We met Kalino, the wood carver, around 9 AM only to be heart broken that his engraving machine had shorted because all of the rain. We were so excited about the work we had commissioned because he is so talented. Kalino was very kind to fix the strings of the Marquesas ukulele Chris had given us in Fatu Hiva, so the trip to town was not a total loss.
We are rocking and rolling, literally! We anchored yesterday in Atuona Hiva Oa and the swell wraps around the reef causing the boat to roll back and forth making this an uncomfortable anchorage. We were in a bit of a hurry yesterday to get to the bank before closing. Generally the bank closes at 3 PM everywhere in French Polynesia; however, to our advantage in Hiva Oa the bank closes at 4 PM. We were on our last one hundred Polynesian Francs since Tahiti so we needed to exchange a bit more for provisions and fuel. If we forget anything there are shops in Nuka Hiva but it’s best to not rely on the last store.
Provisioning challenges in Hiva Oa is getting on and off the dinghy landing (9°22’18″S,139°38’6″W) and the long walk to and from town. There is a five foot wide and tall ledge that several dinghy’s tie up to with aft anchors because if not as the tide rises the dinghy can get stuck under the ledge and pop. Yesterday we walked two or three miles to town with empty backpacks. Sadly we were unable to hitch a ride.
On our way back and just outside of town we stopped at ReLais Moehau Restaurant (9°48’17″S,139°2’13″W) for pizza. The owner Joe was very nice and offered to give us a ride back to our dinghy. We were very grateful as we both had a full backpack of groceries.
We have a long day ahead of us finishing gathering provisions, taxes, and getting fuel. We met a lovely women named Mary Jo who’s husband drives a taxi so we might go on a tour tomorrow to see the sights of Hiva Oa.
On a side note: We heard there was terrible weather in the states, so we just wanted to pass our warm thoughts and we hope all are safe.
Cheers,
Wade and Sara
Boat Position At Noon: 09 degrees 48.462 minutes south and 139 degrees 01.950 minutes west
