French Polynesia..Marqueses to the Tuamotus to Tahiti (18th August to 26th August)

On the 18th of August we set sail from Nuka Hiva island in the Marqueses to Fakarava atoll in the Tuamotus. This is 538nm to the South East.

It took us 4 days. We had a bit of a mixed bag weather wise. Some lovely trade wind sailing, some squalls and some motoring.

Eric caught a yellow fin tuna and a mackerel so we were able to have some delicious  fresh fillets and freeze the rest down. 

Ralph holding up the yellow fin tuna..

Unfortunately my brother Ralph was unwell for the last 24 hrs of the passage with a high fever, headache, neck pain and vomiting. It is always a concern when someone gets sick on a voyage.

We were worried that he may have contracted a tropical disease. We tucked him up in bed with strict instructions that he was not to do his watch that night, dosed him up with Panadol and plenty of fluids. 

Our arrival at daybreak on the 22nd of August was a relief..Ralph's symptoms didn't get worse and the cool clear water was a great way to cool off. 

Eric and I went ashore to check out the facilities. It was a pleasure to be in a very sheltered anchorage with no swells but enough wind to be pleasant. A cruise ship had arrived so the tourism office was open and a few local stalls selling trinkets etc

The next day we decided to tie up alongside the town wharf/ breakwater.. There are moorings also available, both costing 55 cents/ person/day!!!

It was a delight to be in the middle of the town with access to Internet, water, rubbish disposal and shops. The lady at the tourism office was extremely helpful and had our best interests at heart. She advised Ralph to go to the clinic as it was was just across the road and free to tourists. 

There had been a few cases of gastric flu in the village and the symptoms were the same so she felt that he probably contracted it in the Marqueses before we left.

It was an interesting place to be as we watched 2 super yachts come in and also a supply ship offloading near us.

As always there is repairs and maintenance to be done, cleaning and reprovisioning and preparations for the next passage. It was lovely to be tied up to the wharf in crystal clear water but Eric was a little wary of the nurse shark who kept him company as he cleaned the hull. These beautiful sharks feed on crustaceans and love to sleep on the bottom of the seabed.

 We enjoyed the company of Peter and Cathy off SV "Leto". They sailed in a day after us and plan to leave in a week or so. Fakarava atoll is a beautiful place and we wished we had more time to spend in the Tuamotus. 

But the time is running out to get back to NZ by the end of the year and Ralph's wife is flying in to Papaeete in a couple of days..

So we were up at daybreak (24/8/16) to make the best of the weather.  245nm to Papaeete, Tahiti.

With a gentle breeze, minimal swell and very slight seas it is a good time to cook without having to strap oneself in and get thrown around the galley. Our bananas are ripening fast so a banana cake has been baked, iced and ready to eat

With no improvement in Ralph's condition, and not being convinced of the clinic diagnosis I tried to contact a Dr friend in NZ for some advice with no success. We carry malarone onboard in the eventuality of malaria so we decided to start this as there had been little improvement in his condition in 5 days. 

As predicted, the last 12 hrs of the passage was boisterous with 20 knot winds and gusts to 25.

But it got us to our destination fast. We caught a blue fin tuna. It took a bit of muscle to lift it.

It was a pleasure to get into the shelter of Tahiti just after midnight.