3rd Update from our Pacific Passage
Day 19
from Arlo–
Still no fish. About five days to go (knock on wood).
Today, we rigged the staysail on the main backstay. Worked great for downwind. The only issue with the nav program that Alma and I are making is that it does not work when your two positions are on opposite sides of the dateline, within 90 degrees to either side of the dateline, but we are working on it. We had pizza for dinner and the last of the equator (key lime) pie, which we made when we crossed the equator and the Southern Cross is clearly visible in the sky. I did my 6th half hour stationary run of the trip, and I am longing for a nice run on dry land. But, other than that, it’s great out here.
Day 21
from Alma—
This morning on . Arlo’s and my watch, it started to rain, so Arlo went down to get my rain jacket while I steered. (He already had his on.) While he was down below the wind and rain picked up. I was drenched and also scared. Then once Arlo came back up, I found out that he had been changing into a swimsuit while I was on deck alone and drenched. For the rest of the day, the only consistency was that the wind wasn’t constant. When the wind got really light, my mom started to make bread because we were motoring and it was so flat. (Our stove is hard to use in rough weather.) Then, the wind picked up so we sailed, but my mom was already making bread. So, it has been somewhat frustrating.
Day 22
from Caitlin–
The crazy French sailor Bernard Moitissier circumnavigated the globe alone in the early 70, as part of one of the first single-handed races. But when he approached England in the lead, he turned the boat around and kept on going—almost all the way around the world again. This has always confirmed for me that Moitissier really was crazy.
For me the point of a passage has always been to go somewhere, to get the passage over with and be somewhere. But we’re sailing through our 22nd day now, and I’ve been at sea longer than I ever have before, and while I’m very ready to step ashore, I’ve begun to understand, I think, why someone might want to keep sailing.
Time is slippery out here—the days and nights keep reeling off, unchecked by a full night’s sleep. The horizon always stays the same, no matter how far we sail, though the sea and the sky never look the same. Some days sea and sky are in black and white—so many shades of grey, then everything is blue the next day. Sky and sea can turn pink and red and orange with sunsets. And the sky at night is just as variable. It took me a week or two to get used to night watches, but now my favorite nights are moonless ones when the dome of the sky is so full of stars that it matches the phosphorescent sea.
It’s hard to believe we might be ashore in less than a week.
Day 23
From Alma–
This morning when I woke my dad up for breakfast, he had been dreaming, and so he said “Who is going ashore?” and I reminded him that we were at sea. We should get to the Marquesas in about three days, and at noon today we will have completed 23 days at sea. Arlo has been fishing a lot, and he keeps losing lures, and now it seems like a few have been being bitten off by a big fish or sharks.
Day 24
from Alma–
I have a weird rash. It’s just on my right side and only where sun hits me, so we think that it is from too much sun. Today we saw the top of the island that we are going to over the horizon. Tomorrow we will come in to port. I can’t wait. Arlo and I don’t need to stand watch in the morning because everyone will be on deck to see the island close up. I said that I wanted to sleep in, but that probably won’t happen since I have gotten used to waking up at about 6:00 in the morning.
Day 25
from Arlo–
Today we anchored in Atuona in Hiva Oa after sighting land at 5:50PM last night. The whole island is lush green, with soaring craggy mountains, sheer cliffs, and a friendly cruising community. We took our first showers since Manzanillo, after a passage of 25 days, 2 hours and 40 minutes. By anybody else’s standards, the showers were terrible, right next to the dumpster, shielded only by a shoulder height cinderblock wall, muddy floor, and no hot water. To us, it was paradise, and in the tropics, the cold water is a luxury.
When you have arrived in the Marquesas, you receive a startling realization that the Marquesas, which have always seemed so impossible and unreal to me, are just hunks of land in the water. Sure they have amazing mountains, and are tropical and lush, but our anchor lines still creak and people still use bathrooms and the Marquesas are not the fantasy that I knew was unreal, but could not expel from my mind.
From Caitlin & Jason–
And to us, when we arrived here in the Marquesas, we realize that these islands we have been dreaming of, that have always seemed less than real, are not only very real, as Arlo points out, but are also bigger, more vertical, more beautiful, more foreign, more everything than we imagined. We are amazed that we are actually here.
From Alma–
This morning when I woke up and came on deck, we could see Hiva Oa much more close by. At about noon we made landfall. We anchored once, but it is crowded in this anchorage, so everyone needs to set a bow and stern anchor, but there was one boat that refused (or couldn’t. We don’t know because they spoke fast French.) to set a stern anchor. This meant that we had to move or else they would hit us. So we moved to another spot in front of a blue boat that gave us bananas and grapefruit, which was good because we had just eaten our last apple. After that, we went ashore and took fresh water showers. It was awesome! It’s still hard to believe that we’re in French Polynesia.
Congrats!!! What an accomplishment!
Glad you guys are safe & happy. 🙂
What a lovely way for me to spend time reading about you guys. I’m glad you’re safe and I hope by the time you read this you’ll have had good hot long showers.y
Wow! What an amazing adventure and major accomplishment! Glad you are safe and healthy.
What a thrill!
So happy you made it!
I can’t wait for your updates.
Amazing and wonderful, you all rock! We’re prepping for Master Mariner’s, but can’t approximate your adventure. Be well and enjoy your experiences down under the “Southern Cross”.
Way to go! I love reading about your experiences from all your different perspectives.
Thanks you guys for the wonderful descriptions and making us feel as if we were there with you (sigh). So proud to be even a small part of your adventures! Big big hugs — Carol and Jesse xxxx
Hell with the showers, where’s the beer? Congrats!
This adventure is so amazing and you’re doing such a great job of describing everything so that us landlocked people can feel like we’re right there with you! I forwarded this to your Cousin Robin and added a few photos of Hiva Oa from Google. The place looks magical. This is so awesome. Keep up the great updates!
Lou Anne
Land Ho!
Such an amazing and impressive journey. I love how all of you tell a little part about your own experience. Enjoy your time there and hopefully some wonderful food! Best~ Susan L.
I really enjoy reading the different views . Happy to hear that you have safely arrived, albeit the romantic image you had isn’t real. I bet the showers were heavenly. Keep sharing these delightful observations of your sailing adventure.
Visited Nuka Hiva a few years ago with SEA, and thought it was great.
Don’t eat too many mangos – if they are in season, you can pick a lot of them and some people have trouble digesting them.
There are hammerhead sharks in the area, be careful swimming.
There is a nice resort above the big harbor in Nuka Hiva. A good place to have a Hinano is sitting by their pool.
We saw some outrigger races, they were fun to watch.
Fred
Wheeee! Made it! More blog, please, as you continue your extended puddle jump.
Great to follow your adventures and Alma is doing a very nice job on tbd blog too.
Keep it up!
David, Tracy, Ava and Maddie
Congratulations on your incredible experience and thanks for sharing your journey. It’s great to know Debonair travels on and is well cared for.
Fantastic crossing!! We read that it is the longest of crossings for circumnavigating this incredible blue sphere!! We are in awe of your preparation, fortitude and extreme bravery!!
How lovely to read your blogs and viscerally share your experiences as the days and nights glide toward LAND! The doldrums sounded so uncomfortable and endless!!
Espe wants to know the size and type of the lures and line you’ve Lost to big fish?
I want to know how you feel walking, running or sitting on land now? Odd, good, disorienting without the pitch and roll of Debonair?
Several friends here in Wyoming who have sailed and raced big boats on the East Coast enthusiastically await each blog We forwArd to them!!
We read with relief about your landfall and are so happy the crossing is accomplished!!
Congratulations on a HUGE scale. Keep on blogging when you have time. We love you!!
JE pearl and cooper
Ps Cooper just finished his first agility class. (15 obstacles done off leash with Espe handling him). Tbe obstacles are set in a series of loops and consist of: high walk, tire jump, pause table, teeter toter, a frame, weave poles, tunnel,
broad jump, and 7 regular jumps 12″ high.
Hello J+E, it is great to hear from you. The doldrums were very slow, but we got enough squalid to collect w bough rain to wash in, which was nice. I lost a lot of lures, wich were 6 or 7 inches long and were on 120 pound monofilament leaders attached to 300 pound monofilament hand lines. I dident damage the handlines though, which is good. I was actually suprised how normal it felt to walk on land no swaying, stumbling, or anything like that which is nice not to have to deal with. The agility class sounds amazing, I wish I could see a video of that. Congratulations Cooper!
That was from Arlo.
Hello,
I hope you all are having lots of fun out there in that water (it sure seems like it). I really enjoy seeing the pictures, but I miss seeing you in real life!
Love, Cassidy
Woo! Hoo! Pinch yourselves there you are bundling along in another part of the planet as and we bundle along here so far away, how fantastic.
And the tales you have to tell.
Getting clean,really squeaky clean what a treat.
So enjoying taking a little step out of my little ho-hum life to enjoy reading your adventures.
Go easy.
Jocelyn
Your descriptions are so vivid, I feel like I am with you. Yet, it is completely impossible to imagine what your are doing. 23 days without touching land! wow! the stars and the phosphorescent water…the excitement of sighting land. Grappling with the fantasy and reality reminds me of stepping off the plane to visit Bali, an island country I long fantasized about visiting, and being confronted by a Burger King and Starbucks–the first buildings outside the terminal! So strange. At the same time, I have no doubt that the Marquesas opened up to you after you were there for a bit and you found some of your imagination of the island in place somewhere…Even if not, you were on solid ground for a bit! Stay safe. Thank you for sharing your stories. Even what must seem mundane to you is fascinating to your readers.
Thank you for all this, Felicia.
Love this! I can imagine what you all describe and especially love the different styles Arlo and Alma have of what they feel they want to share and how they share it. I feel their personalities!