March 24, 2023

The Dangerous Archipelago

French Polynesia is organized into five groups of archipelagos: the Marquesas, the Tuamotus, the Gambier Islands, the Australs, and the Society Islands. We have now entered the Tuamotus which are a collection of low coral islands. Most are ring-shaped atolls with central lagoons. These islands could not be more different from the Marquesas which are volcanic, mountainous, and prehistoric. In contrast, the Tuamotus are understated but exotic. Mariners have another name for the Tuamotus: “the Dangerous Archipelago,” because their low-lying geography makes them very difficult to see when approaching by sea. Entry to the central lagoons of these atolls is achieved via one or more gaps or “passes” in the ring. Tidal currents can be massive as water sloshes in and out of the lagoons via these openings. Once ensconced in the lagoon, the waters become placid and one can anchor at leisure in the sand which hugs the coconut tree-lined shores.

Our first destination in the Tuamotus is the Island of Rangiroa. We targeted our entry at the Tiputa Pass to coincide with slack tide which should afford a safe and calm entry. Surprisingly, we encountered huge standing waves and fought against a five-knot current in the 100 foot-wide channel. It turns out that Google does not provide accurate tidal information! We found out from the local dive shop that we were one hour early. Oh well, we survived. On the bright side, we were entertained by scores of dolphins frolicking in the waves and completely unaware of our plight. Apparently, this pass is famous for the daily dolphin shows. No, there is no local Sea World franchise; the dolphins do it purely for fun.

After a peaceful night at anchor, I went scuba diving for the first time in about 20 years. My PADI card is 31 years old and my picture shows a young kid with a full head of hair; where did the time go? Yong is not a fan of scuba which explains why I haven’t gone for such a long time. We have usually just gone snorkeling (with the kids) instead of diving (the kids were never interested in diving either). I had a refresher dive in the morning followed by a full dive in the afternoon. The undersea life here is thriving. Healthy coral and fish of all types and colors. Many sea turtles and sharks as well. A whole other world.

One brief technical update: Yong identified a defect in one of the wires from the hydrogenator. We repaired this and the problem is fixed! We have auxiliary power! Unfortunately, we then tangled the propeller in fishing line and it promptly stopped working. Another thing to fix. As they say: the definition of cruising is fixing things in exotic locations.

Today, we rented bicycles and rode to the local pearl farm, the only one currently in operation on the island of Rangiroa. Apparently the covid shutdown decimated the Tahitian pearl industry and many of the farms downsized or shut down completely. Now that international travel is back open, the demand for pearls is increasing but the supply is down. Hence a dramatic price increase. We were hoping for a bargain, but that is not going to happen. We enjoyed the tour of the farm which gave us a comprehensive overview of the entire process which is quite fascinating. The oysters are raised from larvae, and at nearly five years of age they undergo a surgical procedure to implant a spherical nucleus (derived from the shell of a freshwater Mississippi mussel) along with a bit of mantle tissue (the pearl forming organ of the oyster) into a pocket deep inside the oyster’s innards. In another year or two, a reoperation yields a pearl! As long as a nice pearl is produced, the process can be repeated three or four more times. The Tahitian oysters are famous because they produce pearls with a variety of colors from black and gray to green, gold, and purple. They are extraordinary. Following the tour, we made our way to the boutique. And then we bought a few pearls. Of course.

Tomorrow, we head to Tahiti for boat repairs. Only about 200 miles away, but there will not be much wind in the forecast, so we will be motoring a bit. Bon voyage!

March 10, 2023

Fatu Hiva

Yong Saves the Day (Again)

The word “paradise” has been overused, certainly by me. Nonetheless, I will venture to say that the island of Fatu Hiva is the picture in the dictionary next to the definition of paradise. It is stunning. The anchorage is small but secure. We feel like we are in Jurassic Park. The cliffs rise dramatically from the sea and the flora is lush. In contrast to Hiva Oa, our last island, Fatu Hiva is purely mountainous. Once ashore, we meet a local named Poi with a red Toyota Hilux truck who offers to give us a tour. We drive to the adjacent village which is about 7km away. It takes nearly ninety minutes over treacherous terrain. After a brief visit, we return to Hanavave (the town next to our anchorage) and enjoy a dinner hosted by a local villager. Delicious. We are blown away by the hospitality. We trade some rope for fruit (bananas, mangos, papayas, etc.) and head back to Leviathan. What a unique place.

I mentioned that the anchorage was difficult. We noticed that whenever the wind shifted and we rotated around our anchor, we heard a horrible grinding sound from the anchor chain. This sounded bad to us, so we decided to re-anchor. During the process, we retrieve the anchor from its current position by winching in the anchor chain. Lo and behold, as we have nearly freed said anchor, we notice that we have snagged a gigantic coral boulder in our chain. It is suspended above the waterline, completely encircled by our chain. Now what do we do? I have no idea. Fortunately, Yong leaps into action and grabs our telescoping boat hook. She has noted that the chain has encircled the rock but can be unwound with a deft touch. Which she applies, and the chain unravels, thereby relieving its craggy burden and we are free! What a relief! We then re-anchor without difficulty.

The following day, we hike to a nearby waterfall which is quite anemic due to lack of rain. Have no fear, rainy season is about to start.

For the next 24 hours, we are deluged by continuous heavy rain. We have a rain collection system which provides us plenty of water for showers and clothes washing. Unfortunately, there is a casualty from the downpour. Our Starlink internet antenna has died due to water intrusion. I must admit that this is not the fault of Elon Musk. Before we left Michigan, we purchased Starlink to provide internet access for our voyage. We (I) decided to modify the antenna by removing the motor which is designed to alter the position of the antenna. Since the device works as a phased array antenna and the target satellites are in low earth orbit, the device tracks satellites using software and movement of the antenna is unnecessary. The antenna only needs to move if it is on your roof and it is blocked by a tree limb. On a boat at sea, there are no tree limbs, so movement is unnecessary, heavy, and an additional energy burden. Therefore, I performed surgery on the antenna to remove the motor and create a new sleek fiberglass/carbon fiber composite shell to house it. The only weak link was water-proofing. For the last six months, the device performed flawlessly, Unfortunately, the waterproofing strategy proved to be inadequate and water intrusion led to its untimely death. Despite all efforts to resuscitate the device with drying maneuvers, it remains dead. Hence our slow uploading of blog entries.

We head back to Hiva Oa for more fuel, re-provisioning, and more hiking. Next stop: the Tuamotus!

March 6, 2023

In the Footsteps of Gauguin

Paul Gauguin was a post-Impressionist French artist who is best known for his colorful paintings of Polynesian scenery and inhabitants. In the later part of his life around the turn of the 20th Century, Gauguin lived in French Polynesia. He spent time in Tahiti, but ultimately moved to the island of Hiva Oa for its more primitive lifestyle and the accompanying artistic inspiration. The primary town of Atuona on Hiva Oa now hosts a museum containing replicas of Gauguin’s works and his home/studio.

Like Gauguin, we fell in love with the island of Hiva Oa. The island is uncrowded, with a population of about 2000. The inhabitants are incredibly friendly and laid back. Crime is nonexistent. The scenery is spectacular, comprising a terrain of steep volcanic mountains rising from rugged coastlines, fertile plains, and dense jungles. Tropical fruits of every type are ubiquitous. Chickens are wild and are found in every locale. The locals practice primarily a subsistence lifestyle supplemented by tourism and some commercial farming. Before the encroachment of the West, Hiva Oa had a huge population (estimated at over 100,000) of warring tribes. Cannibalism was practiced by the leaders who desired to absorb the vital energy of their foes. The original natives have disappeared, but they left behind stone Tikis and petroglyphs which are scattered across the island.

Our primary chore on Hiva Oa was to refill our empty diesel tanks. The town has a fuel station, but there are no facilities to bring Leviathan to the pump. Therefore, we fill our tanks the old-fashioned way: using five-gallon jerry cans. We can easily carry five jerry cans in our dinghy, so we zip to shore, unload the cans, fill the cans, pay the attendant, zip back to Leviathan, pour the diesel into our tanks, then repeat the process until complete. This took most of the afternoon and all of our energy. But what a relief when we were done! Now we are free to move about the ocean! Next stop: Fatu Hiva.

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