March 30th 2011 Marquesas

Arriving at Hiva Oa

We had a great 23 day passage to Atuona, Hiva Oa.  The winds were a steady 15 with a few light days and the seas were benign.  We motored 20 hrs through the ICTZ and also used the spinnaker one or two days.  What can we say?? Lots of blue sky, stars at night, the occassional big ship and lots of popcorn! Em and Chris took watches during the day which really helped out.

We arrived at Atuona the day after the big earthquake in Japan and the Tsunami caused some unusual tide and currents.  We anchored outside the harbout for a few hours until everything settled down.  It was the first we'd heard about the earthquake!

What a beautiful place and such wonderful people!  It is fun to be speaking French again and seeing all those familiar products in the shops. We spent a week in Atuona resting, doing laundry, catching up on emails and exploring.   There are some terrific petroglyphs near the harbour, the Gaugin museum in town, the ancient cemetery and the ancient site in the nearby town T (forgot the name will upgrade on next entry)  The kids are delighted to be in a new place!