Galapagos to Marquesas – 2 May 2024 – Day 1
We woke reasonably early as we had to be at the agents by 8.00am to check out with Immigration. There was then to be an inspection at 8.45am. Joyce made porridge for many of us and we went ashore at 7.35am, got rid of our rubbish and made our way to the agents. We were then taken by taxi to Immigration and our passports were stamped. The agent gave me the Zarpe or departure document which I will need when we enter the Marquesas.
We returned to Stormbird and the inspectors came on board and asked the same questions as they did when we arrived. Why they did not have the original form I do not know. There was a man from the National Park who spoke quite good English and he wanted to see the cabins, engine room and randomly asked me to open some cupboards. I think they were looking to check we had not tried to take any wildlife away. This was all done with good humour and they all wanted their photograph on deck. We took one of us as a crew before we departed – see the picture.
Once they left we had some coffee and then prepared ourselves and upped the anchor. We had checked the weather and there was little wind to start with and we may have to motor for a day or so. We motored out and I had put a couple of waypoints in which we began to head for. After a few miles we opened our header (toilet) tanks and emptied them. Then once clear I started to make water. I wanted to ensure before we left the Galapagos that we had a least one tank full so that if the generator did not work and we could not make water, that we should enough for everyone for potentially 30 days. It took a number of hours to fill both tanks and all was working well. We will monitor this and just use a tank at a time so we can always have a spare tank. Each tanks holds about 805 lts.
Charles and I took the first shift which started at 12.00noon and we were on until 4.00pm. Mark and Joyce will take watches after us and the two Watson brothers Keith and Ian after them. We motored on and it was a nice day and we saw a pod of dolphins which we have not seen since before we arrived in San Cristobal. We began to prepare to use the Blue Baron and it took a little time to rig the lines and make sure it would go up smoothly. Once we were ready we hoisted it and she flew. We had to bring down on the tack line (the line holding it down to the bow) and then we sheeted in (i.e. tightened the line pulling the end of the sail toward the boat). She began to fly nicely but then Mark noticed that the turning block that had been fitted was moving slightly which was worrying. We therefore thought we would snuff and take down the sail and have a look at why it was moving. We did so and those idiots who did the job failed to put a metal plate between the bolts and the deck. We looked at other options to get round this and came up with some options but by the time we could raise the sail again the wind had died. Charles and I decided to start the daily checks of the boat and he had not done one before.
As we were motoring the fishing line made a noise and Mark had caught a small Mahi Mahi, which was great and on out first day. Keith had volunteered to cook a spaghetti bolognaise so we may have to eat the fish tomorrow. By about 4.30pm the wind was just about sailable so Mark and Joyce who took over from us at 4.00pm put up the sails. We started sailing along about 7 kts but over time the wind fell off and we still managed to sail and make about 5kts. We also decided to sail more south to pick up more wind although we do not expect the winds to kick in properly until the morning of the 4th , but we will see. We had an amazing sunset and we could just about see Isabella and Isla Santa Maria in the distance. This will be the last time we will see the Galapagos on this trip.
Mark cooked some ceviche with the Mahi Mahi which we had as a starter and then we had Keith’s Spaghetti Bolognaise which was also very tasty. We are now getting into the shift patterns again and well we have a long way to go.
The Marquesas and French Polynesia
We are headed for the Marquesas Islands – which is in French Polynesia and this will be the longest nonstop passage on this circumnavigation. It is likely to be in the region of some 3,300 nm and there is nothing in between. We expect this trip to take at least 18 days and could be up to 30 depending on the winds. We hope it will be about 20 days. We only have enough fuel for about 900 nm. French Polynesia has 3 sets of islands within it – The Marquesas, the Tuamotus and The Society Islands.
The Marquesas are the most northern of these islands and they have their own distinctive setting and style. They have a NW/SE orientation and there are 10 islands and numerous rocks which covers an area of some 1,418 sq. miles. The northern group of islands consist of Motu One, Hatutu, Eiao, Ua Huka, Ua Pou and Nuku Hiva – the larges, which is where we will head first and where we will need to check into French Polynesia. The southern group are Fatu Hiva, Mohotani Hiva Ova and Tahuta. These islands are high volcanic islands with steep black cliffs and coasts and many idented valleys. Their sharp outlines are generally visible from about 20 nm.
The total population is about 6,000 in the Marquesas and they are descendants of proud and warlike Polynesian tribes that once numbered about 100,000 when Captain Cook visited the islands in the 18th century. The indigenous population was decimated by western contact and diseases brought from Great Britain and Europe. The islands lie in the trade winds which are predominantly northeasterly 80% of the year but swing east and southeast in the rainy season. The wind can be disturbed in the vicinity of these high, steep islands causing frequent squalls and thunderstorms.
I will not talk about them much now but after the Marquesas we will proceed to the Tuamotus which are a group of 78 islands and all but two are coral atolls where they are basically round coral reefs with no volcanic cone and The Society Islands are a combination of both in that they have a volcanic cone and a coral reef around them.
I will explain more. The Pacific Ocean has most of the active volcanoes on Earth. Plates pushing against each other creates earthquakes and volcanoes and that is how the Pacific islands have been formed. The creation of coral atolls was explained by Charles Darwin. The progression from high volcanic islands (like the Marquesas) through barrier reef islands is a sequence of gradual subsidence.
Relatively young volcanic islands like the Marquesas are steep to. Over time, in a tropical sea, coral starts to grow as a fringing reef around the edges of the island and the island begins to sink. Because of their general conical shape the islands become smaller as they sink, but the fringing coral builds upwards on itself. The outer part of the fringing reef continues to grow and remains near sea level, while the inner part of the reef dies off because conditions are less favourable for coral growth. This combination of sinking island and growing reef creates islands with a barrier reef like The Society Islands. Over a very long period of time, subsidence eventually carries the old volcanic cone below the ocean surface, but the fringing reef remains. At this point the islands become atolls like the Tuamotus. I should therefore see this explanation whilst visiting all three sets of islands.
Crewing Opportunity
We will arrive in the Marquesas in French Polynesia about 20-23 May 2024 and we will then move through to the Tuamotu’s before getting to Tahiti about the end of July 2024. There may be some space on Stormbird during this period should any sailor/reader be interested in joining for this period or part of it in what must be one of the most distant and beautiful places in the world.
Year Two
In addition, in year two I will be going from New Zealand in early January 2025 across to Sydney and up the Eastern Australian Coast, Indonesia and probably across the Indian Ocean to Cape Town and I will need some more crew.
If there is any interest do email me at hine.nick9@gmail.com
The blog will continue as we head off to the Marquesas and beyond.
If you have any comments or suggestions about the blog do email me on hine.nick9@gmail.com I can only upload one picture a day and visit our website www.stormbirdgoesglobal.co.uk