Baie des Vierges - Hanavave, Fatu Hiva, Īles Marquises

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Fatu Hiva

21 April 2003, Monday

Baie des Vierges

Last night, we just sailed over to the island of Fatu Hiva. We arrived this morning under tons of rain followed by the welcoming red carpet of a double-rainbow. We both felt that Hiva Oa was beautiful... we were wrong. This anchorage is absolutely spectacular. If told that this was a fictional Disney backdrop, we would not be surprised in the least. The anchorage is near the village of Hanavave. The bay we are in is called Baie des Vierges (Bay of Virgins). The bay has sheer volcanic cliffs and lava turrets that once inspired the bay's original name: Baie des Verges (Penis Bay). It didn't take long for the Catholic priests to enforce a name change, swiftly taken care of by the addition of the letter "i".

Tonight, we enjoyed time eating dinner with friends Alan & Monica on Evolution.

Surrounding mountains

They are a family that left from Zihuatanejo just after us on board their boat with their FOUR children (Eric, Evan, Arianna & Alexandra, ages 4-12). Pretty full house. Fortunately, they have a huge boat to accommodate all six of them! They are a VERY nice family from Juneau, Alaska.

While having appetizers, we heard a great drumming sound coming from the beach. We went in on the dinghy to check it out and the whole town was out for some dancing. Several older men and women were leading the event and manning the drums. Over 60 people were lined up and dancing to the music in a synchronized formation (think Polynesian line dancing?). We don't know the cause of this event, if for practice or just for fun, but it was amazing! There was no "audience" except for us and a few elders that were enjoying the event. The dancing involved tons of concentration, energy and skill. It was certainly more work than any aerobics class I have ever participated in or witnessed. It was phenomenal to watch!

Local woman making tapa cloth

The island is full of fruit and flowers and lovely people. We have been trading goods with the locals for fruits (oranges, papaya, pamplemouse (BIG grapefruit), mango & limes... we have been eating a TON of fruit!) People here have no need for money as there is nothing to spend it on, so trade items are valued beyond the dollar or Polynesian franc.

The people here are

A new friend giving us limes as a gift

extremely friendly and generous with their fruit. We gave a woman one of Angela's old (but nice) tee-shirts, and she gave us a huge papaya and several oranges. Another family we met gave us a pack of about 30 dried bananas. They are so good - very sweet! They were fisherman, so we gave them an old piece of rope that they had a use for. A young girl of about 15 followed us around for a while, helping us locate various places and people in the village, and then gave us a small wooden turtle she had carved. She kept following us

Hike to waterfall

Eric swimming in the cool waters of the waterfall pool

Interesting shaped tree, one of many in the area

around throughout the afternoon and picking mangoes, lemons and limes for us (all fruit trees are owned by someone, so this is something we can not due for ourselves if we wish to respect the locals). Later, for her company and efforts, we gave her a hair clip, a tube of chapstick, a little bracelet and some other

Eric in front of the waterfall

small odds & ends.

We met some local kids and did our few magic tricks for them. We are now referred to as "les magiciens", which is SO funny, because our tricks are only valid if under the age of 10 - no David Copperfields aboard our boat! But we do grab some smiles! :)

We have been on several great hikes on the island. There is a meandering trail up to a waterfall. The first bit is all uphill (everything is uphill around these islands, especially considering the fact that we always start at sea level!) and then there is a short scramble along rocks. That section of the trail is tricky, primarily because the trail is barely visible. Just when you think you have lost your way, you will see a cairn (small pile of rocks) up ahead marking the trail.

Angela standing in front of the falls

It is the best trail signs that we've seen, unless of course you note that these little rock piles are on top of and surrounded by beaucoup amounts of nature's rock piles!!! :)

The waterfall and pool at the end of the trail is worth the trip. The water is cool and refreshing, and much-desired after the hot hike up to it. The water cascades down a 300-foot rock cliff. There was not a huge amount of water flowing down while we were there, but it was a steady stream that was mesmerizing to watch.

Yesterday, a wooden ketch (a 38' Hershoff design) pulled in from the Galapagos Islands. On board was a great little family of 3-1/2 people... Doug, 2-year old daughter Hannah, and 6-month pregnant wife Sarah! I can't imagine making the month-long journey while so far along!!! Well, honestly, it's hard for me to even imagine what it would be like to BE 6 months pregnant at all and especially on a boat! They were all so kind and their daughter Hannah is a sweetheart!

We had them over for hors d'ouvres and a drink to watch the sunset and relax. They are originally from England, but bought their boat and began their trip in California. They plan to head into the island of Nuku Hiva soon, where there is a proper hospital. They are going to have their baby there. They are planning

Village of Hanavave below

to rent a place on shore for the time after they have their little one. Sarah is looking forward to heading back to England (& shore-based life) shortly after that. I think she feels that the prospect of having a tiny baby on board the boat,

Our new friends Sarah & 21/2 year old Hannah

in addition to their little 2 year old, is a bit overwhelming. I would have to agree. :)

This afternoon, we took a hike in to the island with them up the mountain roads towards the town of Omoa. We walked for about 2 hours uphill to a vantage point looking out over the bay that our boats are anchored in. In truth, 4-1/2 of us walked and little Hannah mostly rode on our shoulders. She had a great "hike" and an even better vantage point. While up on our shoulders, she had the funny habit of holding on to our earlobes. For her little hands, that was the perfect thing to grab! She was very gentle about

Little Hannah liked gently to hold on to our earlobes while riding on our shoulders

it, possibly the largest pair of earrings that we will ever wear! Since the bay is facing west, we were rewarded with a beautiful view of the sunset as we made our way back down into the village of Hanavave.

Tomorrow morning, we are planning to sail downwind to the island of Tahuata. There is supposed to be clear water and good snorkeling there. We're not sure which bay we will plan to visit first. Since it's a 10-hour trip, we will have all day to decide. It feels so great to now be going to places that we can actually SEE before departing. It's a bit odd, after such a long voyage, these

Cliff we think looks like George Washington

50 mile trips now feel like tiny little hops, whereas before, they were our typical journeys and felt as such.

The anchoring in the bay we're in is a little tricky. In the shallow water (less than 30') the bottom is very rocky, and the anchor doesn't hold well. As you move into deeper water (with the hopes of finding mud/sand), it gets deep quite quickly. So, you can choose to anchor shallow in rock, or deep (60-100') in mud/sand. There are only a few boats who get the perfect spot of relatively shallow water and good holding. Can you imagine anchoring in 100' of water? For us, we'd have a scope ratio of 1.8:1! Certainly not ideal!

Anchorage
Baie des Vierges - Hanavave, Fatu Hiva
10^o27.89' S
138^o40.09' W

< Hiva Oa : Fatu Hiva : Tahuata >