Taiohae Bay, Nuku Hiva
Lazy days that melt into each other… We had made landfall in Nuku Hiva on March 23, 2020 and had been confined to the boat except for a weekly trip to the supermarket.
The National quarantine and isolation for Covid-19 had been extended to the 29th of April. Fortunately, we were granted permission by the French Polynesian authorities to stay in this lovely, safe bay. Nuku Hiva is a very small community (less than 500 people) at the foot of beautiful green hills with a huge natural harbor, called Taiohae Bay, which has been defined the best anchorage in the Marquesas Islands.
At this time, there must be 90- 100 sailboats anchored; however, boats are encouraged to move on during this quarantine to either Tahiti or Hawaii as soon as possible. Visible in the foreground also El Leon, an Italian-made boat of a nice Tuscany couple who is punctually served and escorted by 9 British crew. The boat won the 2019 award for Best interior design.
VHF Radio programs
The VHF radio was our link to local society and virtual clock for our daily activities. Organized by local sailors in the surrounding Fleet, our schedule was filled with radio programs all day long. Our day began with the 0800 morning Net on Channel 68, then the BBC news summary at 1200, the Community Radio Program was at 1630 on Monday- Wednesday- Friday and featured stories (two told by Giorgio’s on his surgical patients) and information about boaters in our Fleet, and there was even a Ladies’ Net. The Community Radio Program played several episodes of Paul Harvey- remember him?- and for me that was a real treat. The evening ended with Trivia at 1900: different subjects every evening from classical music (Giorgio’s contribution), sailing trivia, food and drink, etc. One night one of the boats hosted a virtual party, where each part of the boat had a different VHF channel. Great idea but it became kind of complicated! We were even able to get some local TV channels- in French, so we had a good opportunity to brush up on our French language skills. If we needed anything else, our American friend Kevin, owner of Yacht Services, was our connection to the locals and the French authorities.
We were surrounded by sailboats from all over the world : Belgium, France, Marshall Islands, USA, Mexico, Argentina, New Zealand, UK, Italy, The Netherlands, etc. . It was a wonderful mix and although we heard other languages, the international language is always English! Lucky for us.
Garmin inreach- my link to home
Also one of my buddies from high school, Clayton Deaver, was sending us multiple daily news reports and information about marinas and anchorages in Hawaii to my inReach. We were very grateful for his texts since we had minimal internet. We were also able to have instant contact with our sons, Robbie and Marco, as well as dear friends and family.
Relaxing at anchor
Here is a photo of our boat covered with sun awnings at the bow and mid ship. This shade allowed us to relax and contemplate the lush green mountains of Nuku Hiva from our hammock, a gift from our son Robbie. It was a wonderful place in the shade to rest and swing back and forth with the rocking movement of the waves.
Trips ashore once a week
Every week when one of us went to the supermarket, we had to stop at the Police check point (Gendarmerie) at the entrance of the port to show our passport and complete a formal request justifying the reason to leave the port. When we wanted local produce, we could go to the local farmers market in the port where fresh fruit and vegetables grown on the island are sold daily….for a very high price. In addition, the local fisherman had a fish market in the port a couple of times a week. We really did not lack anything. (Except for internet!)
Covid-19 free
When we first made landfall in Nuku Hiva, many local children had just returned home from boarding school in Tahiti. All were tested and quarantined and after 2 weeks all the tests were negative for Covid-19. In addition, there had been no inter-island traffic permitted except for the monthly cargo ship which brought supplies from Tahiti and sailboats arriving from the other side of the Pacific.
Working at anchor
Washing and cleaning the boat. If there were ever a Spring cleaning (pulizie di Pasqua), this was it! We cleaned all closets and storage areas and any clothing that smelled funky was sprayed with vinegar and washed. I was especially worried about all my silk scarves. I was finally able to get internet to download remedies for mildew and mold on silk. Giorgio washed and cleaned my scarves and they were all saved and back to a wonderful scent! Soap and vinegar worked wonders and I took care to package everything back into ziplock bags!
À Bientôt Nuku Hiva!
After a great deal of thought and contemplation, we decided to leave Nuku Hiva for Hawaii. Our decision was based on our fear of Covid-19 and being in a country with very limited healthcare resources, along with the fact that at this time we have no support from the World ARC. Our heads overcame our hearts so to speak, and we said goodbye to our friends, with the promise to try and meet them again next year back in French Polynesia.
The Adventures of SV JAN 