Pacific Ocean – Part 2: Hiva Oa, Marquesas

Pacific Part 2 includes an account of our time waiting for our new rudder to arrive, and the great time we had here! We didn’t move much, but because we spent over a month here, it is well worthy of a chapter in our lives...

An intense rainbow over the outer anchorage at Atuona

When we lost our rudder we learned that the only place to haul out in the Marquesas was in Hiva Oa at the Marquises Maintenance Services.

Atuona, Hiva Oa, is an interesting place, with a very rolly anchorage but a breath-taking view! You may have heard or read about the Marquesas Islands, and I would have to admit the stories are false; it is WAY BETTER!  The Marquesans are friendly, beautiful, and generous people, most covered with bold tattoos! Women adorn their hair with a fresh flower picked off a bush on their way into town. In Atuona, there’s a post office, general store, hardware store, police station (gendarmarie), pharmacy, restaurants and of course a tattoo parlour, in the centre of town. In front of the general store are two long benches, normally occupied by locals. When someone new shows up, they say “bonjour” and shake hands or kiss both cheeks – very European.

The inner anchorage near Atuona with the mountain shrouded in clouds in the distance.

A mother and child Tiki at the Temple in Atuona

Paul Gaugin's grave in the Atuona cemetary

Karen having a mountain water shower on the docks in Atuona. The tiled surface in the foreground is the laundry station

There is a rhythm to this town, based on the arrival of the ships that bring everything here, and take everything from here away. The dock becomes a beehive of activity for a day, with traffic congestion and people everywhere.

This combination Cruise ship-freighter is unloading important goods while the passengers spend a day visiting the island.

But when the ship leaves, calm would return to town, and the dock would once again be safe for the chickens. Actually, there are a lot of chickens here, and the ridiculous number of roosters don’t wait for dawn to cock-a-doddle-doo; they compete all night long. One morning when we were on the hard, we had a rooster in our cockpit, trying to eat our bananas!

Copra, dried coconut meat, is pagged and stacked in a sea container ready to send to Papeete for processing

After spending nearly a month-and-a-half here, we have never paid for fruit. It is so abundant, that the locals offer it to you out of friendship. The legendary Marquesan “pampelmousse” is like a grapefruit, but twice as big, and the first taste will put you in Heaven! It is a mix between grapefruit and pear. That’s the best way I can describe it, anyway – simply delicious! It was worth the trip just for the Marquesans and their pampelmousse!

Marquesan pampelmousse on a tree. Each fruit is the size of a large cantelope

Our gear net in the rear cockpit storing pamplelmouse, mangoes, papaya and bananas, all gifted to us.

Tim holding a juicy pampelmousse.

One day, we met “Pifa”, a large Marquesan man who is considered to be the best tour guide on Hiva Oa. We could have rented a car for half the price, but we decided the history he would provide would be worth the expense. We were not disappointed. He showed us the only “Smiling Tiki”, that his uncle had discovered on his “farm”, which, not being a famer, more resembled a tropical rainforest. The tour continued up into the mountains, where we actually felt comfortable temperatures at 800m above sea level. The winding roads were insane; some portions paved with concrete, other places gravel, and twisting through the mountains and valleys, often with sheer drop-offs on one side or the other. Then we reached the north coast of Hiva Oa, where Pifa was raised, and rode to school on horseback 1 hour… and 45-minutes home. At one point, there was a rock over looking the ocean called the “Sacrificial Rock” where once a year the prettiest young girl in the village would be sacrificed to the Gods to ensure continuing bountiful harvests of fruit and fish and that rains would come. Continuing along the coast, on narrow gravel roads, often tossing rocks off the road tumbling into the sea hundred of metres down below, we finally arrived in a village where his grandfather lived, and we visited the “Giant Tikis”, the largest Tikis in all of French Polynesia.  This was a sacred place to the Marquesans, but had been damaged by Europeans by removing penises, and one has it’s head removed, and is now on display in a museum in Germany.  We had a beautiful traditional lunch, consisting of numerous banana dishes, goat, wild boar, tuna ceviche, all washed down with starfruit juice, Awesome! On the way back, Pifa stopped at one of the many banana palms along the road, and cut down a large bunch of bananas for us. All in all, it was an amazing day!

Pifa, our Marquesan tour guide

The "Smiling Tiki", apparently, the only one ever found anywhere.

Karen and Tim at the Giant Tikis. The roof was constructed by UNESCO to protect this World Heritage Site.

The Sacrificial Rock, on the north coast of Hiva Oa

Our new rudder arrived one day by ship, and we installed it as well as some other work on Vata.

The remains of our rudder before removal at Marquises Maintenance Services boat yard

The Taporo freighter which delivered our new rudder

While we thought we spent a very long time in Hiva Oa, it was nice to get to meet some of the locals, and to be seen as a familiar face out of all the other visitors. Despite our circumstances, we had a great time in Hiva Oa!

Pacific Ocean – Part1: to the Marquesas

Pacific Part 1 includes leaving Panama and the long sail to the Marquesas Islands, the first island group of French Polynesia.

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We left Panama City and the Balbao Yacht Club with their daily fees behind us and anchored at Playita, but the water was very filthy. The next morning, we sailed to Taboga Island to find a cleaner and much more relaxing environment.

Many, many ships anchored on the Pacific side of the Panama Canal, waiting to either transit or to provision before continuing on the Pacific Ocean.

We left there the following morning and crossed to the Las Perlas Islands, where we learned a Survivor TV show was filmed. We anchored between Islas La Chaplera and Mogo Mogo. Several other boats were also anchored there, obviously a popular spot. We dinghied over to, and walked the beautiful Survivor Beach.

Karen and Tim on Survivor Beach

The Next stop was Isla Jose Gonzales, where we picked a quiet anchorage and found 8 local fishing boats rafted together, waiting for their nearby nets to fill with fish. Here we also found a long coconut palm-fringed crescent beach, where we went for a long walk, knowing it would be a long time before we walked on land again. Signs on the trees along shore indicated the site was reserved for a future Ritz Carleton hotel development. During our walk, the beach was deserted. In the afternoon, we deflated the dinghy and completely disassembled it, bundled it up and secured it to the deck in preparation for the long 30-day ocean crossing to the Marquesas Islands. We reflected on our brief time in Panama; a pretty country with lots of birds everywhere, likely an indication of a healthy ecosystem and rich biodiversity.

Ritz Carleton Beach

On Monday, February 25, 2018, we raised the anchor, and pointed Vata west toward Hiva Oa in the Marquesas Islands, some 3,744 nautical miles away! It took all of that day, and the next until we finally lost sight of the Panamanian mountains. And once again, we were surrounded by nothing but ocean!

We worked out a watch system that works for us, so that one of us is always looking for other boats, ships and hazards. At night only, we do 3 hours on, 3 hours off. At 6 p.m. Karen is on watch, and Tim has an evening nap, until 9; then switch till midnight, then back till 3 a.m., then switch till 6 am. Tim normally sleeps for another hour or two in the morning before we get on with our daytime routine.

Getting to the South Pacific means sooner or later one must cross the Equator.  For mariners, it is a significant event and therefore requires a ceremony. As we crossed the Equator we were paid a surprise visit by King Neptune, God of the Seas. We paid homages to him, and the Gods of the Winds, and all our guardian angels watching over us.

King Neptune! (It's the best I could do in the middle of the ocean)

Just crossed the Equator, with the Galapagos Islands ahead.

Although we left Panama with a Zarpe (clearance certificate) indicating a direct passage to the Marquesas, our track would take us right through the Galapagos Islands. On Monday, March 5^th we caught our first glimpses of Isla San Christobal of the Archipelago de Colon (Galapagos Islands), named after the famous navigator and explorer “Christobal Colon”.  So many places  (throughout the Spanish Americas) have been named after this man who was hired by the Spanish Crown to find a shorter route to India, and failed. In English, we know him as Christopher Columbus. He never visited these islands, but the bishop who accidentally found this uninhabited archipelago named them after him.

After seeing hundreds of sea turtles and seals, we made an unscheduled stop to top up with gasoline, diesel water and fresh fruits. We entered the Galapagos in Puerto Ayora on Isla Santa Cruz. Puerto Ayora is the most populated settlement in the Galapagos, and centre for tourism in the island group. Entry into the Galapagos is tricky, and for sailors can only be accomplished through an “agent”. After securing an agent, a group of officials visited Vata before entry could be granted. A boat load of people showed up, most in different uniforms: customs, immigration, police, Navy, National Park staff, scuba divers to check the boat bottom, agriculture with vacuum cleaners to check for insects… there was no room for us to sit anywhere.

Isla San Christobal

Isla Santa Cruz

Puerto Ayora water taxi dock

This is the best way to get from your boat to town! $1.00 per ride, and no seals to shoo off your dinghy.

Seals make themselves at home.

We explored the town and checked out their stores and markets and found supplies in out-of-the-way places that allowed us to see how people here live. Close to our agent’s office was an after school English program and Karen was invited in to speak to the kids, and the children asked her questions in English – she had fun!

Galapagos Reverso Osmosis water to fill our tanks!

Local fishermen bringing in their catch of tuna!

One cannot think of the Galapagos without Charles Darwin in mind. Darwin visited these islands in 1835 on the Beagle, and it was here that he saw unique species adapting and evolving in isolation which helped him develop his controversial and revolutionary Theory of Evolution. Ironically, he never set foot on Isla Santa Cruz. Before his visit and afterwards, however, ships would stop here to fill their holds with giant tortoises for meat, and with good intentions they populated the islands with cattle, goats and pigs for future use.  With the incidental introduction of rats on top of this, the introductions spelled doom for the tortoises, as not only was their food eaten, but their eggs too.  In 1950 the Galapagos was made a National Park in Ecuador, and on September 8, 1978, UNESCO declared the Galapagos a Natural Heritage Site.

So, it is quite appropriate that on the outskirts of Puerto Ayora, we found the Charles Darwin Research Institute, where research on the biology of the islands continues, and part of the facility is a breeding centre for the giant tortoises. The tortoises from different islands, each unique, are being bred in captivity to improve their populations and avoid extinction.

And this brings me to the touching story of Lonesome George, a tortoise who died on June 24, 2012, estimated to be between 120 and 130 years old. He was the last of his kind and his species is now extinct. A book about Lonesome George is available at many libraries and bookstores, and a free e-book is available for download at www.galapagos.org/george . “Let him always remind us that the fate of all living things is in human hands.”

Karen in the Darwin Research Centre

Lonesome George

An iguana on Lava

Tim outside one on the breeding pens for the tortoises

We left the Galapagos and continued the long trek to the Marquesas. We joined a couple of other sailboats and agreed to exchange e-mails every morning with our position, weather information, and anything else of importance. Sailing was beautiful! 15-20 knots of southeast wind day and night. We were sailing between 6 and 8,5 knots in the South Equatorial Current, which with the wind, pushes us to the Marquesas. We saw no boats for days on end. Beautiful!

We are never bored at sea. There is so much to do all the time, plus with the action of wind and waves rocking and pitching the boat, everything takes longer. So, there’s breakfast prep, cooking, and cleanup. Then we get on with our priority chores or repairs for the day, anything from routine preventative inspections of batteries, water systems, engine, rigging, etc., to fixing navigation lights, alternators, cleaning the interior teak, to baking bread. Somewhere in there we find time for lunch, and later dinner, and the day is gone. We also found that its much easier to have our big meal at lunch (1-2 p.m.) because there is more required for prep and cleanup, and its easier to do it with better light. So, there you have it: a day in the life at sea…

If you have a romantic image of sailing the southern seas and visiting exotic islands, lounging around the yacht in your crisp whites, it hasn’t found this boat yet. The reality is that we are sailing with limited water supplies, limited electricity, limited fuel, limited space, and lets not forget a limited budget. We enjoy few of the modern conveniences we took for granted at home.  Recently, we found that our batteries were not being charged, and at first thought it was because the sails were shading the solar panels. Then the wind wasn’t strong enough to maximize the benefit of the wind generator. Then we found the alternator on the engine was shot, and there was no way to excite it into charging. Next, the generator wouldn’t charge.  When the batteries run low, things start to shut down. In the end, we are hand steering in 15-20 knots of wind in the middle of the night – pitch black - trying to stay on course not to prolong this…hoping the sun will shine on our solar panels early in the morning!

Then, on March 24^th at 2 a.m. with just under 1000 nautical miles to go to Hiva Oa, the unthinkable happened: we lost our steering. A warning suddenly sounded on the chart plotter, and we veered off course; the boat turned to the wind and headed back toward South America. We tried several things and nothing worked – apparently, we lost our rudder. A home-made one was quickly built out of a piece of plywood covering a water tank and the whisker pole, tied to the pushpit, and under much reduced sail we struggled on. In the morning, I climbed down the transom ladder with the GoPro and filmed in the crystal-clear water. The evidence was undeniable: our rudder was completely gone. We emailed the other sailors of our situation and advice and support rolled in. We built a drogue and trailed it behind to assist in steering, and slowly got back on course. What had been close to one week left on the passage to the Marquesas, would now take us 2, 3, maybe 4 weeks. Extra.

On Good Friday, a Catana 471 catamaran out of Vancouver, Element, found us, and gave us a tow! Thank you, Shawn and Sherrie! On board they had their two daughters and guest sailors from Germany. This wasn’t just a short tow around the corner. They were headed to Hiva Oa, and we heard facilities were better in Nuka Hiva, and the bay there was more protected and larger, so it would be safer for us, a disabled vessel. So they changed their course and towed us 725 nautical miles!

Our first towing bridle chafed through in a matter of hours. Our brand new 5/8” nylon anchor rode…gone. Using what was left with fire hose for chafe protection got us through that first night. Meanwhile we ran another piece and a 2,500 lb polyester tow line from Sling Choker through another long piece of fire hose for total chafe protection. I swapped the lines in the second morning, just in time, before the other lines chafed through.  This double line held. I would crawl forward about every 4 hours for a chafe inspection, and move the line a few centimeters from their cleated position so the polishing on the fire hose didn’t become chafe. Eventually these lines chaed through, and had to be replaced.  $ seats of tow lines were needed to reach Atuona, Hiva Oa.

building a drogue out of 2"x4". rope anchors, chain and a gas can filled with water.

Jury-rigged rudder

Sv Element towing us to the Marquesas! Twin head sails, wing on wing

Sv Element towing Vata under spinnaker.

And what a sight it was! LAND HO! We made it!

At dawn, Hiva Oa in sight - what a relief!!

And we anchored outside of Atuona, Hiva Oa, Marquesas Islands!

Panama

The passage from Negril, Jamaica to Panama was windy and rough, with the average wind at close to 20 knots, and gusts to 30, with seas 10 to 15 feet. We had sea water in the cockpit, and some splashed down into the galley and nav station. 

We arrived in Panama after sailing for four and a half days on February 5, 2018. Puerto Christobal (Colon), our original destination was too far, and we wouldn't make it before night, so we set our course for Puertobello. 

Landfall at Puertobello, Panama

Puertobello was identified as a good harbour by Christopher Columbus, and the Spaniards turned it into a transhipment point for the plunder of the Americas that was being shipped back to Spain.  The harbour has three forts in it to protect the ships laden with valuable cargo, but was still a target by various pirates.

We added our names to the wall, a maritime tradition, permitted by the marina, which brings good luck!

The next morning we raised the anchor, and sailed to Colon, where we made arrangements to meet our agent for the Panama Canal Transit.  Shelter Bay Marina was very well protected, and had great facilities.  Every morning there was a cruiser's net on VHF 77 where important information was exchanged.

Cruiser's BBQ and Potluck Dinner at Shelter Bay Marina, Colon.

The marina provided a free bus into town to selected shopping areas, so we took advantage and saw what the stores had to offer.  Groceries were inexpensive, and a few marine supplies were available. 

Tim buying some fishing gear at Abermarles Marine Store in Colon

One day we met with our agent, Roy Bravo of Emmanuel Agencies, S.A., and there was a backlog of boats due to the just completed ARC race boats, and next week was Carnival, so there would be a shortage of Advisors and line handlers. Advisors are required to be on every vessel transiting the canal less than 65 feet.

Rented oversize fenders to protect Vata during the canal transit.

I climbed the mast to check the boat from top to bottom, a must before any passage.

A web cam pic of us in Gatun lock sent to us from Jessie.

We transited the canal on February 18 and 19th, with an overnight stay at a mooring in Gatun Lake.  The transit was simple, thanks to our professional line handlers, who expertly kept our boat safe in the swirling water of the locks.

Following the GT Star into one of the Gatun Locks, and rafted to a sailboat from Fance.

The Atlantic Venus following us in the descent to the Pacific in the Miraflores Locks.

A container ship passing us in Gatun Lake.

Panama city was, well, a city!  Many tall buildings, traffic jams, and lots of people. We stayed on a mooring at the Balboa Yacht Club, and they provided a free water taxi from the boat to their wharf, and return, 24 hours a day. Taxis were cheap, so we set out to find our long list of marine supplies, with limited success. The list was getting shorter, and I finally had decent charts to use on the up-coming pacific crossing.  A surprise to us, was when we asked to be taken to the "mall", and we ended up in the Albrook Mall, the largest mall in the Americas. Wow. The hustle and bustle of the city, we knew would soon be replaced with a return to nature and tranquillity.

Basic apartments in the older part of town

The food court at the Albrook Mall, Panama City.

Panama City Skyline

Next, we will have a short visit in Panama's Las Perlas Islands, where Survivor was once filmed, and then the long passage to the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia.

Dusk over the Bridge of the Americas in Balboa (Panama City), Panama.