Hiva Oa & Tahuata

MUKTUK and LIGHTSPEED

We spent 3 days in Fatu Hiva and had a nice 40 mile sail to Hiva Oa. We had good timing and arrived to a crowded anchorage (12 boats) but not as crowded as it was about to become. We cleared in with the Gendarme the next morning and left the day after that when there were 22 boats in this tiny anchorage.
We headed to the north shore of Hiva Oa to the bay of Hanamenu where there is a fresh water pool that sounded inviting.

The MUKTUKers watching their friends on Whooshie leave

When we arrived, I checked email and we had received a message from our Austrian friends from the Guaymas boatyard on MUKTUK. They were anchored in a nice bay on Tahuata that we passed 2 hours prior. So we headed back to see them and had a wonderful 4 days in the best anchorage so far.
We could see the sand and coral 15 feet below the boat, there were Manta Rays swimming, coral reefs, and a white sand beach where we had a beach fire one night.


 Karl, Ali, Jan, and Noah from MUKTUK came over for my birthday party. Booker made a rum cake. We also hooked up with Dave and Kathy on the catamaran LIGHTSPEED. We met them 4 years ago in Belize and again in La Cruz, Mexico last year. They have been in the South Pacific since last year.






The prior owners of Tortuguita's sister ship, AMARYLLIS, had been doing charters on her in the BVI's for 5 years. We met them in Grenada when we were in the Spice Island Boatyard. They sold her and bought a monohull, PACIFIC HWY. They sailed down from Mexico when we did. We had nice sundowners one afternoon with them and exchanged boat stories. Small world.

MUKTUK left for Hanamenu during the day and we left at sunset for the 80 mile sail to Nuka Hiva where we hope to get laundry done and provision for the Tuamotos.  On the way there, we were greeted by the usual suspects except all of them had white noses. (play video)