Cruising the Marquesas

Spinner Dolphins in the Hanaiapa Anchorage



From Atuona on Hiva Oa we sailed SW around Is. Tahuata, where we anchored in Hanamoenoa Bay – with white sand lined with palm trees where we had excellent snorkeling. Most bays here in the Marquesas are dark and murky and everyone warns you of sharks, so Hanamoenoa was a real treat! We stayed for three days working on lots of odd jobs on the boat after our long crossing and snorkeling twice a day. One afternoon as we were rowing the dinghy over to the reef on the side of the bay a dark shape in the water caught our eye. No, not sharks. We jumped in and watched two large (6-feet + across) Manta rays gracefully perform backward summersaults through the water as they filtered the plankton – how wonderful!

We visited one small village on Tahuata where we found fresh mangoes falling from the trees (cut off the bruises and they’re fine) and then sailed around to the north side of Hiva Oa. We met William, a lovely man who is the self-appointed Commodore of the Hanaiapa Yacht Club. The yacht club consists of a guest book which he gets most passing to sign and in return gives away lots of fresh fruit from his garden.

We had a great sail north to the smaller island of Ua Huka (Oo-Ah Hoo-Kah) which didn’t offer much for protected spot to anchor. We sat for a night next to a couple small islets absolutely covered in nesting Sooty Terns. It was a wild place all to ourselves which isn’t surprising as we didn’t sleep for the waves knocking us around. That was last night, now we are in the relative metropolis of Taiohae Bay on Nuku Hiva, with about 20 yachts for neighbors!