So we had light winds for our sail across and arrived at 1:00 am. I'm glad we made it; it was a lovely place to awaken!! - - Such a beautiful white beach. We haven't had a beach to play at for over a month. Just to get out, dig, get wet and dirty and fully exercised! It was perfect. We went on deck before breakfast and Courage spotted a manta ray swimming by the boat. We called the kids out to see it, while looking for it, another manta jumped right out of the water in front of us. It was excellent!! So we launched the dinghy and went touring. We didn't see them while we were in the water, but when we got back on deck we saw one right next to our boat!
So as we had our breakfast, a rainbow appeared in the western sky. After breakfast some dolphins swam by the back of our boat. The kids and I got ready and headed in. Courage dropped us off in the dinghy. There were 4 other boats in the anchorage; one was Adina, who we'd met in the Galapagos. She was so kind as to give me yellow cloth to make a quarantine flag. Her father does hot air ballooning, so she had some material from that. Strong and light, perfect!! I am flying the quarantine flag I made from her material, so we went and said hello on our way in. They had a nice crossing and were doing well.
As we got to the beach, it began to rain! We went running for shelter. There were structures that we heard were abandoned. First we tried to be under low coconut trees, but it wasn't too good, so we went to the shelters. The roof palms were falling through, but we could find places to hide out. Next thing after finding shelter is to secure "fresh water" according to my little explorers who may have been watching too much Bear Grylls. So they set out some pots from the shelter and coconut husks to catch the rainwater. Then we set up palm fronds to funnel it in. OK, now we need food. Fortunately mom brought 9 o'clock snack, so we didn't have to eat grubs. Unfortunately, maybe the rain stimulated us, but it seemed everyone had to pee, so they made a bathroom to the side of the building. After a little bit, the rain ceased and we went out exploring. There were a few structures and man made items around to check out. One structure had concrete footings, a new wheelbarrow out front and a large water tank (200 gallons?) out back collecting rainwater. Hard to believe someone abandoned it! But, some of the floor was falling through; there was a stove pulled out, roof falling in, and other signs that it may not be totally taken care of. Whatever the case, we left everything alone, but thoroughly inspected it. Interesting to see how and where people live.
The kids found a shell for me for my birthday. Then they wrapped it in the sand for me with balls of sand on top of it and other decorations. It was wonderful. I opened it one ball of sand at a time to find my shell. - - Very thoughtful. There was also a sand cake. We had a nice party.
We walked the beach, found some shells, and met a few of the people on other boats here. It's interesting that recently when we meet new boats, a typical question is "where are you from?" More and more, this is stumping people. We are meeting some serious cruisers. A couple from France, who lived in French Canada, is now out cruising. A woman from Jamaica, then the states, married a guy from South Africa. Been on the boat for years, so not really a base home. A family cruising for 25 years, she grew up in France, he in Australia. Australia is probably where they'd go if they went to land. It's just funny; we're meeting people who have been more out than in, who have broken most land ties, so could re-establish anywhere they wanted, if they wanted. The freedom is nice!
We came back in for lunch after our morning survivor challenge of shelter, water, food, bathrooms, etc. Cassidy had made her bread and we feasted. Courage had caught some rainwater in the morning, so we had nice fresh water wash offs. Then somehow Integrity caught his lure on the bottom, so I got back in my suit and went to dive for it. Unfortunately it felt like my ears would explode despite trying to clear them, so Courage dove and freed it. Since I was in the water, I talked Cassidy into going snorkeling with me. Courage dropped us off in the dinghy, but on the way, a new boat had just come in with what appeared to be a teenager on it. This is a rare sighting indeed, so we buzzed them. They have a 14 year old onboard!!! And they've been cruising for 6 years. They are from Colorado. Yeah!!! So Cassidy and I went snorkeling, which was great. There were some of the regular fish - parrotfish, angelfish, rockfish and some others I recognized. But there were also some new ones that I didn't recognize. That was fun. I'll have to see if I can find out what any of them are! We had a nice dive and swam back to the boat. After 20 days of sedentary living, then 5 days of hiking through town and toward waterfalls, it was nice to swim and work some different muscles for a change. I'm a bit sore with all the activity after the period of inactivity. We got another wash off, then went in.
Cassidy's friend came by and invited her to the beach. She was on a paddleboard, Cassidy took a kayak and they were off for hours of beach, visiting around the anchorage, swimming, back to the beach. We haven't seen a teenage girl in a long time!! Very excited.
We had a nice dinner of fresh tuna, the last that we had. Won't have fish for a bit since we heard there are issues with ciguatera near here, so have to wait for our next big jump in a week or so. Then we had a key lime pie! It was a perfect lime pie made from fresh squeezed limes from Fatu Hiva. We decided not to do cake for my birthday since we'll have it for Vitality's birthday on the 11th; then something else for Courage's birthday on the 13th. No need for cake every day, just a special dessert. Courage may get mincemeat or brownies, or maybe mincemeat melted onto brownies?? Vitality will get the traditional cake. As will Intrepid May 29th.
I had a very nice day for my birthday. The setting was perfect, the weather was great, I had fun with everyone, meeting new people and spending time with the kids. The water is warm and inviting, but also refreshing. It is clear and there was some great wildlife for viewing. The beach was interesting and we got some nice sun and exercise.
Cassidy's friend came over to watch a movie. Her family is as happy to have a teenager for her to hang out with, as we are happy. They were going to move on tomorrow, but will probably stay another day so the girls can meet a little more before we separate. We are on the same general course, but they have a 3-month visa, we have a 6-12 month visa, so we aren't as rushed as they are. They are also talking about going up to Hawaii and back to the states, but are not sure.
We shall all see where life takes us! It is fun to cross paths with such interesting people out there. We started the day with 5 boats including us in the anchorage, now we have 12. There is quite a flux of boats out here with lots of people moving and exploring.
I feel lucky, I can imagine it's hard for someone without a boat to get out and be a tourist in the Marquesas Islands. Even if you fly out, get a hotel and rent a car (not an option in Fatu Hiva or Tahuata yet), you could only see one island that way. We get to experience what few people do, a whole chain of islands and a remote way of life. If they don't grow fresh fruits/vegetables, they won't have any. There's a certain beauty to living away from people and providing for you own needs. It's definitely not the most efficient way to live, but it's nice to have those freedoms. There's a trade off there. If every person has to grow their own bananas, oranges, pineapples, etc., they can't grow nearly as much as a mass production or industrialized plantation can grow. All the time and energy is spent on just providing basic needs, not expanding to new levels of engineering, computing, development, etc. But, if you don't have to buy fresh stuff, you can stock up and disappear for months at a time if you like, doing as you please. Freedom or security? Everyone has a different level of comfort here . . . I think I'm more comfortable on the freedom side of the coin.
Got an email from a new friend boat that they passed the dismasted catamaran about 150 miles from the Galapagos. It sounds as if they are going to make it back, disheartened as they may be, it'll sure be a memorable story to tell for years down the road.
Goodnight,
Shannon
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