We are in Hakatea Bay which is surrounded by 2400 foot rock walls that lead up to a 2000 foot waterfall. Yesterday when we arrived we decided to hike the trail up to the base of the waterfall. The bay here has only one house and no dock to land your dinghy. It was low tide and the surf breaks about 30 feet off shore. As we motored closer to the beach a big swell lift us up and dropped us onto the rock bottom. At the same time the outboard motor was grinding the rocks. I tried to tilt the motor but a second wave almost tipped us over and I fell out but I was able to keep the dinghy from capsizing. Adam and my dad were nice and dry as I dragged the dinghy to shore. I have to say landing a dinghy in surf is very hard to do. But anyway, we carried the dingy up the beach and tied it to a tree so when the tide comes back in our dinghy won’t float away. I was pretty mad to be wet again because for the last week I have been wet every day by rain or waves as we ride the dinghy to shore.
We hiked on a 2 track road that slowly changed into a trail and headed for the waterfall. We had to cross small streams and rivers by wading across them. As we hiked there were old stone structures and stone carvings that littered the forest floor and the path was made of solid stone that had been perfectly puzzled together. The closer we got to the waterfall the cliff walls began to feel like skyscrapers and caused the trial to narrow. The forest floor was full of wet thick moss, and vines from trees that grew all over and twisted together to form a natural structure and was devouring the old stone walls that were left behind. Then we popped out into a clearing and looked up and you could see the cliffs hanging over our heads 2000 feet up and made us dizzy because they were so high and big. You could see 100s of birds flying in circles and nesting in the cliff walls. The spray from the waterfall filled the canyon with mist, everything was bright green and looked like no other human had been to this place but us. As we turned the corner you could see the top half of the waterfall that disappeared behind stone and then you could see where the water landed. In front of the water fall was a deep big pool that Adam and I waded across to and climbed up the sharp rocks to get to the water fall. As we looked over the stones you could feel a cool strong wind blowing from the force of the falling water. There was a second pool of water that had a strong current running through it and we decided it would not be a good idea to swim any further. So we took lots of pictures and were happy to see the worlds 3rd tallest waterfall.
After eating a little lunch P&J sandwiches we hiked back to the beach. On our way out we passed a house with a man and a women sitting outside. They yelled for us to come in and buy some fruit. The man was about 30 and had a tattoos on half his face and body. His hair was shaved into a Mohawk and had a carved chicken bone pierced through his ear drum. I bought 40 or more bananas and paid 1 dollar. We then made it back to the beach and carried the dingy to the ocean. We wade out about 40 feet and jumped in as a big swell hit us. But we gave the motor lots of gas and pushed over the wave and only flooding half the dinghy.

Last Monday we arrived from our long passage and have been very busy. One of the last thing that I wanted to do was get my first tattoo. So I got my first Swallow bird, which represents my first 5000 nautical miles sailed. I designed the tattoo with the help of a local artist Franswa. I had the swallow bird filled in the Marquises symbols which mean safe voyage, protection of the sole, power and strength, and the eye that  sees and avoids danger. I also had 5 of the same points put into the tattoo which represent 1000 naturals each. I spent 3 days working and design the tattoo and finally yesterday I was happy with the design. I went to the Franswa home were he had a little porch room that over looked the bay and was open to the outside air. He took the design from the paper and free hand designed it on to my skin. I was very worried because I always thought tattoo artist traced there designs on carbon paper and then stuck that to your skin. Not in Marquises, they free hand the design and then free hand the design to your skin. After he finished drawing it on me and I was happy he started the tattoo. I have never gotten a tattoo before and it was very interesting feeling the needle work over my skin. It hurt for the first 20 minutes like a hot knife being dragged along my skin and as time went on I just zoned out and enjoyed the sensations. I listened to my music and the buzz of the needle gun. I watch little lizards crawl across the ceiling and all the rosters outside the porch crow. After 1 hour of work the tattoo was done and I was very happy to have my first Tattoo ever. My plans when I left the states was to get a swallow tattoo for each 5000 nautical miles and so I have 5 more to go. Each tattoo will represent the area of the world I received the ink in.

My First Tattoo completed on Nuka Hiva Island Marquesan Islands 5/28/13

Thanks,

Jacques

FYI: Click on Pictures to see full size! O yeah I was a little drunk when I wrote this because I had to keep buying beer for the internet service!

Today we spent the day exploring the Island of NuKu Hiva which is one of the Iles Marquises Islands. We hired a very nice man named Tata Mahina  AKA Thomas. We meet him in his restaurant which is the second and only other restaurant on the island which is a truck with a porch to eat your meal under.  We had gone there for breakfast and enjoyed a pile of French bread, jam, butter, and the best coffee which was served in bowls because he had no cups but ended up being the best coffee to date. We arranged a tour of the island for today which he was happy to do because he said he was the best driver/taxi man on the island. My dad spent a hour talking his price down and we settled on a good price of 18,000 Franks, which is not bad for 3 people.

Thomas or Friend and Driver

It was 8am and we started our drive around the island which would take all day. We began up the mountain and stopped just above our anchorage in the bay of Taiohae.  As we drove up we passed our Norwegian friends who I am working with to do a pig hunt on the island hopefully. All 3 of them arrived on a 27 foot sailboat that had no motor, little food or water but they made it 3000 nautical miles from the Galapagos. They had 4 people but they bought to much rum in south America and made the other guy go home, true story.

After passing our friends and making our way around the winding roads up the mountain we came into a red pine forest and I quickly felt like I was at home driving through Upper Michigan. Then we traveled for through the old crater of the volcano that once was fire, ash, and lava but today is green pastures for wild pigs, cows, and horses.

After we passed through the old crater we started climbing up the north side of the crater but soon ran into a big problem. Once again like all my adventures into the wild we ran into a road block. The day before there was lots of rain and there was a small rock slid that was blocking the mountain road. We were told that we could not pass because the road was blocked by rock and earth. Well being the engineers and builders that we are we marched up to the problem and said that this is no problem to Thomas.

All we had to do was move a few rocks and compact the earth a little and drop that truck into 4X4 and get ON IT, HUBA HUBA BABY! So we went to work and moved the big rocks and with our hands tossed rocks, mud, and shrubs out of the way. It took about a hour but we made a great road. The first jeep made it over and then the next. The three of us felt great to help  out the local people to make it across the earth slid and people thanked us all day. I felt great to fix a problem other than a sailboat related. With smiles on our faces as we continued around the island to the Village called Hatihau. Thomas said we are the best and smiled.

I guess I miss understood Thomas when he said we would take a dirt road and it would be a short cut. What he really meant was that the dirt road or two track was the main road on the back side of the island to his village. As we drove along the two track dirt road we passed a canyon, and meadows of green.

It was so funny as we drove the road had cows, horses, and goats which sometimes blocked the road. It was really interesting when we would drive by the animals at 35 mph and they just stood in one place like nothing was happening. I would think to myself, “if that bull moved 2 feet to the left we would hit him head on and more then likely die”!

We continued to drive and saw some of the most beautiful landscapes I have ever seen.

It was realy cool as we drove we would stop and get melons, papaya, mangos, grapefruit, coconut, bananas,  and a few other fruits I don’t know the names of but ate anyway. They all were right off the trees and we ate them up.

After we stopped for a picnic we traveled to Thomas village and his home where he had to stop and feed the cow goat. He told us to look at his mango tree and left us. We enjoyed a chicken fight as they beat over one another to eat the mangos that fell to the ground. Then Thomas came back with a hand full of fresh limes for my dads Gin and Tonics. Then he used his home made mangos catcher to gather up fresh mangos and gave us a dozen for the boat.

It was getting late about 5pm and Thomas had to stop and get coconuts for his restaurants which we helped him do. Then we drove back down the mountain to the bay we are anchored in. We all agreed that the day was fun and worth the cost. We got into the dinghy and made it back to Dragonsbane to have beers, and eat dinner as we watched the sky clear and the man in the moon smile at us as we smelled the sweet island smells drift into our cabin.

Thanks,

Jacques

Ok, first all the french studying I did provide me with the knowledge that I suck at speaking french and I learned pretty much nothing. But I will keep at it and hopefully it will stick more in my head like my Spanish. I say that because the first response to a question I had in french I responded with Spanish, oops.

As we sailed into Nuke Hiva Island you could see tall mountains with jagged peaks that looked like the saw teeth of a shark that dripped with fog and clouds rolling down to the ocean. As we rounded into the bay of Taiohae I could hear loud drums being pounded and then the waves being crushed up against the volcano walls that opened up into a bowl that held the town of Nuku Hiva and the sailboats all anchored together. It was a emotional thing to see and hear because it didn’t look real. The colors are so bright, wonderful, and the landscapes are covered in waterfalls and sounds are just thunderous all around. It is just amazing here!

We have made landfall and finished our 3281 nautical mile sail. I am on the Island called Nuku Hiva and looks like the island in Jurassic Park movie. It is a big volcano and we are anchored in the old volcano summit. It is the most beautiful place I have seen to date, or maybe just not seeing anything for 3 weeks could be the cause. But this place is awesome and I am off to eat, drink, and relax.

Current Position: 8deg 54.97min South, 140deg 06.02West

Beer is only 330 feet from the back of my boat!

Thanks,

Jacques

I feel like I am climbing an up hill battle once again. The wind is blowing only 6 knots and we are crawling to the finish line at 4 knots or less. We are implementing every trick we can think of to increase our speed. We are now running a full main sail, Jib on our port, and a spinnaker off our starboard. The cockpit is so full of lines that we spend most the time coiling and winching in sheets to keep the sails tuned, heaven forbid a squall catch us now. What a grand mess a squall would make of us right now under all this sail. But we are leaning down and stretching our heads to the west horizon as hard as we can to make it to land. We are all tired of the same food and tonight we will dine for the second time on soup, beans, and canned fruit for dessert. We will have one beer each, instead of water to keep up our moral.

Current Position: 8deg 48.4min South, 137 deg 56.65min West

Soup is just an excuse for water to be called dinner!

Thanks,

Jacques

Another wonderful day out on the ocean and another 160 nautical miles under our belt. We have 200 nautical miles to go but the wind is dropping off to 8 knots and the ocean is very lumpy. Dragonsbane is slowly crawling to the finish line well she sways back and fourth. I guess I will get very little sleep tonight as I roll around my cabin. But the good news is we are almost there. Thank god, because we have nothing exciting to eat and only meat and can goods period.

Current Position: 8deg 43min South, 136deg 15min West

Beer, Beer, BEEEEEEEEEEER, beer!

Thanks,

Jacques

We only have 360 nautical miles to go and hopefully if the wind stays strong we should be on dry land in 3 days, maybe. To day we are flying the spinnaker and averaging 8 knots per hour. The weather is nice and sky is clear. I am surprised because there is a cyclone below us and hurricane above us. The only issue we had to day was one of our spinnaker sheets chafed through and we had to fix that. Other then that, just looking forward to land.

Current Position: 8deg 33.74min South, 133deg 38.01min West

So, three guys in a boat are drinking BEER! Yup

Thanks,

Jacques

Wow, over two weeks have passed by and I am still sailing on the Pacific Ocean. I won’t lie to you and say that this easy. In my mind before this trip I did not put to much thought into the duration of this ocean crossing from Galapagos to Marquesas even after I looked at the charts and saw the distance on paper. But now the peace of the ocean that stretches for thousands of miles in all direction I am beginning to long for the noises of others. The daily motion of the ocean and noise of sails slapping or rigging clanging is all that breaks the silence. I have read many books now and practiced my French. I have cooked all that can be cooked with the ingredients that I have onboard and now I am limited to meat, pasta, and canned vegetables. I cannot run out to the market and get some black pepper, comfort food, or turn on the TV. I am now on my island that seems to shrink a little everyday. I am glad that I am learning what it means to truly be cut off from the world other then this blog, which I can only write and not receive any comment. It’s a one way window and you get to look through it from both sides. You are all so lucky!

Current Position: 8deg 00.1min South, 130deg 42.8min West

It’s not luck, its time and place that matter.

Thanks,

Jacques

The waves are not as big this evening as this morning 12 footers. The sun is dropping below the ocean and casting a bright red glow and smell of simmering sweet curry chicken fills the air. The flying fish are enjoying the tall waves and soaring 20, 30 feet before crashing back into the ocean. The wind is cool and the sun is warm but my mind is elsewhere thinking of home, you, and where I plan to be next year. It’s strange as you sail your mind wonders off to other parts of the world and you guess what everybody is up to. But some moments of thinking are snapped shut when the wind blows hard and sails dip deep to the starboard. You have to concentrate for long periods of time to maneuver over and through the waves. You check your bearing, then the sail, sheets, and wind direction to maintain your 7 knots of speed. Then after you watch your crew down below get tossed around the cabin you smile because you could have told them you where going over a 20 foot wave but it was more fun to watch there food shoot across the cabin followed by them and there rants of anger. Yup I call that good fashion entertainment followed by a 2 minute late yell of BIG WAVE and the crew below say KNOW SHIT! Yes, good time on the big blue Pacific Ocean!

Current Position: 7deg 51min South, 128deg 25.9min West

Pacific Ocean sailboat decks are just like salted Margarita rims!

Thanks,

Jacques