SETTLING IN, AND LOOKING BACK

We’ve settled in at anchor at Baie Hanamoenoa on isle Tahuata, where we’ll be for a week, or thereabouts. It’s an idyllic Marquesan bay with coconut palms lining a golden sand beach, and it’s an ideal place to catch up with ourselves - sleep at the same time! - and recover after an eventful few weeks.

Hanamoenoa’s shelter means we are out of swell for the first time since leaving Banderas Bay; we’re both delighted to have Tino Pai settled in calm waters for a while. Being able to move about without one hand for bracing yourself makes a welcome change; we’ll be able to work on some repairs and maintenance, relax, swim, catch up on sleep, and spend time with our friends on SV Dovka, SV Nimue, both last seen in Mexico, and Salish Dragon who arrived here yesterday.

There are Manta Rays in the bay, often swimming around the boats, and we had a Black Tipped shark swim lazily by as we were anchoring. We’ve already snorkeled around the bay, spotting a sea turtle, black-tipped shark, a large wahoo and lots if reef fish and, of course, the mantas. We had an amazing hour swimming with them yesterday, as a group of about 15 fed in the middle of the bay. They are such incredible, graceful creatures, it’s a pleasure and privilege to spend time with them.

So, the passage… it was quite an accomplishment, wasn’t it? We’re proud to have done it. There is plenty more ocean to cross, of course, and much will be rougher than what we’ve seen, but that was the longest passage we’ll make on the way to New Zealand. We sat down and decided these were the things that stood out:

There were 3 distinct phases that, for us, lined up neatly with each week and each thousand miles; Mexico to the ITCZ, crossing the ITCZ and equator, and the Equator through the SPCZ to the Marquesas. We found the last week the most challenging, mainly due to shifty winds and sneaky squalls.

The days went by remarkably quickly, and we were never bored. We didn’t do some of the things we thought we would because of this, together with the sea state. No guitar or ukulele lessons, few French lessons, no ocean swims, and no celestial navigation. We had constant swells of around 2 metres, often confused, and never saw the calm waters that other boats reported, which made much more challenging as we always needed a hand on the boat. Though - silver lining - we mostly had decent wind, so can’t complain too much.

We never felt isolated, through the magic of Starlink (praising which feels like Luke Skywalker talking about the magic of the Empire), we were in regular contact with our community of Pacific voyagers, our family & friends, and our weather router. There were lots of WhatsApp messages sharing experiences and weather, sea state etc., and lots of banter and humour. And, of course, this blog! You’re welcome.

We enjoyed each other’s company and continued to get along well even through the few tense moments. We really are a partnership here on Tino Pai, neither of us could do it without the other, and our skill sets complement each other well. And a touch of madness helps spice up the soup!

We only flew white sails, and those were mostly reefed. We were fast enough that we never felt the need to pull out the spinnaker, especially in the swell. The poled-out Genoa was our go-to along with the reefed mainsail.

Weather routing is highly recommended. Thanks to thoughtful, comprehensive, well explained suggestions from Jamie at Sailing Totem, we almost always had wind in our sails in what has been a notably light-aired season for crossing to the Marquesas. Our run was fun with full sails and few complications. Sincere thanks to Jamie!

And now? We’re settling into a greener, wetter land that is stunning, with lovely friendly locals, but with a whole different set of challenges to sunny, dry Mexico. The blog will continue and we’ll share all the new things we experience, though probably not daily as on the passage. Stay tuned, we LOVE having you along!

Passage Summary:

Days: 20.63
Boobies: Lots!
Best Booby: Boris
Hardest worker: Morris
Squalls: Lots, though fewer than we could have had.
Serious squalls: 1 (a monster!)
Spirits: Mine was whisky on arrival, Shan’s was wine!
Highlight: There were many, but crossing the equator probably tops it.
Follower’s favorite blog: The music one, day 8. Thanks for the feedback!
Memories: So many!
Smiles: Ear to ear
Total miles: 2,944 nm
Miles from NZ: 2,985 (as the seabird flies)