IT'S A DOGS LIFE
SAILING AROUND THE WORLD WITH SPIRIT OF ARGO
IT'S A DOGS LIFE
SAILING AROUND THE WORLD WITH SPIRIT OF ARGO
French Polynesia

Taiohae Bay, Nuku Hiva, Maquesas Archipelogo, French Polynesia ~ Where did the time go?

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Wow!  Where did the time go?  I did not realise how long it has been since I filled you in on what has been going down aboard Spirit of Argo.  So where to begin?

THE HUMANS ARE USELESS

More on that later, but really how did these two humans ever manage to get us half way round the globe? And now we seem to be stuck on the island of Nuku Hiva?

SOME HOW THEY BROKE THE RIGGING

There are all these wires, poles and clips that hold up the sails on this boat and after ‘a bit of sailing they should be checked regularily.  My humans swear to me they did a full check before we left Tahiti in June, but a few cracks in the system were found after the hard sail to wind to get to the Marquesas. 

Spirit of Argo anchored in Taiohae Bay

Thankfully there is a welder here at this village. Also access to the World Wide Web.  No excuse for my humans not to learn how to become novice ‘riggers’, and organise shipping in some replacement parts. Only one problem. Everything will need to be sent to Tahiti and then shipped out here in the Marquesas.

Ah! One more problem!  There happens to be a World Wide Pandemic.  With the number of active Covid 19 cases on the increase, and new ‘more contagious’ variants spreading, French Polynesia decided to close their boarders to tourism.  And the airlines cancelled flights.  Waiting for our parts was going to take some patience.

TRYING TO KEEP MY HUMANS MOTIVATED

In the mean time I had the job of keeping the humans on task to get some boat jobs done.  They are always finding excuses to go off snorkelling, diving, hiking or fishing instead. 

Where do all these boat jobs come from?  Sun, salt, sand and general wear and tear. 

  • Fix leak in freezer.
  • Fix leak in fridge, and then sprung another leak.
  • Find stray current in rigging.
  • Fix loose connection to one of the solar panel banks.
  • Fix all the shock cords on kayaks.
  • Strip old paint of textured non skid on decks in preparation for painting.
  • Restitching, replacing damaged zippers and Velcro on canvases.
  • Replace seals on autopilot hydraulic ram.
  • Replace seals of fresh water and sea water foot pumps.
  • Replace seals and clean pipes on toilet.
  • Clean boat bottom, prop, chain and anchor lines, as we were stationary too long and be coming a local reef.
  • Rust removal and painting on engine along with oil change.
  • Repair the portable Honda generator.
  • Replace packing around the rudder.
  • Fix leak around galley sink.
  • Fix leak around stay sail track.
  • Replace the seals on the watermaker.

Hard as I tried, the humans kept sneaking away on me.

I have added pictures later of what they got up to.

FINALLY THE RIGGING ARRIVED BY SUPPLY SHIP

Now you would think, getting the rigging replacement wires up and secured would be the hard part? Or perhaps setting the new tensions would be hard?  But NO!  It turned out getting the OLD RIGGING off was the hardest part.  It took days/weeks of lubricant, heat, vinegar, brute force and persistence. All this interspersed with days when the anchorages was too rolly to safely work above. It only took a couple of hours to put up the new wires and tension them in the end.

OH YES!  DO NOT FORGET THE TSUNAMI

You think you are in a perfectly protected anchorage and then an earth quake happens somewhere in the Pacific and all the island nations are on high alert.  Of course my humans left me alone on the boat through the whole thing.  Oblivious to the threat.  I could have died! More on that too later.

Now for some pictures. They always tell a better story than I do.

RIGGING REPAIRS

First, up the rigging to take the measurements for replacement wires.
If you look carefully you can see where a wire strand has snapped at the swage. Time to replace the cap shrouds. While we are waiting for those to arrive from overseas I got the humans to work on other rigging problems.
The base plate for the foresail needed a repair tòo. First we needed to borrow some dynema from a mate to support the front of the mast and get the fuller off.
Furlere off. Next we need to get that base plate free/
In the mean time, back up the mast to secure the furler in this rolly anchorage until we can reattach it.
Now the base plate is off you can clearly see where the weld has cracked.
Base plate back from the welders repaired and reinforced. Mates sourced us some new bolts in Tahiti and mailed them to us. Thanks Mark and Cindy from sv Cream Puff. Now we just have to patiently wait for the next supply ship. The joys of fixing your boat in exotic locations.
While we wait for bolts, life goes on aboard Spirit of Argo. Laundry day.

A BIRTHDAY ABOARD!

As you can see, our friends have a sense of humour.
Thanks Rudy and Gagi on sv Tavae for spoiling my human.

THE BOAT JOBS CONTINUE

Sometimes, if you stare at it long enough inspiration does come?
Preparing the nonskid deck for repainting. I need to supervise!
This little guy made the bad decision to make one of our intake thru hull his new home. Emergency toilet repairs!

BACK TO THE RIGGING

Finally our new cap shrouds arrived from Jimmy Greene’s in the UK, via Tahiti, on the supply ship. Little did my humans know that the fun was only just beginning.
Happy triumphant look of my humans after finally succeeding in getting the old rigging down.
No time to celebrate. Right back up to get the new wires in place.
Quick snap shot of the bay while up there. Neighbours John and Ada on sv Rhapsody.

TIME TO HAVE A LITTLE FUN!

With the major repairs done I guess it was time to let the humans off the boat to have a little fun.

HIKING

Nuku Hiva is a relatively young volcanic island. It’s steep mountain slopes make road building difficult. Just have a look at the map of the island and the ‘squiggly lines’ should tell the story. The few roads they have managed to built are steep and winding. The majority of valleys can only be reached by sea or by horse trail.

This means every hike you go on starts at sea level and only goes up hill from there. But there are many tracks to follow.

The humans started with a few hikes within the Bay of Taiohae and progressed to visiting the neighbouring bays.

Ascent over to Colette Bay. Taiohae Bay and ME abandon on boat in the back ground. Do you need a close up?
The boat anchored in the bay below and my play beach.
Me relaxing while the humans sweat it out. They tell me ‘it is fun’. I know which I prefer.
All that effort to find another sandy beach next door?
Ok, they did find a cool tiki too.

TIKI

Tiki are specific to Polynesian culture. Carvings that mark boundaries, sacred sites or areas of significance. They represent a god or ancestor and embody their mana (spirit) or power. Tiki can posses both good mana and bad mana and Polynesians are VERY supersticious!

Up and on the water before dawn

FISHING

My humans were lucky enough to meet a very nice couple who decided to retire on the island of Nuku Hiva. Both had worked for a period of time as a teacher and doctor respectively in the village of Taiohae. Daniel and Marie were kind enough to take the humans fishing. But they had to get up before the dawn.

Always laughing and happy! Lines out just as the sun breaks the horizon.
Well worth it as the fishing was fantastic. Beautiful big Yellowfin tuna.
Where there is plenty of prey, there are plenty of predators.
The coast line of Nuku Hiva is dramatic. Since we caught our ‘fill’ for the week why not get some snorkelling in?
With Daniel and Marie’s fishing boat we were able to visit some exciting sea mounds and dramatic out crops. Swimming with schools of fish, hammer head sharks, eagle and manta ray. We worked up an appetite.
A little sashimi prep for lunch time. And yes, they remembered to bring me back some.

WHAT NEXT?

Well it turned out Marie had some friends in the valley of Hatiheu who had horses. So the girls tried to set up a day to go riding.

HORSE BACK RIDING

To get to Hatiheu Bay is no easy feet. The village is on the opposite side of the island and you need to scale two mountain ranges to get there.

Luckily Daniel and Marie had just the right 4×4 for the roads here.
No photograph can really capture how steep and windy these roads are.
Well worth it as the descent into Hatiheu Bay is stunning with it’s distinctive rock spires.
Here all of us were welcomed at Benoit and Sabine’ s home. They were wondeful hosts and let the girls borrow a pair of horses for the day.
Off the girls went as the boys enjoyed some local hospitality.
Much easier to travel between bays than by foot. The girls followed the horse trail to the next bay Anaho.
Riding along the beach in Anaho Bay.
Having such good fun, they continued on to Haatuatua Bay.
Such a shame to have to turn back. But the days adventure does not stop there.
Hatiheu Valley is home to extensive archaeological sites. The Kamuihei, Tahakia and Teiipora complexes have been lovely excavated and restored.

BANYAN TREES

The banyan tree is sacred to Polynesians. They are frequently planeted near high priest platforms (me’ae). When a chief or priest died their head was placed in the roots of the sacred banyon tree to help facillitate their souls reaching the spirit world.

The K-T-T complexs also have some excellent examples of early Polynesian petroglyphs.
It is home to the only know tiki depicting child birth.
Continuing our way home we made a few more stops. This stop the boys did a bit of banana picking in the upper jungle.
A bit of flower picking too. The back of the Landrover started to get a bit full.

WHAT ELSE CAN THE HUMANS GET UP TO TO AVOID BOAT JOBS?

HOW ABOUT SOME DIVING?

The Marquesas are not known for the BEST diving as run off from the high mountains and rich nutrients in the water reduces visibility. But this also means there is a great divesity of sea life.
The silly humans took loads of video footage, but they have not sorted it yet. Until then I will share with you just a couple of snap shots from the video. Morey Eel.
Two octopuses, one changing colour and texture to match it’s enironment.

THE HUMANS GOT UP TO SOME MORE HIKING

It turns out there is a ceremonial site right in the valley of Taiohae, where we were anchored. Only trouble is the humans always got lost on the trails before they find it.

TOHUA KOUEVA

But, finally they stumbled on the right turning.

With so many tracks and trails through the valley of Taiohae it is both a blessing and a curse for hikers. My humans kept getting lost.
Finaly they found the right path to the ceremonial site. Chilling with a few tiki mates.
It is very strange to find a Moai here? It is said this Moai was donated by the people of Easter Island to the people of Nuku Hiva.
Me’ae. Religious platform. This one displays a traditionally crafted wood out rigger canoe. At the right of the pictures you can see a small stone lined pit. Breadfruit was stored and fermented in these pits in case of a drought.
A long line of pae pae. Habitation and viewing platforms during festivals.
Deep within the tropical forest here, the site has a quiet mystic air about it.

AND EVEN MORE HIKES TO AVOID BOAT WORK!

DANIEL’S BAY TO TAIOHAE BAY

This time the humans attempted the full day hike from Hakatea Bay (Daniel’s Bay) back to Taiohae Bay.

The two bays are separated by an impressive mountain range. Only the sea and horse tracks connect the two valleys. Marie joined us on this adventure and Daniel was nice enough to drop us off in his fishing boat.
The humans should have taken this as a warning at the start of the trail.
Despite Daniel sending the group off with a rough map and instructions, they still managed to get lost in the maze of trails left by hunters, wildlife and those actually making the traverse.
Finally they found the right trail up the mountain. And up and up and up they went.
The ascent takes you up to grand views back to the start of the trail.
The boats anchored below in Daniel ‘s Bay are now nothing more than tiny dots.
You end up walking on the spine of the island.
The path then takes you to sea side of the brow and you get wonderful views of the South coast.
What goes up, must go down. The last section of the trail is a long descent down around Haaotupa Bay to Taiohae Bay

MAKING FRIENDS

Living a transient life style, my humans tell me, it is not always easy to make new friends. It is great when my humans do find people that have common interests and enjoy doing similar things.

When the humans do make new friends they always bring back new stories and a better understanding of the world and the people living in it.

BUT DO NOT FORGET ABOUT ME!

While the humans were off having lunch with their friends, they totally forgot about ME! How dare they!

TSUNAMI WARNING

While the humans were off the boat having their ‘human’ fun there was a big earth quake in the South Pacific. It sent shock waves radiating out and many of the island nations, including French Polynesia, were put on ALERT.

Of course my humans were totally oblivious to the danger they left me in. A fire truck wailing away up and down in the lower valley was still not enough for them to think ‘something is up’. In fact they did not hear of the TSUNAMI WARNING until after the ‘predicted’ arrival time. And they heard it from neighbours who were all on their boats ready to head to deeper water. In fact, many boats had done just that. Headed out to deeper water and were now returning to anchor in the bay.
With any threat of a TSUNAMI ‘supposedly’ over my humans of course did the worst thing you should do when there is a tsunami threat…….They took me for a walk on the beach.

Well of course the tsunami hit! Luckily it was less than a metre. The water initially dropped, with the shore line becoming exposed, 10m or more, past the low tide line. Then, in a series of wavelettes, the water returned a metre or so further up the beach from where it started. The bay water level continued to surge in and out for an hour or more before dark, but never as dramatic as the first time.

So somehow, despite the humans making all the wrong choices, I have survived my first Pacific tsunami.

What will these humans put me through next?

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