Hello from the Marquesas. We made the 3000 mile passage in sixteen and a
half days which is much better than we had hoped. The last four days we
had the twin sails set and ran downwind straight to Fatu Hiva. Comparing
this passage to the Atlantic ones we have done this was a piece of cake.
The winds were fifteen knots on average and from the south east or east.
The sun shone everyday and we had no rain at all. We did manage to read a
few books and enjoy the view of miles and miles of ocean. It was nice to
make a landfall.

Fatu Hiva is a very dramatic islands of vertical rock formations and lush
vegetation. You can see why this place was so wonderful for the peoples of
the pacific as the sea is full of fish and on land there is coconuts,
papaya, lemon and limes, and the most wonderful tasting grapefruits that
are just huge and sweet. Also lots of tubers that we have no idea and lots
of bread fruit. So l guess there was no need to work too hard in those
days and for the locals here not much has changed. We were invited to a
lunch with a group of other yachties. The pig was killed along with some
chickens and a goat and put in a fire pit and buried with banana leaves
for a few hours. It was great and eaten with our fingers along with rice,
plantain, banana. Also there was a ceviche of fish and limes that was out
of this world. As I said there is an abundance of food here and by the
size of some of the people it would seem they enjoy it all very much.

We left Fatu Hiva for Hive Oha, about 40 miles and anchored outside the
breakwater as the boats inside were stern anchored and cheek to jowl and
we were the only ones outside and it was ok. We went to town the next day
and cleared into the country which was very easy and then went and did
some shopping for fresh vegetables and bread and baguettes. Nice to be
back in a French country. The town is very small and the one claim to fame
is that the artist Paul Gauguin lived and died here and there is a very
good gallery with copies of many of his works. If he lived today he would
probably be put in jail. He did like the young girls. We spent just the
day and left in the afternoon for Tahuata about six miles away and found
the lovely bay that was calm and the water was the colour of Sapphire gin
and crystal clear. We have been here for five days and have enjoyed some
down time and have managed to do a complete cleaning job on Kilkea as she
was covered in salt and grime. It is amazing how dirty a boat can get in
the ocean. Now the stainless is polished and the topsides are all waxed so
we look pretty good. Tomorrow we are off to Ua Pou for a couple of days as
the books say it is the most dramatic of the islands. Next will be Nuku
Hiva which is the busiest of the island with the most shops etc. Also the
big deal there will be the Internet so we can catch up with the world and
our family and friends.

Hello All,
Just a quick note to let you know that David and Marian hit land after 16 and a half days at sea, safe and sound. They reached Hanavave Bay, Fatu Hiva on the 7th, and we managed to speak with them via Skype on the 13th. They have moved on to the island of Tahuata '"which is small with a beautiful bay with a white sand beach and Sapphire blue water". We don't expect to hear from them for at least another week.

Eamon keeps wondering when they will be home, we hope to see Granny and Granddad this summer.
Lindsay

Hello, Well we are still out hear drifting along on this big blue ocean. It seems timeless as everyday seems the same as the last one. I made the mistake of saying we might arrive on Wed or Thur but now because of the light winds it is looking like Friday. It is Monday and we are at s09 42 and w130 43. We have been reading lots of books and trying to get enough sleep. Some days are easy to sleep when the boat is going fast but when it is slow like now she tends to pitch and roll a lot and you do the same. We now have 480 miles to go and are looking forward to a cold beer.

Thanks Lindsay for posting these thoughts. We have not heard from any of you for a while so send us a note telling us what is happening in your lives. It makes our day much brighter. Lots of love to you all M&D.

Hello all today Friday the 30th of April we are at S07 48 and W 122 52.
This is just about due south of Vancouver. The last couple of days have
been very nice with winds from the south east at around 15 knots and the
seas slight. We are still making good time and should be in Fatu Hiva on
the 5th or 6th of May. We now are down to 955 miles to go. Every morning
we have to clear the decks of flying fish as they keep crashing into the
boat all night long. You sure wouldn't starve out here. It helps that we
have the hard dodger as it blocks them from hitting us. We have heard of
people on boats with open cockpits wearing bike helmets at night to
protect them from the fishes. They sure make a wack when they hit. Other
than that our days blend one into another and if we did not have computers
and calendars we would not know what day it is. Nice to really get away
from it all.