Main Menu -> SALTS -> Pacific Odyessy - 2007 Offshore -> Pacific Odyssey - Leg 2 -> July 30th 2007 @ 22:30
Pacific Odyssey - Leg 2
Honolulu to Tahiti - for more information see http://www.salts.ca/010_SALTS_odyssey.htm
tracking Pacific Grace: 38 recorded positions
tracking Pacific Grace: 38 recorded positions
| Last Position: 9°48'29.99 S 139°1'55.20 W on July 30th 2007 @ 22:30 |
Ship's Log:
How to describe to you such a perfectly wonderful day, one that is still continuing into the night? Mug Up has just finished, there remain small groups playing guitar and harmonica, and singing on deck. This group loves to sing; they could sing all night it seems, continually calling out for more songs. Our musicians tonight were Jose (guitar and harmonica), Jeremy (drum), Antony (mandolin), and the latest member of the band, Lexy, playing the guitar, James and Arwen baked the best brownies and passed them around as we sang. For supper tonight we invited a young couple who just arrived, sailing on a 28 ft. sail boat from Galapagos, in 28 days. They are norwegian and swedish and sailed from there, leaving last November; it was totally inspiring to hear their story. With minimal sailing experience they are making a trip happen that has already lasted 10 months and is open-ended in terms of where it will end. They stayed for Mug Up and thoroughly enjoyed it; when Skipper zodiaced them back to their boat, they were incredibly thankful and said they would remember the evening forever. We anchored in Baie Tahauku, town of Atouna, island of Hiva Oa at 0730. Many of us were up to watch as the ship came closer to land. The smell of the land was floral and strong,
smells coming together from the many blossoms, from the flowers and
trees. For me it IS the smell of French Polynesia; it was wonderfully familiar. Pitcairn has the same smell. We regularly receive wafts of it blowing off the land. The topography is spectacular; ridges of green that push outwards vertically around the flanks of the mountains, all the way to the ocean...irregular outcrops and islands of land covered in such a variety of greeness and types of vegetation...ranges of peaks in every direction, of every size, again, covered in green...so beautiful, one can´t stop looking. Skipper cleared customs and trainees rowed ashore for the first time in the dories, it was quite the ride and many of us had wet rear ends walking through the village. There is an incredible 25 minute walk along a country road into the village with so many new things to notice; mangoes, papayas, bananas, coconuts, foals with their mothers, cows, chickens running loose, very different vegetation,
many new smells and green, green, green. Just walking on land after
18 days was novel. By the time most of us entered the village,
everything had shut down for the mid-day siesta. We found ourselves a nice big tree and kept ourselves amused as we know how to do so well, talking, laughing, climbing poles etc. Eventually we were able to buy some cold juice, bagettes and cream cheese, ice cream and a few other
things. A group of trainees found a beach and played in the surf with some of the local children. Genna G. said they had a fantastic time,
jumping waves, watching the surf pound the wall built as a breakwater
and studying the crabs scuttling on this wall, finding holes to crawl
in when the waves came, and remaining on the wall throughout the surf. The town is small; a bank, a post office, a church, a few
stores, it didn´t take long to check it out. It was wonderful to wander, look around, try to speak french, wave at the locals as they drove by waving a lazy hello, to not have any big decisions to make, life is pretty simple here. Many of us were able to get a lift in
the back of the many Land Rovers that are driven around here. My kids
loved it, no seat belts, no roof...how wonderful. We are looking
into having the same dance group perform traditional marquesian dancing for us, as they did when we were here in 2004. They remembered us and were quite excited about meeting the crew again and giving us a show. We had a great exchange with them last time and it would be wonderful to have a repeat performance. It is late, but I´d forgotten to relate a funny incident that happened at the crossing the line ceremony. King Neptune is rather intimidating and most of the
trainees and crew gave him the respect he desires. There was however,
one trainee who challenged him, Anthony. He wasn´t impressed with his
right of passage and said so. King Neptune was somewhat taken aback and offered more of the treatment (Anthony is pretty goopy by now!) and Anthony retaliated by giving King Neptune a hug, which just shared the goopiness. It was quite funny. Anthony has hilarious things to say at just the right times. Now it is very late and poor Skipper is nearly asleep. Until tomorrow, good night, Bonice
smells coming together from the many blossoms, from the flowers and
trees. For me it IS the smell of French Polynesia; it was wonderfully familiar. Pitcairn has the same smell. We regularly receive wafts of it blowing off the land. The topography is spectacular; ridges of green that push outwards vertically around the flanks of the mountains, all the way to the ocean...irregular outcrops and islands of land covered in such a variety of greeness and types of vegetation...ranges of peaks in every direction, of every size, again, covered in green...so beautiful, one can´t stop looking. Skipper cleared customs and trainees rowed ashore for the first time in the dories, it was quite the ride and many of us had wet rear ends walking through the village. There is an incredible 25 minute walk along a country road into the village with so many new things to notice; mangoes, papayas, bananas, coconuts, foals with their mothers, cows, chickens running loose, very different vegetation,
many new smells and green, green, green. Just walking on land after
18 days was novel. By the time most of us entered the village,
everything had shut down for the mid-day siesta. We found ourselves a nice big tree and kept ourselves amused as we know how to do so well, talking, laughing, climbing poles etc. Eventually we were able to buy some cold juice, bagettes and cream cheese, ice cream and a few other
things. A group of trainees found a beach and played in the surf with some of the local children. Genna G. said they had a fantastic time,
jumping waves, watching the surf pound the wall built as a breakwater
and studying the crabs scuttling on this wall, finding holes to crawl
in when the waves came, and remaining on the wall throughout the surf. The town is small; a bank, a post office, a church, a few
stores, it didn´t take long to check it out. It was wonderful to wander, look around, try to speak french, wave at the locals as they drove by waving a lazy hello, to not have any big decisions to make, life is pretty simple here. Many of us were able to get a lift in
the back of the many Land Rovers that are driven around here. My kids
loved it, no seat belts, no roof...how wonderful. We are looking
into having the same dance group perform traditional marquesian dancing for us, as they did when we were here in 2004. They remembered us and were quite excited about meeting the crew again and giving us a show. We had a great exchange with them last time and it would be wonderful to have a repeat performance. It is late, but I´d forgotten to relate a funny incident that happened at the crossing the line ceremony. King Neptune is rather intimidating and most of the
trainees and crew gave him the respect he desires. There was however,
one trainee who challenged him, Anthony. He wasn´t impressed with his
right of passage and said so. King Neptune was somewhat taken aback and offered more of the treatment (Anthony is pretty goopy by now!) and Anthony retaliated by giving King Neptune a hug, which just shared the goopiness. It was quite funny. Anthony has hilarious things to say at just the right times. Now it is very late and poor Skipper is nearly asleep. Until tomorrow, good night, Bonice
Observations:
mostly sunny, some clouds as welcome relief from the sun, light breeze
Readings:
| Pressure | |
| Wind | |
| Temp | |
| processed: 2007-07-31 04:10:05 |
