Pacific 2019: 3000 Nautical Miles
Sailing from the Galapagos Islands to the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia is a 3000 nm passage, the longest most leisure cruisers will likely make!
Isabela Island, Galapagos, Ecuador to Fatu Hiva Island, Marquesas, French Polynesia 10 June – 4 July
We now continue on to much-anticipated French Polynesia. A long 3000 nm passage awaits us. This is the longest non-stop voyage that pleasure cruisers will likely ever do, but the rewards promise to be wonderful…
Day 1 – As always, it’s a last-minute rush to get everything done before setting sail. Seems like it’s not possible to get a few relaxed hours to get emotionally ready… it’s full on until the last second, and even then, everything isn’t normally done and ready, though anchor is up and we’re on our way! Problems connecting to the Iridium mail system persist and we may not have email access during the trip… major issue for this long a journey. Luckily, I was able to contact my Mom and Michele while we still had connectivity on our local sim cards so they knew that they might not hear from us underway, but that all would be well. I wasn’t a happy camper because of the Iridium problem and not quite being ready to leave this paradise (despite the fact that we are heading to another – and probably even more beautiful – paradise). Calm seas, motoring (motoring the first 24 hours out of the Galapagos is typical) and overcast… day 1 of probably 23 – 30 more or less.
Day 2 – On my 5-8am watch, I was delighted with a pod of dolphins jumping and fishing near the boat. Then, just before 8am, I saw a bird in the distance. At first, I thought it was a booby or pelican, but it landed in front of the boat and when I could see it clearly, it turned out (unmistakably) to be an albatross!!!! The famed Waved Albatross are on Espanola Island for most of the year and it is their breeding ground. I was debating whether to make a trip down there from San Cristobal island, but it was pretty long and costly and I decided against it. So, if I wasn’t going to go to the albatross, the albatross was coming to me!!! You can’t imagine how big their wingspan is until you’ve seen one up close… wow! This one just sat in the water as we cruised by, so I was able to watch him for about 10 minutes. Willem was sleeping and I thought about waking him early to see this amazing sight, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the albatross and just stood there in awe.
Day 3 – Winds picked up and we reefed down the sails, but then it lightened up again. I’m happy to be sailing rather than motoring to preserve the “treasure” (diesel in this case). We have still not been able to fix the Iridium email problem, but thankfully, we can send text messages and make calls. It is frustrating though, because I would like to stay in touch by email. SMS texts get sent from one mailbox, so Willem and I have access to see each other’s messages. Anything we write or receive needs to be appropriate for all eyes. So much for communicating any grumblings about skipper or crew, LOL!
Day 4 – A quiet night watch with calm seas and just enough wind to keep us moving. Bright 2/3 moon and sparkly stars. Mid-day we saw lots of dolphins off the starboard side. They were jumping higher than you can imagine out of the water… looked like more than 2m high! At 2pm I saw a nasca (masked) booby fly by. I was hoping he’d stop for a rest and sit on the bow for a while but he just flew along, heading towards home behind us in the Galapagos.
Day 5 – Beautiful day! Hot water from running the engine made for a lovely back-deck shower and hair washing. Sailing wing-on-wing or in butterfly form with foresail on one side and main on the other, straight downwind. Again, happy to be sailing and preserving diesel treasure. When one has limited supplies (diesel, water, food) everything becomes treasure to be carefully managed, allocated, and protected. We have enough fuel to motor for 12 -15 days but want to save it for when/if we really need it. I forgot to mention that we have plants on board, or a “garden” of mini proportion. We have 2 pots of cilantro (my idea to take the plants not just the cuttings from the finca/farm) and a “piqueña piña” – a shoot from a pineapple that Felipe gave us when we were at his farm. I’m not much of a gardener and totally drowned one of the cilantro plants. Willem is trying to rescue it so he can eat it, lol! All the fruit is ripening way ahead of schedule, so we are under pressure to eat as much of it as possible while it is still fresh and good. Mandarins, passionfruit, pineapple, papaya, apples (they’re in pretty good shape in the fridge), bananas, and zapotes (strange Galapagos fruit, but hardy and last well).
Day 6 – Happily, the 3 meter, short-period (distance between) waves that were forecast for the weekend have not materialized yet. We continue to sail wing-on-wing about 20° higher (into the wind) than our rhumb line (direct course line from one destination to the next), but we can make that up easily once we get a little more wind (predicted for tomorrow afternoon. Okay, I spoke too soon… mid-afternoon brought increasing seas and winds. Blowing only up to 18 – 19 knots but high steep waves from the side/quarter. “Fred” our autopilot is hanging in there (may he continue to do so!!!, as I would hate to have to hand steer 24×7 for 3-4 week! Yikes!)
Day 7 – Wind and waves are still high but the motion isn’t too bad now. We enjoyed the afternoon together then watched the sunset followed by moonrise. Willem had installed a net for fruit under the arch and solar panels, but needed to work around the back stay. With all the rocking and rolling, the oranges we put in the net were trying to escape and abandon ship by squeezing out of the net, lol! One fell on Willem’s head before he realized what was going on. A few managed to get away, but we were able to rescue the majority. Pequeña Piña seems well and the one cilantro plant is good. I thought I had killed the other but we may have salvaged it just in time… we shall see. I am hoping not to have to perform a burial at sea, lol!
Day 8 – We were merrily motoring along, then “bang”! The alternator belt broke. Willem has multiple spares and was able to replace two belts right away… my hero!!! You realize how self-sufficient one must be while out at sea. Not just mechanical and electrical boat repairs, but should anything happen to us health-wise, we must be able to deal with it ourselves since we are so very remote and far offshore. As Sam Levenson (and east coast US comedian) said, “if you ever need a helping hand, there’s one at the end of your arm”.
Day 9 – Over one week at sea now, with 2-3 more to go. Quite a long time. You get into the rhythm, but still feel very tired from broken-up sleep (2-3 hours at a time 2-3 times a day) and continuous rocking. Even if you are sleeping, you are not completely relaxed and not getting enough of the deep REM sleep desperately needed.
Day 10 – We have made the first 1000 miles (one third down two thirds to go) of our 3000nm passage. Calmer conditions allow for extended napping (😊) beautiful day and night with stars.
Day 11 – Good sailing. Almost (just another day+) at our halfway point. Autopilot “Fred” is hanging in there but using a lot of power. Co-(auto)pilot “Hanna” (named in honor of Willem’s friend Hans who passed away recently), is not up to the task in downwind sailing or high seas. I don’t trust her to keep us on course unless we are in very quiet conditions. The solar panels aren’t keeping up (between 7-8 amps for ‘fridge and 5-6 for autopilot in rough seas) so we are needing to run the engine dialing for 3 hours to stay charged. Must keep the autopilot (Fred) well fed and running!!! (thanks Universe, thanks Fred!) Also, please keep the boat and all aboard healthy and running well! 😊😊 sending lots of appreciation to the Universe… so many things could go wrong and so happy that they (and us) are all well and functioning!!!
Day 12/13 – Wind and waves pick up… gusts up to 35 knots and waves about 2.5+m. We made it to our halfway point 1500nm on 22 June at 09:30 and had a celebration brunch of smoked salmon (lox) and cream cheese on toast with a few dates. Next milestone is 2/3rds, 2000 miles, then my birthday celebration which is going to be at sea… somewhere close to the Marquesas!
Day 14 – Weather and waves continue strong… should let up sometime tomorrow though. Tiring being in these conditions on top of 3-hour watches. I need to cut up the last pineapple today. Despite best efforts, everything ripened too quickly. Apples and carrots and cukes in the fridge are holding well, as are the “zapotes” (mango/pumpkin-like fruit from Galapagos). We haven’t been able to check the lines and rigging yet for chafing so hope all is well.
Day 15/16 – A bit more settled today, wind and waves calmer… nice change from the previous days. We caught a fish just before sunset!!! A smallish mahi-mahi. A good size for about 3-4 meals. Any larger would be a problem since we don’t have a freezer on board. These fish are beautiful turquoise and green, but within minutes of dying, they fade to shades of gray. So sad… made me want to cry and eat peanut butter instead. ☹
Day 17/18/19 – Wind and waves started subsiding but we are still rocking and rolling with swell from the side (on the beam) and/or behind. Beautiful weather and sunny days with starry nights. Although we are sailing without any sight of land, and one might think that there’s nothing interesting – everything the same with water and sky – but it really isn’t. It’s like an ever-changing painting, beautiful and calm, angry and threatening, cloudy and clear.
On Friday June 28th I get an early birthday present – two boobies – young red footies are flying about! They were looking for a good landing place, but with the large genoa out, filling with wind then emptying and snapping from time to time, they didn’t want to risk it and land.Day 19 – Hard to believe we’ve been at sea 19 days – almost 3 weeks with no land in view. At first, it seemed like the trip would be endless, but now with less than a week to go, it seems like the time just melted away… merrily we roll (and rock and roll) along. Our bodies are now in a rhythm of sleep so that we don’t feel quite as exhausted as in the first days out. I sleep 8-11pm, 2-5am, and 9/10 – 12pm (if I’m lucky), enough sleep in terms of hours but less effective when broken up three chunks. I will be turning 61 tomorrow at sea! At this point, all birthdays should be memorable and this South Pacific passage to the French Polynesian paradise certainly counts… just a few days out from the Marquesas and having done the longest non-stop passage I likely do… a nice accomplishment and a good way to end my very adventurous 61st year!
Day 20 June 29th – Happy Birthday to me!!! 61 years young today and celebrating at sea in the South Pacific! Beautiful day with a visit from a large pod of small dolphins. Willem wrote me a sweet postcard (of course with photos of boobies from the Galapagos!). He decorated the cockpit with a string of orange flags. I pulled out the sweet treats I brought along to celebrate and Willem baked me honey cornbread from a mix we bought in Panama. We ate that with butter and honey, and toasted with a drink of coconut rum mixed with peach juice (all we could find besides orange juice in the Galapagos) and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. We haven’t made it yet to the coconut cookies or Italian candies… maybe tomorrow, it’s still my birthday month!!
Day 21/22/23 – So clearly, we aren’t going to arrive in the 23 days I had originally predicted and which became the “date” to achieve/avoid depending on who you asked, Willem or me – much to Willem’s relief. But we are close! 24 days +/- is pretty darned good, considering that the boat is heavy and a slow-going yacht. But for that she’s a safe and sturdy one. Hard to believe we are only a little more than a day or so out from landfall. We’re both tired, but it’s been really a very good passage. You get into a rhythm and as long as conditions are fair, everything running properly and with all crew well, then it’s almost mesmerizing. I’m looking forward to all of French Polynesia, but especially the Marquesas and Fatu Hiva’s “Bay of Virgins”, supposedly the most beautiful bay in the world (according to the French). The bay of Virgins (Hanavave) was originally named Penis bay because there is a huge rock formation in that undeniable form. Early missionaries decided that wasn’t an appropriate name so hence its current name.
Day 24 – Today is the last full day of our voyage to the Marquesas! Hard to believe that after over 3 weeks we will see land tomorrow! I can’t wait to see the famous Bay of Virgins and my first glimpse of French Polynesia.
Day 25 – Although this is our 25th day at sea, we left in the afternoon and arrive mid-day, so all-in-all it took us 24 complete days. I let Willem sleep a little longer on the night watch as he hadn’t gotten enough sleep lately. I slept from 04:30 – 06:30. When I awoke and realized it was daylight, I sprang up and came into the cockpit for my first look at the magnificent Fatu Hiva island and coastline. We are on the east side heading south west. We decided to round the island from the south because of timing… wanted to ensure that we didn’t arrive at the bay during the night, but also wanted to see as much of the island as possible.
The sun came up just as I emerged from the cabin, but with the clouds we didn’t have sunlight on land. Instead, it reflected down onto the water in beautiful pink and salmon tones. Clouds sit directly over the island obscuring the ragged peaks. It is very steep from peak to waterline on the east side of the island with craggy jutting points and fingers. So steep here that no roads or signs of civilization are present. There are two bays on Fatu Hiva, both on the western coast. Amazing to see this paradise/landfall after 24 days of sea. The Marquesas are volcanic islands, whereas Tuamotus are atolls, which means Marquesas are actually geologically younger.
We still have 5-6 hours to go before reaching our destination. I’m not sure whether I will be able to walk on land after all this time rocking and rolling at sea, lol! I’ll just play the drunken sailor! I have seen several boobies now in the last days of our voyage. They look to be either young red footies or more likely brown boobies. At 3000 nm away from the Galapagos, I’m thinking/hoping that maybe there are boobies here too?!!! Maybe even throughout the South Pacific!?? Yippee!
Fatu Hiva Island, Marquesas, French Polynesia – arrived 4 July
4 Jul – We arrived in the tiny “Bay of Virgins” at 12:30 so the passage took us exactly 24 days, quite respectable. The bay is, in fact, the most beautiful I have seen and anchored in. Truly the South Pacific tropical landscape I had anticipated. We got the anchor set and celebrated with coconut rum along with lunch. Our neighbor boat, a lovely Frenchman, dinghied over to say hello and welcomed us with an enormous Pamplemousse (grapefruit of huge dimensions and so very sweet!) which grow in abundance here. Despite being exhausted, we prepared our own dinghy and decided to go to shore for a brief exploration. Surprisingly, despite three+ weeks rocking and rolling at sea, I wasn’t rocking and rolling on land as I usually do. We asked a local woman sitting on a bench where we could find the Gendarmerie (local police) to unofficially check in and register our presence, and she said to look for the guy walking around in the gray and yellow uniform. No office, just find the uniform which we never did… no one official seemed to be in the bay the entire time we were there and the locals just told us it wasn’t a problem. The bench lady asked if we wanted to eat and made known we could eat with a family… no restaurants or bars here, you also can’t buy alcohol here, and we haven’t found the little store yet. It’s a tiny settlement of only about 300 people. And, much to Willem’s disappointment, no bakery in this bay!
We said we’d like to eat the following evening and followed a boy (turns out he’s the son of our dinner hosts) to the house where we would go. I had read that locals invite you to eat with them for around $15/pp but the info was old and now the price was closer to $20. I thought it wasn’t worth it but Willem convinced me that it was good to support the locals and local business… ok, good enough, I’m in.
Our to-be hosts, Sopi and his wife Leah were friendly, as was everyone we met along the way. We were given several very heavy Pamplemousse and made our way for a walk.
Continue on as we visit The Marquesas and beyond!