Panama to French Polynesia – OMG- We finally made it! – Day 38

Position: We made it. We have dropped anchor in the Bay of Virgins on the island of Fatu Hiva, French Polynesia. Our position anchored is:

10 27.879S 138 40.109W

*Note: I am told you can copy and paste these coordinates into google earth and it will show you where we are.

Mileage: 159- 0 nm = 159nm

Number of miles to go: 0 nm to go of approx. 3850nm. We are there. Honest! The anchor is down AFTER ALMOST 5 WEEKS AT SEA!

Fish count: The count remains. 4 Mahi Mahi, 2 Cero and 6 tuna. One Marlin that we were happy got away! We put the fishing rods out at dusk and something very big bit through the line. We approached the island slowly at dawn, put the rods out again, but working too hard to slow ourselves down and no speed for the lures. So no luck for lunch.

WE DID IT!
Not alone. The boat did well to hold together beating into strong winds and waves for three weeks solid. The auto-pilot’s only complaint was we had not topped up the hydraulic fluid in over two years. Yes, we had a few leaks but it is an old boat and you should expect them. No major problems and we can seal those up now. We do not have anything ‘fresh’ to eat any more, but canned and frozen food have helped. The best part was all the emails from you guys. Any news from home or abroad was better than falling into a rolly depression of monotony. Thanks for all your weather, football, political and practical updates from home.

NO INTERNET
We have pulled into one of the most beautiful anchorages in the world. Black pinnacles of rock surrounded by palm trees and lush tropical vegitation. We have a lot to explore here, but it is an isolated township. On top of that we have no Pacific Francs. So it will be doughtful we get any internet connection for a while. We will save the video and pictures of the Pacific crossing and the anchorage until we can get a connection. For now, and during the crossing, thank you SSB radio.

THE PEOPLE
We had a little celebration and poured some champagne into the sea for Poseidon. We had saved up some tinned tapas for a lovely arrivals brunch and I got some packets of soft dog meat. I set the humans to work clearing the master cabin and the sea berth. I had thought they would take a siesta and make it an early night, but no, they could not resist heading ashore to explore.

Kayaking ashore they found a small sea wall protecting a little quay for the township. The homes in the village are small, tidy with beautiful gardens filled with fruit trees and flowering plants. Drying coconut beds along the road, pigs on leashes along the stream and wandering chickens. Everyone said good day and many called the humans over to give them fruit from their trees. The humans will have to go back and bring them some presents.

The local police representative introduced himself to the humans and offered his services as a tour guide. His wife was cooking up a traditional meal for another boat and asked them to join them. The humans felt overwhelmed by every ones generosity, but really needed to recover from their journey first before being too sociable. That was until they heard that the town was practicing traditional dancing tonight for the Bastille Day celebrations. You can not come to French Polynesia and not see that!

So the humans are back on the boat for a quick dinner, send off this email to you guys, and back to village to witness their first Polynesian dancing. IF THEY CAN KEEP THEIR EYES OPEN! Especially as they have also had their first cold beers.

END