WR in the So. Marquesas

For a couple of days after our arrival we mostly rested and I checked in with the local gendarme while we waited for Susan to arrive. On the day of her arrival I walked to Pension Kanahau, where she had booked a bungalow, and met Tania, who was to become a large factor in our stay at Atuona. She took me to the airport, which is situated on the ridge which is the backbone of the island, and gave me a lei to give to Susan. That evening she served the first of many excellent dinners. We stayed there just two nights but had dinner there five nights. She would drive us between the boat, her place, town, and restaurants. Tom and I had birthdays on adjacent days, so she made a large cake and gave each of us a very nice shirt. She introduced us to poisson cru, raw fish marinated in lime juice and coconut milk served with marinated vegetables, and various fruits including pamplemousse, similar to grapefruit but larger and sweeter. Just before we set sail she gave us bananas, pamplemousse, and pumpkin. We left Tom and Judy (who flew in after Susan) to enjoy Hiva Oa and Moorea before flying home.

One night in the anchorage in Atuona we were awakened at 2 am by the arrival of the Aranui 3, the monthly supply boat that serves all of French Polynesia. The bright lights and rattling anchor chain woke us, and since the boat is large and we were in the front rank of sailboats anchored around its turning basin, we were very attentive. Later, through Tania, the chief engineer, who is from Romania and who oversaw the construction of the boat there, invited several of us aboard for a tour. We saw staterooms for passengers, lounges and dining areas, a swimming pool, and the bridge with very modern controls. From there I took a photo of WR appearing very small far below.

The islands here are mountainous with steep sides plunging into the sea. They are very green with a variety of vegetation including coconut and banana trees. The people are friendly without being pushy. Besides French, they speak a polynesian language which differs from that spoken in the No. Marquesas and when written seems to consist largely of vowels and apostrophes with a thin sprinkling of consonants.

When we left Atuona we headed south past Isle Motane to Fatu Hiva and anchored in Hanavave Bay. This place is punctuated by rugged volcanic towers. The village is neat with concrete streets and many flowers. We hiked to a high waterfall behind the town. This island is now the only place where tapas are made. This is a cloth made by beating thin the bark from banyan and a couple of other trees then painting it with traditional designs. We purchased two as well as an excellent wood carving from the local rosewood. This kind of stuff is available in Tahiti but at much higher prices.

After three nights at Hanavave we left Wed. 3/27, sailing on a reach halfway until the wind first turned, then died. We motored the rest of the way to our present anchorage in Baie Hanatefau on the west coast of Tahuata. Tomorrow we plan to go to Baie Hanamoenoa which has a white sand beach and is further north along this coast. From there we will probably head for Ua Pou in the No. Marquesas.

Kit and Susan

WR is at anchor at Hiva Oa

We reached the eastern end of the island in the night, hove to, and at the crack of dawn finished the trip under motor and sail. As we moved to anchor among the other boats my friend Joe Ohl from Spokane dinghied over to help us set a stern anchor. They arrived a few days ago from the Galopagos. We are unwinding after 26 days and ca 2760 miles. We haven't explored yet, but at first glance it seems to be some sort of paradise.

Kit

Greetings from Tom

Greetings to friends of Wind River,

Some of you may not know me but I have been the one in the past that had been forwarding Susan and Kit's emails of their journey on Wind River. Now I have had a journey of my own to share.

Kit sailed his boat down the coast from Washington and shortly thereafter my wife Judy and I were invited to sail in San Francisco Bay by our good friend, Susan. I had sailed the bay in the past but I most remember my time aboard Wind River. The rush you get on a sailboat that's heeled over you just don't forget.

When Susan and Kit set out for their journey down to Mexico I was asked to serve as their go-between and ensure that their emails would be properly forwarded to you. As I read of their ventures I plotted their progress down the coast and became envious of their travels.

About a year ago, the subject of a Pacific Crossing that Kit was going to attempt had me yearning to participate. A year later, reality was achieved.

On March 20th, Kit and I said our goodbyes to Susan from the docks in Puerto Vallarta. After motorsailing out of Banderas Bay we were finally under sail. I couldn't believe it was happening! I would be sailing some 2700 miles across the ocean to paradise.

My memories have been too plenty to write but I will attempt to convey some of my most memorable. A sailboat is a constantly moving object. You are always holding onto things, bracing yourself and positioning your body in ways to keep you from falling. My hands at times were sore and have blisters I hadn't had before. I had Polio when I was young and have a handicap in my leg. My balance isn't that good even on solid ground. It was a challenge for me but it was something I overcame. I won't forget the fact that on a sailboat you have to be totally self sufficient. There are no stores, doctors, gas stations, water service, clothes washers or fast food places. You have to conserve and make things do. The memories of the dolphins escorting us, the mesmerizing biolumenescence on night watches, the amazing number of flying fish that bounce off the ocean like stones skipping over a pond dashing from our bow, and the booby bird who landed in the cockpit in need of a break from flying. Oh, and Kit's cooking. It's amazing what he can prepare in such a tight and constantly moving galley.

The night watches were tough at first but later became routine. The abundance of stars was incredible. More than I could imagine. It was what kept you going at night. Hoping for the next shooting star.

Probably the most enjoyable thing for me was to receive the emails from my wife, Judy. They made my day! It's amazing that one can be so far away in the middle of the Pacific and have contact with your loved ones.

Another thing that I won't forget is getting to know an incredible man, Kit Hanes. I hadn't known Kit for along time so it was a question of how we would get along in close quarters, especially with two Aries aboard. His birthday is April 18 and I'll be celebrating my 50th on April 19. We both shared many stories of our life and thoughts. I have to say I met a wonderful friend. I wish him well in his journey of life.

As I write this we are less than a day to our destination of Hiva Oa, Marquesas. I will meet Judy there and we will spend some time with Susan and Kit, say our goodbys, and venture to the island of Moorea for some reconnecting with society. It surely was an incredible journey. Far more than I had imagined. A life experience I will never forget. Would I do it again? I have to say this was a once in a lifetime experience.

So, enjoy Susan and Kit's continued journey. I will continue to forward future stories to you when I get back to the States.

Tom Tennies

A message from Susan: the view from shore

When Kit and Tom left Puerto Vallarta on March 20 I gave the boat a push away from dock and waved farewell as they embarked on their 20-something day journey. The usual farewell among the cruisers is “Fair winds and following seas.” Mine: “Reef early and often!” (Sage advice from our cruising friend Erhart.)

I decided awhile ago that I wasn’t cut out for so many overnights at sea. Our friend Tom was enthusiastic about making such a trip, though he’d had little sailing experience. It worked out well for all of us. I came home to Santa Rosa, California to spend some time at home with the kitties and do errands. It turns out I’ve been a link to shore-side supplies for Kit, as he’s found he needed back-up replacement parts that I will take to him when I leave for French Polynesia on April 15. I'll arrive at Atuona, Hiva Oa on April 17 after an overnight stay in Papeete.

In his e-mails to me Kit has indicated that the one ongoing problem they've had has been with the refrigerator/freezer working overtime and overtaxing the batteries. Some days the solar panels and wind generator just don't keep up with the power drain. They shut the fridge down part of the time and have been trying to consume the most perishable foods. Kit and Tom have been eating “high on the hog,” as I put in a good supply of frozen, vacuum packed rib eyes, chops, BBQ chickens, and other goodies from Desperado Marine, a meat provisioner in Puerto Vallarta. (I’ll be lucky if there’s any left for me!) These efforts appear to have helped.

My son Dan came down from Eugene, Oregon this weekend to visit Stanford, where he'll be working on his PhD beginning this fall. We were talking about the newest things in social networks on the internet, and I learned about blogs. That's when we decided to put this one together.

Dan linked the Yotreps map and wind/boat speed table to the Wind River blog, so you won’t have to go into Pangolin to check that anymore. Click on the map to get Kit's daily message, GPS, boat course, wind info. (Then click the "back" button to return to the blog.) Kit and I will be able to e-mail new text entries to the blog from the boat.

The trip is looking very good, and I look forward to joining Kit in about two weeks to sail in French Polynesia!

Susan

Drunken sailors?

If you have been following our progress via Yotreps you may have wondered about our erratic path. Things went well for the first three days or so after departing C. Corrientes. Then we found ourselves wanting to sail down wind but with only 5 to 10 kts of wind to do it with. Poling out the genoa was scary since the wind would sometimes gust to 20 kts. My scariest bit occurred during a depoling operation. We won't go into details here since Susan will be reading this. (I now know how better to do it.) After crossing 121W we were in the NE trades with winds from 14 to 20 kts. We took all this as a reach (sails all hanging off the same side of the boat). We could get no closer to our desired SW course than 180 deg on port tack and 270 deg on starboard tack. We covered 130 or 140 miles in a day, but they weren't all pointed the way we really wanted to go.

Last night it appeared th[at we left the NE trades and entered the infamous ITCZ, the Intertropical Convergence Zone (called the Doldrums in the old days). This is a region of no winds, winds from a variety of directions, towering cumulus formations trailing rain looking like airborne jelly fish, and thunder and lightning. So far the winds have been from the E (good) while we are in an amphitheater surrounded by jelly fish but with clear sky above.

We have done about 1800 iles from PV and have about 1000 to go. We are feeling that we may be seeing some kind of light at the end of some kind of tunnel. When the sailing is good it is grand to be here. But we are tired of having to hang on all the time and I am tired of preparing meals on flat surfaces that are not level. We are looking forward to uniting with Susan and Judy in Hiva Oa and seeing land there. Also, I am looking forward to tapping into our alcohol locker, which we haven't touched at all.

Oh, and Susan, the main has been reefed most of the time.

Kit and Tom

Current status

Wind River is 1400 miles off the coast of Mexico, ready to turn South and cross the Intertropical Convergence Zone and the equator.