30th May Manihi, Tuamotus, French Polynesia

A very lazy morning - after waking as the sun came up at about 6am we both fell back asleep and did wake up until 9.30!!
As we were eating our pancake breakfast Andy (Calysta) arrived in the lagoon and Christine Anne, Sunchaser and Calysta came over for coffee - Christine Anne brought Tim Tams and Sunchaser brought banana cake so we were happy to provide coffee!!
As we were settling down with our books Carmen (Relax) radioed to say that they had found a problem with their rigging and would need to order a new part but didnt know the english word for the part and could we come over and help. We headed over and Jonny helped Ralph identify the name of the part and we had a drink. Once Andy had blown up his dinghy he joined us as well and before we knew it it was 4pm!!
We headed ashore for drinks and then Andy joined us on Newt for tea.

29th May Manihi, Tuamotus, French Polynesia

We joined Sunchaser, Christine Anne, Contrails (American boat - Jim and Barbara - we met in Nuku Hiva), Hocus Pocus (Swedish boat - Mats and Ullla - we met in Nuku Hiva) and Relax (German boat - Carmen and Ralph) in the anchorage as well as 4 other boats in front of us in the lagoon at Manihi.
After dropping the anchor Russ joined us for a cup of coffee and caught us up on some of the gossip.
Jonnys first job was to wash out the very muddy anchor locker whereas mine was to do battle with the weevils in the front cabin. Bags of pasta from Panama had weevils in so the locker needed to be emptied, cleaned and some of the bags de weeviled!! After the de weeviling we had a much needed swim!! No sign of any sharks but there are shark look a like creatures called Remoras who like to live under the boats and suck at you to clean you!!
We had a nice afternoon before heading ashore at 4 for sundown drinks and to burn rubbish. All the boats in the anchorage came ashore and it was nice to meet some new people. We headed back early as we were both sleepy and looking forward to a good nights sleep.

Marquesas - Tuamotus Day 4 .. ARRIVED

We managed to sail day with good winds and on into the night. We dropped the mainsail at sunset to reduce speed and continued to reef the genoa until we had just a scrap up. We timed the arrival well though and sailed to within 1 mile of the entrance arriving at 7am. Russ (from Christine Anne)and Ray (From Sunchaser) came out in a dinghy to guide us through the reef. We dropped the anchor just after 7:30am. The atol is stunning, many motus (small islands all connected together by reef) forming an elliptical lagoon over 20 miles long. Relaxing today - boat jobs tomorrow!

Marquesas - Tuamotus Day 3

The glassy seas lasted most of the day until just after we had finished our showers on deck at 3pm when a slight breeze filled. We hoisted the spinnaker and finally turned the engine off. The wind was steady and we got moving nicely. We dropped the spinnaker at 10pm due to dark clouds and rising winds. Less than 2 hours later we got a big squall with 40 degree wind shifts and rain - good job we didn't have the spinnaker up! We are still sailing and making good speeds. We will arrive tomorrow morning but will have to slow down later to time our approach for daylight and slack water in the narrow entrance to the lagoon.
24 Hour Run: 124 n/m
Total Distance Run: 369 n/m
Distance to Run: 116 n/m

Marquseas - Tuamotus Day 2

We sailed (technically the sails were up and we were moving but it didn't feel like sailing due to the lack of wind!) very slowly until a big rain cloud rolled in and swung the wind around circles. We then put the motor back on and have been motoring all night desperately hunting for wind! We had a boobie bird land on the spreader just before tea and defecate on the decks - we used the air horn and a spare halyard to eventually move him off then he came back and landed on the mast head were he bent our wind instrument before defecating again and finally leaving us! Trip up the mast when we arrive then!
24 Hour Run: 121 n/m
Total Distance Run: 245 n/m
Distance to Run: 240 n/m

Marquesas - Tuamotus Day 1

We spent Sunday relaxing around the boat. Many boats left the anchorage and appeared to be heading south (including Sunchaser), but we weren't ready to leave and wanted some time to relax. We collected our cooked chicken from the market and then did some boat jobs before going to say goodbye to Lucey Blue, Pegasus and Vagabond Heart. We woke early and left at 7am after packing up the dinghy. We had a good sail with nice winds until around 3pm when the wind died and we were forced to motor throughout the night. The wind filled in a little this morning and we are currently crawling along at 3.5 knots (though under sail not engine!).
24 Hour Run: 124 n/m
Distance to Run: 361 n/m

24th May Taiohae Bay, Nuku Hiva, Marquesas

There was a mass exodus from the anchorage this morning as people started headed towards the Tuamotus. We had decided to have an extra day here relaxing before heading off. We had a lazy morning before heading ashore to collect our roast chicken. After lunch I had a snooze whilst Jonny went ashore and read his book. Later we went to say good bye to people and ended spending the afternoon on Pegasus and then stopped for a drink on Vagabond Heart so we didnt get a few jobs done but we will get up and leave for the Tuamotus tomorrow - a 500 mile trip.

23rd May Taiohae Bay, Nuku Hiva, Marquesas

We woke up at 4.15am and headed ashore in the dark for the market. The market was on the dock which was all flood lit and there was music playing. At the market we got pastries, bread, pain au chocolate and vegetables but everything was expensive. The best part of the market was the fish.
Back on Newt we had coffee and pain au chocolate and read our books.
At 8am we headed to Lucey BLue who was anchored in a prime location to watch the start of the out rigger canoe race. The 6 men boats were doing a 39km course that headed out of the bay to a nearby island.
After the start we headed to Sunchaser to say hello - they had stayed in the other bay overnight. When we were on Lucey Blue Pegasus had arrived into the bay so we went to say hello and were greeted by a man with a video camera - Pegasus are making a documentary for channel 4 about circum navigating as a family and have had film crew on board at various points during the trip - Ben (the camera man) had met them in Hiva Oa (a Marquesas island) and was flying out of Tahiti. When the documentary airs you need to watch for us in Nuku Hiva watching the out rigger races - Jonny says he would have shaved if he had known he was going to be on tv!! We watched the finish of the race on Pegasus and then headed ashore.
Ashore they was a party atmosphere as the boats finished and music and stalls on the dock. After ordering our roast chicken for sunday lunch we headed back to Newt for an afternoon reading books.
In the evening we headed over to Vagabond Heart for sun downers as they are staying in the Marquesas for a while longer and then planning on spending longer than us in the Tuamotus so we might not see them again for a while.

22nd May, Hakatea (Tai Oa) Bay, Nuku Hiva

An earlish start this morning to head up to the worlds 2nd highest waterfall 2 hours away. There was a group of us heading up there - us, Christine Anne, Sunchaser, Vagabond Heart, Lucey BLue and an American boat called Contrails. The walk was spectacular and much easier than expected with only a slow incline. At the waterfall you first saw a pool and then by ducking under a rock you got to the pool the waterfall fell into. Unfortunately due to the lack of rain recently the waterfall wasnt very powerful but it was still amazing - it was in the middle of a steep sided valley with huge cliffs surrounding it.
Once back at the dinghies we headed to Sunchaser for cake - Brenda hadnt come on the walk because she had sprained her ankle earlier in the week so had made cake!!
After an hour relaxing we picked up the anchor and headed back round to Taiohae Bay ready for the market at 4.30am!!

21st May, Hakatea (Tai Oa) Bay, Nuku Hiva

We woke this morning and hauled anchor to head around to the next bay 3.5 miles away. This is the only bay on the island where you can get drinking water so after arriving and anchoring (we found where the other English boats have been hiding!) we borrowed Sunchasers water containers and along with ours went to get water. We had 7 containers each 20 - 25 litres and it took 2 runs to fill our tanks and another run to leave the containers full as a back-up. The whole process took a couple of hours and left us very tired! After lunch Kate read her book while Jonny went to help solve computer problems on Christine Anne. We went ashore for sundowners on the beach with the other boats from the anchorage and met some new people (including someone from Morecambe - what a small world!)and to collect mangos from the trees ashore before heading back to Newt for stir fry with fresh veggies and a dvd.

20th May Taiohae Bay, Nuku Hiva, Marquesas, French Polynesia

Another busy day. Ashore at 8am to go for a walk with Christine Anne. After the walk we stopped for Crepes.
Back on Newt we did the washing and empty our diesel jerry jugs into the tanks which Jonny then re filled.
Ashore again to check out - we are heading to another bay tomorrow to get water (the water here isnt safe to drink) and walk to a waterfall. We are coming back here on Fri afternoon to go to the market on Sat morning and watch the outrigger canoe race but we want to leave for the Tuamotus on sun or early mon morning so we needed to check out today.
Back on the boat we had a swim and tidied up before tea, dvd and bed.

18th May Taiohae Bay, Nuku Hiva, Marquesas, French Polynesia

We spent the morning with the dinghy on the dock gluing the rubbing strip back on - we had pulled it off in the Las Perlas with the intention of re gluing it the next day but then the wind had changed and we had left for the Galapagos the next day.
After a walk to allow the glue to dry and a visit to the supermarket to buy bread we headed back to newt for lunch.
After lunch we headed in to pick up our washing to hang out on the boat to dry (it was cheaper to just get it washed and it is so hot here it will dry really quickly)
When the others had gone to check in they had been told that we were anchored in a restricted area so had decided to move. We were going to stay put because there was another German boat anchored with us but they are leaving tomorrow so we decided to move.
After moving Kate had a siesta and Jonny read his book.
At 3pm we headed ashore for an ice cream party - on the 17th it was Norweigen Independence Day and at home to celebrate the kids get to eat lots of ice cream so Ina (Lucey Blue) organised an ice cream party ashore. You had to take a bowl and a spoon and we bought big tubs of ice cream from the shop - it was great!!
Another dvd and early night ended the day.

19th May Taiohae Bay, Nuku Hiva, Marquesas, French Polynesia

An early morning walk to start the day with Christine Anne. We were trying to walk up to a ledge that had a view over the bay but couldnt find the right path so just had a walk.
On the way back we had great crepes from the crepe van on the dock.
Whilst we were still sitting at the crepe van Ray (Sunchaser) came ashore and the boys headed off to find the hardware store whilst i headed back to Newt but ended up having a drink on Sunchaser with Brenda.
We had a nice afternoon doing some jobs and reading books.
This evening Sunchaser and Christine Anne are coming over for dinner to celebrate Brendas birthday which was while we were at sea.

19th May Taiohae Bay, Nuku Hiva, Marquesas, French Polynesia

An early morning walk to start the day with Christine Anne. We were trying to walk up to a ledge that had a view over the bay but couldnt find the right path so just had a walk.
On the way back we had great crepes from the crepe van on the dock.
Whilst we were still sitting at the crepe van Ray (Sunchaser) came ashore and the boys headed off to find the hardware store whilst i headed back to Newt but ended up having a drink on Sunchaser with Brenda.
We had a nice afternoon doing some jobs and reading books.
This evening Sunchaser and Christine Anne are coming over for dinner to celebrate Brendas birthday which was while we were at sea.

18th May Taiohae Bay, Nuku Hiva, Marquesas, French Polynesia

We spent the morning with the dinghy on the dock gluing the rubbing strip back on - we had pulled it off in the Las Perlas with the intention of re gluing it the next day but then the wind had changed and we had left for the Galapagos the next day.
After a walk to allow the glue to dry and a visit to the supermarket to buy bread we headed back to newt for lunch.
After lunch we headed in to pick up our washing to hang out on the boat to dry (it was cheaper to just get it washed and it is so hot here it will dry really quickly)
When the others had gone to check in they had been told that we were anchored in a restricted area so had decided to move. We were going to stay put because there was another German boat anchored with us but they are leaving tomorrow so we decided to move.
After moving Kate had a siesta and Jonny read his book.
At 3pm we headed ashore for an ice cream party - on the 17th it was Norweigen Independence Day and at home to celebrate the kids get to eat lots of ice cream so Ina (Lucey Blue) organised an ice cream party ashore. You had to take a bowl and a spoon and we bought big tubs of ice cream from the shop - it was great!!
Another dvd and early night ended the day.

17th May Taiohae Bay, Nuku Hiva, Marquesas, French Polynesia

Lucey Blue had told us about a walk to the top of one of the surrounding cliffs so this morning we set off with Christine Anne to explore and get some much needed exercise after 22 days at sea. We eventually found the right path and walked to the top which was quite a climb but the views from the top were stunning.
On the way back to the dinghies we stopped to pick up our chickens and then headed back to the boats for lunch - our chicken baguettes were gorgeous!!
After lunch Vagabond Heart and Sunchaser arrived so we went to say hello to Vagabond and then had some beers with Sunchaser.
At 5pm we had drinks on Newt with Christine Anne (Chris and Russ), Sunchaser (Ray and Brenda), Vagabond Heart (Bill and Debs), Lucey Blue (Ina) and Martin (single handed friend of Lucey Blue) which was great.
Afterwards we had tea, a dvd and then an early night.

16th May Taiohae Bay, Nuku Hiva, Marquesas, French Polynesia

We were woken up at 7am to the sound of Christine Anne dropping their anchor next to us. After breakfast we headed over there to catch up on crossing news. We left Russ to work on their toilet and headed ashore with Chris to get bread and a rossitiere chicken (recommended by Lucey Blue) - unfortunately the chicken man didnt have any chickens today so we ordered one for tomorrow. We have been surprised by the town - all the buildings and houses are very modern and well built for such a remote place in the pacific.
As we were leaving the dinghy dock Barbara, At Play, asked us to radio her husband to come and get her in an our but unfortunately we couldnt get hold of him so we went back to pick her up and she invited us onto At Play, a 30ft catamaran they are delivering to Australia. It was surprisingly spacious down below with a full size bath in the bathroom!! She also fed us Pampelmousse (like grapefruit) which were lovely. As a hobby she make necklaces and earrings and gave me a lovely pair of earrings. They are leaving Nuku Hiva tomorrow and want to be in Australia by the end of July so we probably wont see them again.
In the evening we headed over to Christine Anne for drinks and then had an early night.

15th May Taiohae Bay, Nuku Hiva, Marquesas, French Polynesia

We arrived into Taiohae Bay at 7am and dropped the anchor. It is a spectacular place with stunning green cliffs surrounding the anchorage. After breakfast and some tidying up we headed ashore to check in. It took us an hour to get the dinghy ready because the clamps on the outboard motor had seized and it took lots of grease and brut force to get them off!! On the dock we met Lucey Blue and found out info about check in, banks and shops from them. Check in was straight forward and we headed to the bank to get our Central Pacific Francs (CPF). At the supermarket we bought french baguettes for lunch and ice cream - yummy! The supermarket was quite well stocked with long life products but have very little fresh produce - no fruit or veg. In the afternoon we cleaned the hull and Jonny slept whilst i went to visit Lucey Blue. We were in bed by 7.30 ready for a much needed full nights sleep!!

Galapagos - Marquesas Day 22

Still no wind and we motored for the whole day! We saw land just before dark, but it was one of the two islands we have to sail past to get to Nuku Hiva where we are bound for (Kate is not very impressed at having to sail past land after not having seen any for 3 weeks!).
We slowed down at around midnight to time our arrival for first light, and we finally dropped anchor at 7am local time this morning. The scenary is spectacular with huge green cliffs in every direction. The smell of land is also quite refreshing after 3 weeks of sea air!
24 Hour Run: 128 n/m (+15 n/m for day 23!)
Total Distance Run: 3,108 n/m
Average Speed: 5.85 knots
Average Daily Run: 140 n/m

Galapagos - Marquesas Day 21

We sailed well this morning with nice Northerly breezes making upto 6 knots. The wind slowly edged NW (unheard of in this area of ocean according to the routing charts which show 95% SE!!) and then died! We got down to less than 2 knots of boat speed before giving up and putting the engine on. We started motoring at 3:30 pm and are still motoring now (7:30 am!). Also our electric water pump seems to be dieing, the taps are spluttering and it won't pressurise. Luckily I bought a spare one before we left the UK so I need to fit that today and hopefully we will have working plumbing again soon!! (I will take the old pump apart and try to resurrect it as a backup!) We hope to arrive tomorrow morning!!
24 Hour Run: 128 n/m
Total Distance Run: 2,965 n/m
Distance to Run: 143 n/m

Galapagos - Marquesas Day 20

The wind was still light this morning so we put the spinnaker up and finally got the boat moving at a reasonable speed, we managed to average 4 knots by lunch time. The wind the gradually filled in during the day and by night fall we were on a beam reach making 6.5 knots under main and spinnaker. We dropped the spinnaker at 10pm as the wind was edging NW and making it a bit tight and also increasing in strength. The wind stayed throughout the night although softened a little, but we have been managing to make 5.5 knots in what is now a NW wind (so much for SE trades?!). We saw our first ship last night at around 2am - the only thing we have seen except for Yacht Ohana 10 days ago since we left Galapagos.
24 Hour Run: 119 n/m
Total Distance Run: 2,837 n/m
Distance to Run: 272 n/m

Galapagos - Marquesas Day 19

Another day of very light winds! We sailed most of the day with the spinnaker up, we did motor for 2 hours over lunch when the wind died completely. We took the spinnaker down at sunset as it is a big sail to manage in the day light let alone at dark ... we slowed down under the genoa in lieu of the spinnaker but were still moving at 3 - 4 knots. We motored from midnight until 4am when the wind died and sailed the rest of the night. We are now under spinnaker again making 4 knots but the wind is light and variable. We're so close to the Marquesas and could be there in 2 or 3 days, but with wind like this it may take 4 or 5!
24 Hour Run: 118 n/m
Total Distance Run: 2,718 n/m
Distance to Run: 391 n/m

Galapagos - Marquesas Day 18

A day of frustratingly light winds! The wind slowly died and we persevered with the sails until just before noon when we finally lost all wind. Talking to all the other boats around us on the radio net they had all been motoring since 4am so we did quite well. We motored all day with not a ripple on the water. The wind finally started to fill in around midnight but didn't become sailable until 2am when we finally turned the engine off. Sailed the rest of the night making reasonable progress at around 5 knots, but with the wind from the NNW (SE trades?).
24 Hour Run: 137 n/m
Total Distance Run: 2,600 n/m
Distance to Run: 509 n/m

Galapagos - Marquesas Day 17

The day started off with moderate winds and we were making good progress. However as the day continued so the winds continued to drop. Speaking to others on our long range radio everyone was having the same trouble so at least we're not alone. The wind is also swinging between NE and SE so everyone is having to alter sails and adjust the auto-pilot, at least with our windvane steering we don't need to do that (it keeps us at a constant angle to the wind the whole time - it doesn't matter this far out at sea if our heading is 10 degrees or so off where we want to go!). In the night the wind dropped further and swung around the N! We are now sailing under main and spinnaker at 6 knots.
24 Hour Run: 129 n/m
Total Distance Run: 2,463 n/m
Ditance to Run: 645 n/m

Galapagos - Marquesas Day 16

Another good day at sea! We have had lighter winds but still enough to keep us moving at a reasonable pace. The seas are a bit lumpy now and from dead astern making it a bit of a rolly ride, but we are heading in the right direction!
24 Hour Run: 158 n/m
Total Distance Run: 2,334 n/m
Distance to Run: 773 n/m

Galapagos - Marquesas Day 15

The wind that arrived yesterday morning has held up all day and I am pleased to report a new 24 hour record for Newtsville - 169n/m (170 must be breakable!). We passed the 1,000 mile to go mark just after tea (Mahe Mahe fillets pan fried in ginger and soy sauce with baby potatoes sautéed in butter and herbs with sweetcorn!). The only problem of the trip was also encountered just after tea - the wire bridle which attaches to the pole and to the pole uphaul on the mast frayed badly at one end and was in danger of breaking. Luckily we have a spare so this was replaced after 15 mins dancing on the foredeck in the big swell whilst the boat carried on at 7.5 knots! In the night we had an adventurous flying fish which made it through the open galley window and landed at the foot of the companion way!
24 Hour Run: 169 n/m
Total Distance Run: 2,176 n/m
Distance to Run: 931 n/m

Galapagos - Marquesas Day 14

Another day of light winds. The forecast promised wind today but none arrived. Instead we plodded along at 4 - 5 knots (1.5 knots of which was current!). However, we did catch two fish, a good sized Wahoo and then a couple of hours later a large Mahi Mahi (or Dorado). We had the Blue Fin Tuna from yesterday for lunch (it was only quite small) and then had half the Wahoo for tea. Kate has banned me from fishing now until we have eaten the rest of the Wahoo and the 2-3 meals worth of Mahi Mahi in the fridge! The wind finally filled in at 5am this morning and we are now back to good speeds again - although with it comes the bigger seas!
24 Hour Run: 131 n/m
Total Distance Run: 2,007 n/m
Distance to Run: 1,099 n/m

Galapagos - Marquesas Day 13

Another light wind day - the forecast is for more wind today (we will see!). Kate has been seeing a bright light behind us at 5:30 am for the last few days and it appears over the horizon to the East like a ship and then quickly rises into the sky - everyday she thinks a huge ship is bearing down on us - however we discovered from our radio net yesterday that it is infact Venus we can see.
We caught a fish yesterday too - we think its a blue fin tuna, but certainly some breed of the tuna family. Looking forward to trying it later with some sweet chilli sauce, sweetcorn and noodles!
We flew the spinnaker into the night last night, dropping it around 10pm. We made good speed despite the light winds, but we are falling behind our impressive speeds of last week!
24 Hour Run: 130 n/m
Total Distance Run: 1,876 n/m
Distance to Run: 1,230 n/m

Galapagos - Marquesas Day 12

Another slow day. The wind has been very very light all day and we have drifted along with the sails filling (just) and then flapping when a rogue wave comes and knocks the boat! We have still managed to average 5 knots thanks to some positive current though. Still light winds, though forecasted for more to arrive tonight / tomorrow so fingers crossed!
24 Hour Run: 124 n/m
Total Distance Run: 1,746 n/m
Distance to Run: 1,360 n/m

Galapagos - Marquesas Day 11

After an amazing 24 hr run yesterday today proved to be a little more subdued! The winds were light all day but we still managed to sail quite well. Taking advantage of the blue skies again we did a load of washing and hung it out to dry and also washed our cockpit scatter cushions which were a bit dirty. We had salt water showers on deck (followed by a rinse off with hot fresh water from the solar shower!). We passed the half way point in the evening, but celebrated throughout the day with bacon sandwiches for lunch and nachos as a mid afternoon snack and then pizza for tea - yummy! The wind died during the night and we had to motor from 3:15am to 8:45am this morning to stop the sails banging and crashing in the swell.
24 Hour Run: 138 n/m
Total Distance Run: 1,622 n/m
Distance to Run: 1,483 n/m

Galapagos - Marquesas Day 10

A good day of sailing with light to moderate Easterly winds, yet somehow despite not being very windy it was a good direction for Newt and we managed a record breaking 167 n/m! We should be at the half way point later on today having averaged 148.5 n/m per day so far. We have also had a change of plans re our arrival point, we were aiming for Fatu Hiva the closest island which is furthest South East, however it is not a recognised point of entry and going here would mean 3 long day sails through the Marquesas in the 10 or so days we plan to be there, so instead we are planning a long relaxing stop at Nuku Hiva (the Northern Island in the group) which has reportedly the best anchorages. The bad news is that it is 80 miles further away! Never mind! All is well on board.
24 Hour Run: 167 n/m
Total Distance Run: 1,484 n/m
Distance to Run: 1,608 n/m

Galapagos - Marquesas Day 9

Finally a 24 hour run with no engine involved! We have had a good sail with reasonable winds, on the light side during the day (we were making around 5 knots) and then good at night (making around 7 - 8 knots). We now have poled out genoa and main sail up so sailing well with the wind dead astern. Should be half way tomorrow (yipee!).
24 Hour Run: 147 n/m
Distance to Run: 1,692 n/m

Galapagos - Marquesas Day 8

Another difficult day with wind. We managed to sail most of the day, but had a few rainy clouds roll over us towards sunset. The wind died completely just before midnight for around 5 hours during which time we had to motor. The wind has now returned (fingers crossed for good!) but we still have rain clouds and drizzle (thought this was meant to be the South Pacific!?).
We have regular deck cleaning every morning to remove the flying fish and, for the first time, small squid which land on the deck during the night.
24 Hr Run: 141 n/m
Distance to Run: 1,839 n/m