapped the spinnaker pole over to the port side and put in a 3rd reef ready for what the forecast may bring later today and tomorrow, easier to do it then when it's calm and not raining and we are in no rush anyway. The wind lasted until 6am this morning and then it was like we entered a big wall of rain and the wind direction went all over the place and died so we just started the engine and have been carrying on west and sailing for bits in between. The rain is just consistent heavy drizzle, sky's completely grey, the forecast says the wind will swing around 180 degrees by this afternoon bringing strong southerlies into tomorrow so with the 3rd reef we will be cruising very comfortably heading in the right direction for Bundaberg and it looks like the wind will then stay in SE for the rest of our journey so it should be very nice
Still haven't seen a single ship since leaving NZ, very quiet out here but the little swallow bird keeps dropping in to say saying hello, not shy at all

Noon Pos 29*54s 165*18e 776nm to Bundaberg Monday 11/5/20

Norfolk Island

Going good today, motored though most of last night but then the wind came in this morning nicely and we have been heading west. Passed about 80 miles south of Norfolk Island and it's a real shame we couldn't stop in to check it out.
The sky's are grey today with a big swell coming in from the north, looks like we will get a lot of rain the next days but it's all good.
Sunflower is sailing really well considering we have 2 reefs and a reefed Genoa, we do have a favouring current though. We don't want to go too fast as we want to arrive in Bundaberg not until Monday the 18th. Check in for Australia is already $600+ and if we arrive on the weekend you can probably double that for overtime! No hurry anyway , part of the condition of entry with all this Covid 19 is we have to quarantine for 14 days. When we left the rules were that the quarantine starts from the hour we leave NZ so arriving on the 18th will be 12 days at sea and then we can do formalities and go to anchor for 2 more days quarantine before being set free into the world, well Bundaberg and that could be dangerous!!
Hopefully these rules don't change before we get there.
Not a lot more going on, lots of reading, eating, spilt half a litre of dirty engine oil all over the cockpit, couple of little birds flying in and out of the cabin and a big Albatross has been checking us out from time to time, the days are rolling on nicely but still not BBQ weather

Pos 30*19s 167*27 Days run 133nm, 889nm to Bundaberg
38 hours on engine since leaving

9/5/20 Rolling

Yesterday we were going along nice but a lot more west than planned then late afternoon we jibed and headed more north to find a bit of warmth. Last night I lost my shit, we are sailing as dead down wind as we can with all sails poled out and even though it wasn't that windy, only about 13kts the sea was horrible. A big rolling swell had picked up and if you look at the chart where we are the contour lines are just crazy with all these trenches and mountains the currents are pushing you all over the place and Sunflower ends up corkscrewing all over the place with sails banging like crazy so the only thing to do so we can each get a few hours sleep was start the engine. By 4am the seas had dropped and it was relatively calm again with just a little current against us and we set the sails and are still going fine. The winds are meant to go more east this afternoon so we will make some more west from that hopefully.
Fishing hasn't been happening, haven't even wet a line yet as I don't want to get even more smelly, it's so bloody cold we haven't had a shower since we left but today is the day! We are probably about 500km north of where we were in Whangarei NZ and it's making all the difference also the water temp is also up nearly 5 degrees so happy days. The suns out today with just a few rain clouds about and our solar is topping things up and there's just enough wind to sail so Happy Days

Midday Pos 31*29s 169*45e
114nm made good to Bundaberg, 126nm made good towards Norfolk Island
1025nm to Bundaberg

Covid 19

Thurs 7/5/20

Well I think it might nearly be a year since I have updated the blog, I'm not sure if I even wrote about Tonga it was that long ago, I just lost touch with it all as I'm over the blogging writing about the same stuff always over again but I do miss writing about the sailing which is why we are here for.
So let me just say Tonga was great, Minerva Reef was brilliant, passage to NZ uneventful, New Zealand absolutely fantastic and Covid 19 sucks balls.
We were fortunate enough to be in one of the best places in the world for the Corona virus, New Zealand an isolated modern 1st world country that loves sailors, so very lucky. Then there is the town Whangarei that we spent the lockdown in, absolute gem of a place the friendliest locals and a good handful of our really good sailing friends that we have known some since the Caribbean, we were so lucky to be there I tell you.
The only deterrent was it is getting bloody cold, real cold especially with those southerlies. Just before the 5 weeks NZ covid lockdown finished I had been contacting ABF, Australian Customs to see if it was possible for me and Julie to sail for Aus, after a fair amount of paperwork we were both allowed as I'm an Australian citizen and Julie got an exemption being my immediate family so we got the ball rolling and went ahead contacting NZ customs and filled out another heap of paperwork and then they determine if we are allowed to go. I think we may be one of the first yachts to actually leave, if not the first. When I first contacted them there wasn't much in place and then the forms started and it evolved from there, all parties really great to deal with but they are very understandably very cautious of letting first anyone in to Australia but then also NZ have to have their worries about endangering their workers or us sailing off and needing assistance if we get into trouble out there, fair enough.
Anyway after waiting for a half decent forecast we decided to leave and here we are just over 24 hours out and past the North Cape into the Tasman/South Pacific on a course heading for around Norfolk Island then heading more west up towards Sunny Bundaberg the land of the worlds worst rum!!
We left on the back of a big shitty weather system with freezing cold southerlies, heading out the heads we were wondering what the hell we were doing trying to motor sail out of the channel into 25+kts with the tide against waves and the bow burying into the waves and me soaked to the bone, also with the harbour master in his little boat behind us wandering what the fuck we were doing as he was probably copping it worse than us! Anyway it was enough excitement and after we rounded the heads we had the 25 behind us and we were rushing off with a just a double reefed main doing 7kts, happy days and time for a celebrated beer.
As predicted the wind died and by midnight we were motor sailing for a few hours but then some beautiful sailing in just enough breeze but then with a big cloud that died at lunch today as we neared the Cape and are motor sailing once again, forecast has light winds for the next few days so I predict it will be much the same until we get up to Norfolk Island and soon after there is a bit of a trough coming through and then wind after then, let's see

Fri 8/5/20
Sailed nicely yesterday afternoon until nearly midnight when we lost all the wind and had to start the engine. From the Cape and up until this morning we had a strong current against us but this morning we finally lost it and may even have a touch with us let's hope it lasts. At daylight there was just enough wind to sail so we poled out the genoa but the wind comes and goes so with a big side swell our fully battened mainsail was bashing around so we put in the second reef and poled out the staysail and have been going along alright, at least nice and quietly without the engine.
12to12 run 120nm made good for Bundaberg, 1138nm to go.
Hey and it warming up a bit!! Really amazed how quick it has changed but it is still far from tropical
Pos @ 1230= 33*02s 171*23e. 21 hours on the engine since leaving Marsden

Nuie

We arrived in Nuie at 0530 this morning with a full moon and got on one of the yacht clubs moorings. After a couple of hours sleep we started to get ready to head in and do the formalities and have a look around but thought I would download one quick long range forecast as the weather has been changing so much. It doesn't look good, another trough arriving in Nuie lunch time tomorrow with strong winds and lots of rain, not really the weather to be sight seeing. Then by Saturday another big system coming with loads of rain and westerly winds, no good at all for us. So our options are to stay, pay $200 do a quick tour tomorrow and then leave for Tonga Wednesday but then all the wind has been sucked away so will most likely have to motor most of the 2 days sailing. We decide to stay, really want to see this place as it's meant to be quite special.
Put sail covers on, pack away sails, pole ect ect launch dinghy and head in.
Nuie is completely exposed from the west and has a lot of surge so is only a fair weather place. There is a crane on the dock and you have to lift your dinghy ashore as it's not safe alongside ......the crane isn't working today but maybe later the power will be back on and it will be? We um and ah if it's worth chancing it for such a short stay with shit weather??
No time to go, back to the boat and get everything ready again. You can't change the weather ☹️

Catch up of the last month-

After leaving Huahini we sailed across to Raiatea and Tahaa for a week of looking around and were lucky enough to catch a music festival in town the last night. From there we went over to Bora-Bora to wait for a weather window to cross to Tonga.
The weather had been really unsettled the last few weeks and this was no exception with only a few nice days here and there and then the rest very windy and rainy but at least we managed 3 beautiful days in the SE corner of Bora in the picturesque turquoise waters you see on the TV. Then another weather system was coming so back around the other side to hide from the 40kt forecast and got on one of the yacht clubs moorings. A 51ft Outreamer cat in front of us broke his mooring that night and ended up on the reef 1 mile behind lucky stopped by a bungalow on the water that put a hole in its port side but not on the bottom so he managed to get away although still has to haul out and fix a lot including the centreboard, sad story for them but I have no idea why they left the boat unattended in that weather, and also so lucky for us we didn't get hit as we were right in its path.
So we had 2 weeks waiting for weather in Bora along with a heap of other boats waiting to head west and when it finally started to ease we shot through with very fast sailing the first night and then it eased and had perfect sailing the next few days. We wanted to stop at Nuie, 1050nm and a tiny little island on the way to Tonga but at the speed we were sailing we would arrive on a Sunday and they don't do check ins on this day. Right on our path is Palmerston atol owned by the Cook Islands so we decided to make a quick stop here.
Very funny joint indeed, William Masters in 1867 arrived here with 3 Polynesian women and set up camp and ended up having 26 kids to keep himself busy. So now the main island is split up in 3 parts for the different families and has a thriving population of 31 residents, all related off course and either called Will, William or bill with a couple of Edwards thrown in, the grave yards say it all with ALL the last names being Masters!
We were lucky to be the only yacht there the first day and got a very nice tour and had lunch with one of the families. The next morning 8 boats arrived so it was time for us to leave for Nuie 380nm away.
With the weather being so good I got a little casual and only downloaded a big long range forecast with winds to see if we had enough for the next week and no westerlies, all looked good. Then once we were underway for Nuie I download a detailed grib for the next couple of days with gusts/rain/waves ect and it showed a right little system in our path and boy did we cop it the night before last. It came up just before midnight with lots of rain and not so bad at the start but we got the mainsail down and furled in the Genoa just leaving the staysail poled out (wish I hadn't) then soon after it really came in. The seas built very quick with the wind a steady 35-40kts screaming so we just ran NW with it and all was well although a lot of things flying around inside the cabin. It was too rough to drop the staysail but it all was fine anyway and by around 4am it had dropped to 30kts and hung around like this with loads of rain until nearly lunch time and then settled right down ye
sterday afternoon and now the seas are better once again, quite an adventure anyway.
So now we should arrive in Nuie tomorrow morning and with weather permitting we will stay until the end of the week then leave for Tonga which is just a 2 day sail away and arrive in the North to what looks like a beautiful place called Vava'u.

So far just one little Stripey Tuna caught and one full real of line with lure lost to something way too big, maybe today is the day??

Societies

I wrote this a few weeks back but never got around to posting it, for those that are interested-

Societies

I returned from 5 weeks work in Aus in the middle of May to Papeete Marina where Julie stayed for the duration. We arrived there from the Tuamotos end of March and it was nice to be in civilisation again, the marina is smack bang in the middle of town with bars and restaurants around and lots of boat/hardware shops around so it was a busy time. We hired a car, drove around the island, refitted the dingy, built new shelves in Sunflowers workshop as well as a few other things you can't do on anchor so it was nice.
Julie enjoyed being in a marina for a change also while I was at work, joining the local gym to keep herself busy as well as making a new dinghy cover which was a fair old task, turned out perfect of course
I retuned and we changed out our solar panels for 2x 315w panels and man what a difference. We can now run watermaker for 3 hours a day if we like and always have full batteries, passages should be a lot better now with the thirsty autopilot also. Not many things at all are cheap in French Polynesia but funnily enough solar panels are subsidised so they were actually a bargain.
After 4 days rushing to get everything finished and cleaned up my dad arrived for a 12 day holiday and we sailed over to Moorea, good times. Hadn't hung out with my old man properly for quite some time so it was really nice. We just explored a few bays around Moorea taking it easy, no big sails or anything. The weather unfortunately was on and off with lots of rain around but it was still a good time.
After dropping him back in Tahiti we did some more stocking up and then did an overnight sail to Huahini where we have been for nearly 2 weeks and what a great spot. Besides the Huahini Yacht Club having happy hour every day what has made it so good is that so many of our good cruiser friends are here, it's been really fun and social that's for sure.

Living Expenses in Marquesas

A season in Marquesas, what to bring?

Beer is what you bring, and lots of it!! Before coming here we had heard how expensive everything is to live here so we stocked up the boat massively and a lot of the stuff we stocked up with is actually as cheap here because certain things are "Subsidised."The shops here are basic, it's a shock for sure when you first arrive but you quickly get used to it and actually get quite excited finding new treats but for most of the stuff you need the shops have it all here, just not the big selection. It's France Territory so there are also quite a few unexpected purchases in these little tucked away shops also. 

So I thought I would make this list of the basics that most sailors need if anyone is coming this way, it may be useful. 

Anything with a red sticker on the shelves or in the fridges is subsidised and makes it a LOT cheaper, it's most of the basics you need, here's a quick list in US$-

Packets of 500g pasta-spaghetti ect-$1

Decent Thai rice- $1.40kg

Flour/sugar $1.50kg

Sunflower oil- $1.50ltr

Extra Virgin olive oil $10ltr

Powdered milk $3 for 300g packet

NZ tinned butter (really good) $4.50 a pound

Cheddar cheese(processed block but actually ok) $1.50 250g

Dry cheese crackers $1-1.50 a packet

Basic tins of corn, sardines, tomatoes ect are also very cheap here but then as soon as it's fancy or not subsidised it's ridiculously expensive. 

They have decent selection of Basic Asian foods also like soy sauce, sweet chilli, sesame oil, oyster sauce that are very reasonable around $3 each a bottle, but not Thai or Indian pastes and curries here. 

Coconut milk $2 can

Dried herbs ect are VERY expensive here??

Coffee $5-6 250g

Peanuts, chips ect are all mostly very expensive

Cleaning products, shampoos, cling wrap/tin foil ect all very expensive

Large wheels of French Brie cheese-$20-22kg

Swiss cheese-$12kg

No fresh cheddar??

Parmesan cheese available but expensive

Fresh bread-baguette 60c

Dozen eggs $6

Frozen meats- Its amazing the selection of frozen vacuumed packed meats in the tiniest of shops here from NZ, Australia, Argentina and Uruguay and all very good. 

There are loads of goats in the hills here the locals eat so lamb isn't subsidised but great NZ lamb legs, chops ect are all here but expensive at around $20kg

Beef is subsidised, so don't stock up in Panama or Ecuador like we did!

NZ/Australian rump 1.5-2kg packs-$9kg

Sirloin steak-$13kg

Argentine/Uruguay Black Angus Rib Eye (absolutely delicious!) $15kg

500g mince $8

12x decent hamburgers-$10

Chicken-

Whole Argentina chicken -$5

Chicken breasts are hard to find and super expensive 

2kg Box of chicken legs- $10

Pork they have in the hills so is reasonably expensive and not so much available. 

Bacon small packet $6

Fish- when you can buy from the fisherman it's super cheap at $5kg for tuna or whatever else they have caught but you have to get up real early and expect to wait!

Drinks- Like I said bring beer as it's ridiculously expensive. Took us a while but the best thing to do is as soon as you arrive is to buy a crate of bottles. They are 500ml and you pay $18 for the refundable deposit of 20x bottles and the plastic crate and then about $55 for the 20x bottles of beer or $2.80 each. Cans of beer (330ml) are about the same price as big bottle or $66-70 a case. 

Wine- cheapest but half ok yachtie grade wine is around $9-10 a litre. Half decent bottle of wine is from $20

Local Rum- $28ltr, cheap vodka ect $50+, known brand whiskey $100??

We heard stories of in the past the officials had searched boats and if they had too much spirits/wines ect they had to pay a tax, this isn't the case anymore and we even asked the official in Nuka Hiva when we checked in and he said no worries as long as it's for personal consumption. 

Mixers- coke/tonics $1.50 can, juice is also expensive $3.50 litre 

Fresh Veges are available in the main ports and it's a shock at there prices but you soon get used to it. Lettuce $2-3, tomatoes $4, potatoes/onions $3.50 so it's not so bad just the selection is not always there (weird to think you can get excited by carrots??,)

Fresh fruits are everywhere and easy to get even just going for a walk-mangoes, pamplemousses, papaya, avocado,limes ect

Hardware stores in main towns have not a bad selection but boaty things are scarce and super expensive like epoxy, antifoul ect. Sikaflex $50 a tube, tape/brushes expensive so if you have projects bring whatever you can. 

Water- drinking water is available from taps at certain places on certain islands and comes straight from the mountain, you have to dinghy. At certain times there is a lot of rain but then there are big dry spells also, I can't work out the rainy seasons??

A watermaker isn't a must here but it is more so in the Tuamotos. 

Fuel is available easy in Nuka-Hiva and Hiva-Oa

Diesel is $1.40 litre. Kevin at yacht services Nuka Hiva can get you a duty free cert or if your in Tahiti the cert is free. It's valid for 6 months and the price for diesels is then 80c a litre. 

Gas- best to buy a local bottle, $30 refundable deposit and then $30 for  big 14kg bottle of gas. We bought easy at the hardware stores or supermarkets a regulator for $12 and put this bottle in our hatch. We also bought a connector for local bottle for $10 and can fill our normal bottles by doing the gravity method. Otherwise Kevin at yacht services will fill your bottle for $50

Bars and Restaurants- good news is you won't spend much money in these places as there aren't any! Well there is a few "snack" restaurants for lunch and maybe a pizza place but that's about it. Lunch at a snack is usually about $10-12 but is such a massive serving most of the yachties share a plate between 2. The locals can eat!

I saw one place that was almost a bar in Hiva Oa but the last time we went it was closed for some time. 

Internet- This is terrible, by far the worst we've ever seen, imagine 5 minutes just to open your bank App on your phone? Faster internet is coming though as they have laid the cable and they just need to connect but things take a lot of time here I can tell you. Some snack restaurants offer wifi otherwise you buy a VINI SIM card for your phone and these work reasonably well. You can sometimes make whatsapp calls without big delays and download a weather grib file but don't expect to do any searching or especially book a flight if needed, this is really hard. A 200mb top up card costs $10 but because you can't download anything 200mb actually lasts quite a long time! You buy the SIM cards at the post office. 

So as expensive as you think it may be it isn't really all that bad if you eat the basics and don't drink too much beer but you have to remember it's some of the most remote islands and the supply boat only comes 1-2 times a month "usually".

And remember if you see something in the shop that you want buy it there and then because often it won't be there the next day, especially cheese!

Back in the Marquases

OThe blog thing hasn't been happening for a while due to the lack of internet in French Polynesia  and me just being slack. The last time I wrote a couple of months back we were sailing to Amanu in the Tuamotos and had an absolutely perfect sail with a nice breeze on the beam and no squalls, it was all time. Arriving in Amanu was a little hairy as I entered the channel a little early after speaking with a fisherman that went in ahead of us, the tide was racing out at 5-6knts and we were flat out hardly making any ground but got in just fine in time for a lunchtime beer in the beautiful turquoise waters just off the main village. No ciguatera in the whole atol and fish were plenty easy pickings with a spear gun but have to be quick with all the little reef sharks hanging around but if you're just taking 1 and get straight out it wasn't a problem. 

We hung out in Amanu for 3 weeks, it's a big atol about 15 miles long and we explored a lot of little spots as the winds changed a lot so every few days we would move to get better shelter as a lot of it is very exposed. 

It was VERY quiet, we were the only sailboat around and all (256) the locals live in just the one village but some camp a few days and collect coconuts for copra and then head back so it was a good chance for us to get a few boat jobs done in the mornings and then a fish BBQ on the beach in the afternoons, was good times but after 3 weeks we decided we needed more company so headed to the next atol Hao just 15nm away. 

Hao is one of the most populated atols but was still very relaxed and you hardly see more than a few people out and about. There was one other French boat there and then our friends we met in Tobago 3 years ago, Augustine and Simone arrived and we had a great few days catching up and having BBQ's..

Then a weather window appeared so we headed back to the Marquases, not too bad a sail but wasn't that great as we were hard on the wind most of the way but we got to Taiohae in 4 days. The old owners of Sunflower arrived soon after on the Aranui cargo/cruise ship so that was really special also catching up with them over a few days. We hung out there for a couple of weeks waiting for a call from my work and then it was time for me to leave and Julie to hold the fort in Taiohae. I've been working for 3 weeks now and have one more to go, hopefully be back onboard the 22nd all going well. We plan to stay in the Marquases for cyclone season and then head to Tahiti maybe April but things change so we will wait and see what progresses 😀

Tough Times

Lovely couple in Amanu, she made these necklaces and gave them to us after only meeting them briefly, amazing people, super special

More fish

Finally after 3 long years Julie made me a Sunflower cake for my birthday 

Boat jobs

Anchorage in Taiohae, where Julie is now

Al and Beth, the old owners of Sunflower 🌻

Flying over Marquases 

Julie will kill me for adding this but here is a pic of her dancing for the New Years festival!!

Fruit Stall

After 4 planes and a boat ride I was back home aboard Sunflower with Julie in Ua-Pou after 2 days and all was well, so relaxing landing in the islands there's no stress at all. I was on a bit of a mission though we had a lot to do to try to make the weather window to sail for the Tuamotos. We had to clean the bottom, clean anchor chains and ropes as they were all fouled with weed and coral, get water, diesel, stores ect ect as well as say good bye to all Julie's new friends she had made. The people are just so nice here, they really are the kindest we have met to the extent it's really too much!! For instance we did our stores ($1000 of beer) and the owner said he would bring us some fruit the next day to leave with, we turn up at his shop and he has 3 stalks of bananas, 2 sacks of pumplemouses (grapefruit) about 20kg each and a huge box of green mangoes!! We are like wow we can start a fruit stall?! So in the shop there is a fisherman we met when we first arrived and offere
d to take us back to the boat with all this fruit and I said if he's around tomorrow I have some fishing squid skirts I bought for him. So the next day comes and he brings another stalk of ripe bananas as he saw the others were green, a massive sack of avocados, bag of limes and some more mangoes!!! His wife was with him and they are all dressed up after coming from church and then she gives Julie a little box with another gift, matching pearl necklace, bracelet and earrings which she had made!! We are like gobsmacked thinking this is way too much, who gives this much to people they hardly know?!! But that seems to be the Marquesian way, they give you gifts to remember them and how nice they are it really is amazing.
Anyway we managed to get away on time leaving Monday afternoon and sailed across to the next island of Nuku-Hiva and picked up Julie's 1 year visa which had arrived and by lunch time Tuesday we had the anchor up and were on our way to Amanu in the Tuamotos. The forecast was for lightish winds on the beam or just forward of it and that's what we have had, absolutely perfect sailing in relatively calm seas making great miles and should be there in just under 4 days tomorrow after 535nm, happy days!!

Ua-Pou

I wrote this blog a few weeks ago but never posted it, I'm now back and heading for Tuamotos.

Marquases has been amazing, beautiful place with the friendliest people you could imagine that always seem happy and nothing seems to bother them, they have the time that's for sure. After we left Ua-Pou last time I wrote we went to Tahuata Island to a Bay called Hanamanoa, stunning spot with a white sandy beach, palm trees, super clear water and only one guy living there, we stayed for a week just hanging out and were joined by our Aussie friends on Mat-Lau which was really nice. From there we went to Hiva-Oa to check out the main anchorage there and only stayed a night as it wasn't so nice at all and then sailed 50nm south to Fatu Hiva, Bay of Virgins also another absolutely stunning spot, the scenery you just can't explain. We spent just a couple of days there, hiked up to a waterfall with Mat-Lau and traded some rum for freshly plucked chickens and fruit and then we had to leave as I was expecting a call from work so wanted to find a good spot to leave Julie anchored in.
We sailed back to Ua-Pou to see if there was a spot tucked in at the corner arriving just on dark there wasn't but the next day a catamaran left and we set ourselves up tucked in behind the wall and wharf with a stern anchor.
Then sure enough that day the call came from work and it was on and a fair old stress trying to book flights back to Aus with Internet that won't even open a page or skyscanner App so luckily my sister offered to find flights for me and I could get out on time. So as beautiful spot as it is it is though the hardest spot we have been trying to fit in with my work, it's really not easy between the flights, no internet and lack of decent anchorages it really makes it hard but I am VERY lucky to have Julie who's patience is just hanging in there and the trooper she is is hanging in and making the most of it. Being such a remote place with not so many yachts staying there for any amount of time Julie has met a good group of locals, the ladies inviting her to the gym and Polynesian dance classes and also for lunches which is really nice plus a couple of yachts coming and going she is keeping herself busy which is good especially as I've been asked to stay 8 weeks at work which is l
onger than normal as things are picking up again but I should be back within 2 weeks and we will sail for the Tuamotos which we are both very excited about.

Pacific Strategies

We've been loving the Marquesas and have been talking to a lot of cruisers about there trip here and I thought I would write a few things about it and our trip. 

All the boats that left after April from Panama had a hard time for at least the first week with SW winds, big swell and current all against them. To try to sail as much as possible some boats went north but then lost the wind later and still had to motor, others motorsailed and used most of there fuel and had to stop in Galapagos to refuel which was an extremely expensive exercise. 

 But once near the Galapagos the winds and current is more favourable and you're away downwind across the Pacific no problem. 

Also bashing into it for days made a lot of problems with breakages for some boats. Stopping in Galapagos for fuel costs nearly $1000 for the privilege (plus fuel) as the harbour master isn't handing out emergency stops for sailors which is really bad. 

We were very lucky to get out of Panama when we did on the 31st of March just before the winds changed from NE to SW at the end of the season and had a great sail to Ecuador with favourable wind and current for all except the last 100 miles. Some boats are put off from Ecuador as its expensive, $360 in Bahia where we landed but we enjoyed the place and is a great place to explore from if that's what you like to do. Also if you need lots of fuel it's dirt cheap @ $1.03c a gallon so the savings on that may also pay for your check in if you have big tanks:)

We left Ecuador for Marquases in June. Our original plans were to sail for the Gambier islands but June is too late as the SE trades are strong and it will be a big bash, around or before April is the time for that and or Easter Island. 

Looking at pilot charts ect before we left I thought best to head down to 3 degrees as there are better winds south but we got to 1 degree and had a good SW wind so headed west hard on the wind the first few days until the wind went SE and we went 60nm under Galapagos and then started going more south pretty much on our rhum line which was very nice sailing with good speeds but not the current we were looking for. Some friends we left at the same time with went further south and then lost the wind??

If we do it again I will head closer to the Galapagos and sail as high as we can around the equator as long as we have wind before heading SW towards the Marquases. The reason is the winds start out SSE and the closer you get to the Marquases it goes pretty well due east, right from behind. If we had of stayed north as long as comfortably possible and done a big "curve" we would have had a much less rolly trip for most of it and not of had to do too many extra miles, lessons learnt:)

Don't get me wrong, we had a fast trip according to other boats and averaged 145nm a day, nearly 3600 miles in 24 days 11 hours but we worked for it as we went south and then had to gybe the headsail every few days zigzagging and looking back there was still wind close to the equator and I think more favourable current for longer there. 

Another thing is the swells, I wasn't expecting the pacific to be so rough. Not crazy rough but just confused sea rough with swells from SW to SE but remember it is mid winter in the south and the swells find there way up for sure so it's obviously calmer closer to the equator. The Marquases also lie 600nm south of the equator. 

Anyway I could keep blabbering on and I'm sure most will find this extremely boring but hopefully someone may find it useful at some stage ✌️😀