WR is in the North Marquesas

A great deal has happened since our last e-mail. While at Atuona we lost an oar to the dinghy and have been using the outboard. While at Tahuata our windlass stopped working, so now we haul the anchor hand over hand. After Tahuata we sailed to Ua Pou, where there was a big storm with lightning. I disconnected the radios after which we were unable to connect to Sailmail. On our way here to Taiohae Bay on Nuku Hiva, our fridge stopped working altogether.

Well, we are getting new oars from West Marine and a new windlass from England, one of the last five in existence. These will get to us with the help of a relative of Susan's who is a freight forwarder. Yesterday I discovered that I had not only disconnected the power to the SSB radio but one of the antenna cables as well, so we are now back with Sailmail. The problem with the fridge turned out to be a ruptured fuse holder. I replaced that and things are cold again.

Ua Pou was spectacular with great needles or spires disappearing into the clouds. In every village we have visited the streets are paved with concrete. What few roads there are connecting villages are rough dirt. The vehicles are nearly all 4wd diesels, many of them quite new, the Land Rover Defender and the Toyota Hi Lux (which to this trained eye is based on 4Runner components) dominating. The prosperity apparently stems from the noni, a yellowish whitish greenish fruit about the size and shape of a potato that grows on bushes and trees. Nobody seems to eat this, but it is harvested, then fermented, then shipped to Papeete and thence to Salt Lake City where some company turns it into a health food drink.

In addition to cannibalism not that long ago, Marquesans are noted for their tattoos, which often cover major portions of the body on both men and women. The patterns are traditional and are similar to those used on tapa cloth and in wood carving. The wood for the latter is often 'rosewood', so called here, a hard fine grained wood that allows great detail.

The paragraphs above apply to the Marquesas generally. At Ua Pou we met Marguerite, who was raised on Ua Pou, who lives in Brisbane, Aust., with her husband, and who was visiting home after being away for 13 years. She invited us to dinner at her sister's house and gave us lots of fruit. The family also gave us a collection of unusual shells. The night before she flew home the town held a dinner in her honor at the town hall.

Next time: Nuku Hiva, our last island in the Marquesas.

Kit and Susan