More of the Marquesas and Tahiti

For the photo album go to: Pacific through Philippines

Papeete, June 28 '05

As a sailor in this paradise, life could not be better but if I were to be reincarnated, I would wish to be a French Polynesian rooster. This is where the chicks outnumber the males by a ratio of at least ten to one. And they are very much free range. The few fences here are mostly to keep the, gone wild, pigs out. Chickens have even taken up house keeping in the parks of Papeete. I have no clue where the eggs come from that you buy in the market because the chickens here always have a small flock of baby chicks in tow. I reported, in the previous edition, that the first sounds I heard, after my Marquesas landfall, were of roosters and the laughter of the local youth. My next reincarnated choice would be as a French Polynesian youth. They are also a pampered lot. Much of the French benevolence goes to keep the youth busy and entertained. In the Marquesas I already observed the massive sport complexes and community centers in small towns like Atuata. Last Friday evening, in the suburb of Arue, where I am moored at the Tahiti Yacht Club, they inaugurated a new stadium. Paid for, in large part, by the French tax payer. And the youths take good advantage of this opportunity. Outrigger canoeing is very popular with the boys and some vahines and the competition between islands and other countries, including Hawaiian teams, is taken very seriously. This center has a soccer field, basket ball courts, skate board Coming back o the imbalance of the sexes; traditionally families here have raised some of their sons as girls when there were too few girls to help out with the typical female tasks in a household. You see an unusual high number of what appear to be gay men or travestites. Many of them dress as women. They are known here as "Mahu". The traditional "Mahu" is just a way of life and accepted as such in this society.    "Rae Rae" is the local name for homo-sexual. Lesbians are apparently nearly unknown here.  The small vocabulary that I had accumulated in the Marquesas does not go very far in Tahiti or any of the other island groups. The Marquesan "Kaoha!" is known here as "Io Ranaa!", "Hello" or "Welcome!".  "Na Na", for good bye, works here as well. "Thank you!" here is:"Maururuu!" I had some strange looks when I yelled "Kaoha" to the outrigger canoeists upon arrival here Friday the 17th. Most of the outlying islands understand the Tahiti language and it is used on all the radio broadcasts from Tahiti to the rest of French Polynesia. Listening to the radio is an experience by itself. In the Marquesas I could only hear one FM station, Radio Polynesia. Here there are about 10 FM stations. The programs are partially in French and Tahitian. Songs are played in French, Polynesian and English. I just hope that few listeners understand the most awful American rap that is played at times. America's worst cultural export. Filthy, foul and chauvinistic. Then there are the home made French and English, or often a combination with Tahitian mixed in, which are for the most part really dumb and schmaltzy. There is a good weather forecast.

In the last report I left off on the island of Nuka Hiva. The stitches, from my accident in Comptroller's Bay, were removed on Friday of that same week.  On Friday evening there was the weekly Happy Hour for us visiting cruisers at   the resort of, the ex-Californian, Rose Corser. I had a chance to get to know several of the coconut run crowd.  Many of the boats from Hiva Oa turned up on Nuka Hiva, including the brigantine "Soeren Larsen". She arrived in Papeete a day before I did and I have been a regular visitor aboard to socialize with the friends I made among the crew. 

She is moored right at the Papeete water front. Check this cute you tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=832RWdYjs24

I finally managed to attend mass, for the first time since I had left Santa Barbara, on Wednesday of that week and then once more at the regular Sunday service. The singing is a great experience, nearly everyone participates and all have a natural feeling for sound and rhythm. The men sing harmony. I managed to participate with the help of program text and my charming neighbor guiding me. Nuka Hiva is the diocesan seat for the Marquesas and the octogenarian French bishop said mass in Marquesan and he gave the gospel in French.

The American/Swiss couple, Jim and Dorothea Mauzari on "Oceanus" who had left a couple days ahead of me from Santa Barbara were anchored in Nuka Hiva. The only Dutch cruisers that I have met so far are Arjen and Marry v/d Leeuwen with their 2 1/2 year old son, Chris. After Nuka Hiva, I met up with them once again in the adjoining Daniel's Bay. When I checked in with the Gendarmes at Nuka Hiva they wanted me to produce a bond or a return air ticket.

I mentioned that I was told in Hiva Oa that that was not required. Most all of the cruisers that had made their first stop at Hiva Oa were obliged to post the bond at Nuka Hiva, after all. European Community countries are exempt, including Canada. I told the gendarmes that I'd like to take my chances without posting the bond and see what would await me in Papeete. The way I understand this is that it is the Douane (Customs) for which the Gendarmerie intermediates on the bond posting. And Douane only has offices in Papeete. On checking out at Nuka Hiva no point was made about me not having the bond. On checking in with the Douanes in Papeete they asked me for the bond. It looks like I might be able to get away without it after all. I will report the outcome in the next edition.

Daniel's Bay was a wonderful two-day interlude. This is a deep narrow entrance bay with great protection from the swells and winds. This is where the movie "Survivors" was filmed in 2001. Daniel and his wife Antoinette were moved, lock stock and barrel, from the white sandy beach to the river mouth, for the movie setting. Daniel has been welcoming cruisers at this anchorage for the last 30 years and has kept visitor logs ever since. He brought out stacks of them. The Dutch couple found a 12 year earlier visit of their boat by previous owners in his logs. We hiked up to the water fall the next day. Daniel's dog accompanies the hikers to guide the way. The scenery is breath taking. Tall steep lush green hills. And the river rushing along the trail. Daniel and the few other settlers live a very quiet life. They have access to an abundance of fruits and vegetables and solar power. From Daniel's bay I set sail for Ua Pou. This island has unusual steep tall spired mountain peaks. I had hoped to anchor in some quiet bays on the Wes coast but the weather did not cooperate and I ended up in the main harbor on the North side. This is where I met the only other singlehanded sailor, I have seen so far on this trip. Richard, a retired British special forces soldier on a boat about the size of "Fleetwood" named “Shala”.

On June 7^th., I left "Ua Pou" for the Tuamotous. The winds were at first from the North and then from nowhere and after that from everywhere but the South East trade direction. By the time I got to my first intended destination in the Tuamotous, Mahini, at midday, the wind quit once again. I was hesitant to use the engine because of the water problems I was still trying to purge. But when it was getting close to dark, I cranked the motor on. And then the wind decided to blow and blow hard. It just did not look like an easy way to enter the lagoon that late and with that much wind. So, I ended up skipping the Tuamotous all together. I will have plenty opportunities to see similar coral atols on the continuation of my voyage.

I keep hearing praises on Manihiki  in the Northern Cooks. And have decided to take a look. The Bellingham charts completely ignore this area and that has to be the only place Hintz has not covered in his "Landfalls in Paradise". Yesterday I was able to copy some good electronic charts for the area from my French neighbor.

I arrived at Tahiti early Friday the 15th. You will see plenty of pictures of Point Venus in the accompanying album. This is the first land mark and light house when approaching from the North East. That day I had my only other big fish on the troll line. But I lost it.  I was very fortunate to get dock moorage at the Tahiti Yacht Club in Arue, just 5 k.m. to the east of Papeete. I am paying Fr. 1100 a day or about $ 12.50 I am parked just in front of the restaurant. It has hot showers, laundry. Most of the visiting cruisers are moored at the down town water front quay, Mediterranean style, which for most still requires getting a shore in a dinghy. And the cost is more than what I pay. The larger yachts gather mostly at the marina S.W. of Papeete, beyond the airport.

The bicycle comes in real handy for the 5 k.m. ride into town. There are buses but not very regular. It is a good thing that I learned to ride a bike in the Amsterdam traffic. For the average American rider Papeete traffic might be a little on the aggressive side. I might find Saigon a little more intimidating as well, from my bike riding days there in 1961-1963. Last week I rode east beyond Pt. Venus about a 6 hour bike ride. Today I checked out where the other large marina is, to the South West of Papeete and that was about a 15 km ride. Papeete is a bit of an architectural miss match. Lots of asphalt, a Van Nuys in the tropics. There are a few of the older colonial style buildings left. The better residential areas are up in the hills. There is a large Chinese population here, mostly settlers who arrived here at the beginning of the 20th century. The 7.30 mass at the cathedral is in Cantonese. What surprised me was that there are very few Vietnamese here. Because of the language and the climate that appears to be a natural. Many went to France and New Caledonia after the fall of Saigon. The first Saturday night here I went to the French mass at the mission because the Cathedral was still being renovated. I noticed a familiar accent in the Chinese priest. It turned out that he was an ethnic Chinese from Vietnam.   Father Dung a Redemptorist priest, sent here from France in the last weeks. He lived and taught in Saigon around the same time that we lived there and we had lots to reminisce.

I had not planned to stay here this long but I am awaiting the marine mechanic to check out my saltwater intrusion into the engine. He cannot come back till later this week. Now it so happens that the annual festivities here start on June 24 and last till around July 20. There are the dance and traditional rowing, fire dancing, coconut harvesting etc. competitions. Ever since I arrived here the local Arue dance group has been rehearsing on the field next to the marina. I watched them getting better and better. Last year this group won the first prize in the annual competition. The hand movements, coordination and their singing are incredible. Last Friday night was their gala presentation to the town of Arue. The brand new stadium, I referred to earlier, was inaugurated. It is named after Boris Leontieff. He was at one time a popular mayor of Arue. Then in 2002 he ran for president of French Polynesia. He ran on a platform of a gradual, 10 to 15 year, weaning off the French influence and ending up with a common wealth status. He, with a few fellow politicians, mysteriously disappeared on a small plane flight, just before the election took place. There have been many speculations of foul play.  His two daughters spoke to the audience about their father, last Friday. There are pictures of the dancers in the photo album.

Right now, I expect to continue on to Moorea sometime next week. Then to Bora Bora, Northern Cooks, Samoa, Fiji. Then probably the New Hebrides, New Guinea, Philippines and Vietnam. I stood on the fishmonger's scale yesterday and weighed in at 65 kilos, about 143 lbs. That puts me back somewhere at age 25 weight. I feel great. The only small old age problem I encounter is sore finger joints, especially at sea.

One disadvantage of being here in the Southern hemisphere winter time is that the flowering trees, like the Jacaranda, Locust, etc. are not blooming yet. Mangoes and Papayas are not yet in season either.