S/Y Anastacia Circumnavigation
We are a Swedish couple in their mid 50s who decided to live out our dream. This is our story.
daily
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https://sy-anastacia.skipperblogs.com
Sun, 06 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000
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Welcome Anastacia II
Malin
<p>It was Alan, the Canadian on Timmies Run, who had contacted us with an offer to buy his boat. The boat is a Beneteau Oceanis 461 (46 feet, 14 m) from 2000. Two feet longer than Anastacia and ten years older. It is the same boat that Alan and Christer spent a whole day in, a few months ago, trying to find the fault with the autopilot that had stopped working. Alan had originally planned to continue to New Zealand with crew member Alena and sell the boat there, but the sales process in NZ would be complicated, so he decided to make the boat ready to sail and sell her in Fiji instead. When we flew to Fiji on June 7, the boat was on land in Vuda Marina and was already treated with antifouling. A Raymarine expert had started troubleshooting the autopilot and after a few days it was discovered that a small cable from the control unit was the problem. When it was replaced, the autopilot worked as it should. Alan wanted the engine, autopilot and all navigation equipment to work before we took over the boat and during the two weeks it took to sort out all the electronics and service the engine we stayed at a cheap hotel in the town of Lautoka and rented a car so we could commute to the marina and fix what was needed on the boat. We also took the opportunity to change the name of the boat from Timmies-Run to Anastacia II. Sailorsâ superstition says that a name change signifies bad luck but, since the boat had already changed its name once before it didn't feel so bad đ. Timmies-Run is a Canadian slang expression for getting coffee at Tim Hortons, a fast food chain focusing on coffee and snacks. A typical Canadian expression but without any connection to us or Sweden. However, we decided to keep the picture of the coffee cup but now as a symbol of Swedish "fika".</p><p>Christer, with the help of ChatGPT and other sources, made a proposal for an international boat contract that Alan was happy with and Christer also managed to charm the ladies at the marina expedition into witnessing the signatures. We were now the fourth owner of the boat. We made sure that the boat received a Swedish registration certificate from the Swedish cruising club and Alan deregistered her from Canada. The AIS number and Callsign from Anastacia were transferred to Anastacia II so that we can continue sailing with the same identity as before and Alan was able to deregister what previously applied to Timmies-Run. When all the important repairs were completed, she was launched and is now at a berth in the marina. Alan has traveled back to Canada. While we were working on the boat, Alena had spent the weeks in Fiji improving her surfing technique at one of the many surfing spots on the east side of the island. Big waves often form here, perfect for wave surfing. However, with the disadvantage that the waves do not break against a sandy beach but against a sharp coral reef. It adds an extra dimension of excitement to surfing, where you not only have to master the waves but also have to make sure you land correctly at the end, so as not to get yourself damaged. Alena was quite bruised and had received a few hits that must have taken a toll, but there was no complaining, like the tough girl she is, she just stated that she needed to improve her technique a little more. Now she is in New Zealand ready for new adventures. We hope that this was not the last time we met...</p><p>Another two weeks have passed since the boat was launched. In the meantime, we have turned the Anastacia II inside out and gone through all the spaces, washed it clean, inspected it and tried to get to know the boat. We have run over 15 washes in the marina's washing machines and used up several liters of vinegar. At times, the boat has looked like a floating drying rack. Before Alan bought the boat five years ago, she had been sailing in The Great Lakes in Canada. Previous owners had spent a lot of equipment and tools on her. Alan hadn't used everything so we've tried to restore some parts that had been turned off and given away or thrown away things that were no longer needed or were usable. We've come across some gadgets that we had no idea what they could be used for and after a lot of guessing we've finally had to use Google Lens to help. The boat is built in the USA and is therefore adapted for 12 and 110 V respectively. This means purchasing extra adapters and inverters/converters so that we can use certain equipment and stay in marinas in the rest of the world, which uses 220V đ.</p><p>Anastacia II has a huge equipment list with far more features and gadgets than our previous boat. Including a diesel generator and a larger watermaker, davits to hang the dinghy at the stern as well as radar and other navigation equipment that we didn't have before. Alan had installed new consumer batteries and there are substantial solar panels mounted on the davits so power supply at sea will not be a problem.</p><p>The disadvantage of so many gadgets and equipment is that all these things cost space, so one of the stern cabins has, for example, been given space for the generator and we use the remaining space as storage room instead. The boat also includes a very nice, foldable bike that also needs space. The generous âbedroomâ in the bow means that we only have one double cabin left in the stern, which is significantly smaller than in Anastacia where we had a total of four cabins. Despite the longer boat, the boat feels a little smaller than before. However, Anastacia II is more solidly built in âone pieceâ and has more real wood in the interior.</p><p>For communication, there is both IridiumGo satellite communication and Starlink for Internet. We are not activating the Starlink subscription yet because we will be sailing to countries where it is forbidden to use the equipment and we do not dare to take chances on the argument that we are a âyacht in transitâ. In addition, the subscription is relatively expensive and we have managed well in the past with IridiumGo on longer passages and local SIM cards on land. The sails are in good condition even though they are used, but we only have a mainsail and a genoa on board, as well as a spinnaker that we recently had repaired. We do not have any spare sails or storm jib, which feels a bit insubstantial. We also wanted to install a third reef in the mainsail, but the sailmaker had a waiting list for a month of work, so we are postponing that job. What we are perhaps lacking most of all, however, is a wind rudder. We can't really see how we would have been able to mount one on the stern because the davits and solar panels are in the way, so we will be completely dependent on the autopilot for self-steering. If it doesn't work, hand steering is the way to go!</p><p>Onboard comfort is good. In the galley there is a three-burner gas stove with a fantastic oven that we have already tried baking bread and muffins in, a microwave, a spacious fridge, a freezer, etc. There are also opportunities for some entertainment on the boat. A (working) TV adorns the wall above the freezer so we can watch movies and Christer managed to get a radio with Bluetooth working so we can play some music. There is both AC and a heater in the boat, which we however, didn't want to test drive. The equipment hasn't been running for at least five years and we need to go through the engines, fans, ventilation pipes, etc. first. That will have to wait until another time.</p><p>To our great joy, in the midst of all the chaos with the boat, we were visited by our French friends Milena and Nicolas on Oatneck. The young couple who spent the days with us when our respective boats were at the buoys in Niue during the storm. It must be admitted that the shared experience made us feel an extra emotional bond with the couple. Before they left Niue, they had given us a very personal gift in the form of a small (medicine) capsule containing some words of wisdom written on a neatly rolled piece of paper. They themselves had been given a small jar of such capsules, carefully made by their parents, before their own sailing. The idea of the medicine jar is that, when courage fails, open a small capsule and read the contents as comfort and encouragement. Now we had the honor of receiving one of these capsules and when we opened the little fortune cookie, we found a few lines from the French poet, writer and politician(!) Alphonse de Lamartine: "Le monde est un livre dont chaque jour nous ouvre une page" roughly âthe world is a book where every day opens a page for usâ. It felt so comforting then, when we sat there and the boat had sunk, to think that each of the days in life provides experiences to learn from and marvel at, and that you never know what awaits when the next page is turned⊠We still have that little capsule with us and now it has a given place in Anastacia II.</p><p>Oatneck has now left the marina and is now on its way to Vanuatu. We believe that we will also soon be ready to set off and do some test sailings in the Fijian archipelago before we also sail on to Vanuatu. First, we need to rent a car again and visit some hardware stores and boat supply stores to buy things we don't have and to stock up on provisions for the sail. Maybe we'll have time to write a few lines in the blog about Fiji, which we've barely had time to explore yet.</p><p><br> ~~~~~~~~~~~~</p><p><br>Det var kanadensaren Alan, pĂ„ Timmies Run, som hade hört av sig till oss med erbjudande om att köpa hans bĂ„t. BĂ„ten Ă€r en Beneteau Oceanis 461 (46 fot, 14 m) frĂ„n 2000. TvĂ„ fot lĂ€ngre Ă€n Anastacia och tio Ă„r Ă€ldre. Det Ă€r samma bĂ„t som Alan och Christer tillbringade en hel dag i, för nĂ„gra mĂ„nader sedan, för att försöka hitta felet pĂ„ autopiloten som slutat fungera. Alan hade ursprungligen tĂ€nkt fortsĂ€tta till Nya Zealand tillsammans med besĂ€ttningsmedlemmen Alena och sĂ€lja bĂ„ten dĂ€r men sĂ€ljprocessen i NZ skulle bli komplicerad sĂ„ han bestĂ€mde sig för att göra bĂ„ten segelklar och sĂ€lja den i Fiji istĂ€llet. NĂ€r vi flög till Fiji den 7 juni lĂ„g bĂ„ten pĂ„ land i Vuda Marina och var redan bottenmĂ„lad. En Raymarine-expert hade börjat felsöka autopiloten och efter nĂ„gra dagar uppdagades att en liten kabel frĂ„n styrenheten var problemet. NĂ€r den var utbytt fungerade autopiloten som den skulle. Alan ville att motor, autopilot och all navigationsutrustning skulle fungera innan vi tog över bĂ„ten och under de dryga tvĂ„ veckor det tog att reda ut all elektronik och serva motorn bodde vi pĂ„ ett billigt hotell i staden Lautoka och hyrde en bil sĂ„ vi kunde pendla till marinan och fixa med det som behövdes pĂ„ bĂ„ten. Vi passade Ă€ven pĂ„ att byta namn pĂ„ bĂ„ten frĂ„n Timmies-Run till Anastacia II. Seglarskrock sĂ€ger att ett namnbyte kan betyda otur men eftersom bĂ„ten redan hade bytt namn en gĂ„ng tidigare kĂ€ndes det inte sĂ„ farligt đ. Timmies-Run Ă€r ett kanadensiskt slanguttryck för att hĂ€mta kaffe pĂ„ Tim Hortons, en snabbmatskedja med inriktning pĂ„ kaffe och tilltugg. Ett typiskt kanadensiskt uttryck men utan nĂ„gon koppling till oss eller Sverige. Vi beslöt dock att behĂ„lla bilden pĂ„ kaffekoppen men nu som en symbol för svenskt âfikaâ.</p><p>Christer, med hjĂ€lp av ChatGPT och andra kĂ€llor, gjorde ett förslag pĂ„ internationellt bĂ„tkontrakt som Alan var nöjd med och Christer lyckades Ă€ven charma damerna pĂ„ marinaexpeditionen till att bevittna signaturerna. Vi var nu fjĂ€rde Ă€gare till bĂ„ten. Vi sĂ„g till att bĂ„ten fick ett svenskt registreringsbevis frĂ„n svenska kryssarklubben och Alan avregistrerade henne frĂ„n Kanada. AIS-nummer och Callsign frĂ„n Anastacia fördes över till Anastacia II sĂ„ vi kan segla vidare med samma identitet som tidigare och Alan kunde avregistrera det som tidigare gĂ€llt för Timmies-Run. NĂ€r alla viktigare reparationer var klara, sjösattes hon och ligger nu vid bryggan pĂ„ marinan. Alan har rest tillbaka till Kanada. Under tiden vi arbetat med bĂ„ten hade Alena tillbringat veckorna i Fiji med att förbĂ€ttra sin surfteknik pĂ„ en av de mĂ„nga surfplatserna pĂ„ öns östsida. HĂ€r bildas ofta stora vĂ„gor, perfekta för vĂ„gsurfing. Dock med den nackdelen att vĂ„gorna inte bryts mot en sandstrand utan mot ett vasst korallrev. Det ger en extra spĂ€nningsdimension i surfandet, dĂ€r man inte bara skall bemĂ€stra vĂ„gorna utan ocksĂ„ se till att man landar rĂ€tt i slutet, för att inte slĂ„ sig fördĂ€rvad. Alena var ganska blĂ„slagen och hade fĂ„tt nĂ„gra törnar som mĂ„ste ha gjort rejĂ€lt ont men det hördes inget klagande, som den tuffing hon Ă€r, utan hon konstaterade bara att hon behövde förbĂ€ttra sin teknik lite till. Nu befinner hon sig i Nya Zealand redo för nya Ă€ventyr. Vi hoppas att detta inte var sista gĂ„ngen vi trĂ€ffadesâŠ</p><p>Sedan bĂ„ten sjösattes har det gĂ„tt ytterligare tvĂ„ veckor. Under tiden har vi vĂ€nt ut och in pĂ„ Anastacia II och gĂ„tt igenom alla utrymmen, tvĂ€ttat rent, inspekterat och försökt lĂ€ra kĂ€nna bĂ„ten. Vi har kört över 15 tvĂ€ttar i marinans tvĂ€ttmaskiner och gjort slut pĂ„ flera liter Ă€ttika. Stundom har bĂ„ten sett ut som en flytande torkstĂ€llning. Innan Alan köpte bĂ„ten för fem Ă„r sedan hade hon seglats i The Great Lakes i Kanada. Tidigare Ă€gare hade kostat pĂ„ henne vĂ€ldigt mycket utrustning och verktyg. Alan hade inte anvĂ€nt allt sĂ„ vi har försökt Ă„terstĂ€lla vissa delar som s a s stĂ€ngts av och givit bort eller slĂ€ngt sĂ„dant som inte lĂ€ngre behövdes eller kunde anvĂ€ndas. Vi har stött pĂ„ nĂ„gra prylar som vi inte haft nĂ„gon aning om vad de kan anvĂ€ndas till och efter mycket gissande har vi till slut fĂ„tt ta Google Lens till hjĂ€lp. BĂ„ten Ă€r byggd i USA och Ă€r dĂ€rför anpassad för 12 resp. 110 V. Det innebĂ€r införskaffande av extra adaptrar och invertrar/konvertrar för att vi skall kunna anvĂ€nda viss utrustning och ligga i marinor i resten av vĂ€rlden, som anvĂ€nder 220V đ.</p><p>Anastacia II har en diger utrustningslista med lĂ„ngt fler finesser och prylar Ă€n vĂ„r förra bĂ„t. Bl a en diselgenerator och en större watermaker, dĂ€vertar för att hĂ€nga upp dingen i aktern samt radar och annan navigationsutrustning som vi inte hade tidigare. Alan hade satt in nya förbrukningsbatterier och det Ă€r rejĂ€la solpaneler monterade pĂ„ dĂ€vertarna sĂ„ strömförsörjningen till havs skall inte vara nĂ„gra problem. </p><p>Nackdelen med sĂ„ mĂ„nga prylar och utrustning Ă€r dock att alla dessa saker kostar i utrymme sĂ„ ena akterruffen har t ex fĂ„tt ge plats Ă„t generatorn och vi anvĂ€nder resterande utrymme som stuvutrymme istĂ€llet. I bĂ„ten ingĂ„r nĂ€mligen Ă€ven en vĂ€ldigt fin, hopfĂ€llbar cykel som ocksĂ„ behöver plats. Det generösa âsovrummetâ i fören gör att vi bara har en dubbelhytt kvar i aktern vilket Ă€r betydligt mindre Ă€n i Anastacia dĂ€r vi hade totalt fyra hytter. Trots lĂ€ngre bĂ„t sĂ„ kĂ€nns utrymmet alltsĂ„ lite mindre Ă€n tidigare. Dock Ă€r Anastacia II mer gediget byggd i âett styckeâ och mer riktigt trĂ€ i interiören.</p><p>För kommunikation finns bĂ„de IridiumGo satellitkommunikation och Starlink för Internet. Starlinkabonnemanget aktiverar vi inte Ă€nnu eftersom vi kommer att segla till lĂ€nder dĂ€r det Ă€r förbjudet att anvĂ€nda utrustningen och vi vĂ„gar inte chansa pĂ„ argumentet att vi Ă€r âyacht in transitâ. Dessutom Ă€r abonnemanget relativt dyrt och vi har klarat oss bra tidigare med IridiumGo vid lĂ€ngre passager och lokala SIM-kort i land. Seglen Ă€r i gott skick Ă€ven om de Ă€r begagnade men vi har bara ett storsegel och en genua ombord samt en spinnaker som vi nyligen lĂ„tit reparera. Vi har inga reservsegel eller stormfock, vilket kĂ€nns lite klent. Vi hade ocksĂ„ velat sĂ€tta in ett tredje rev i storseglet men segelmakaren hade en mĂ„nads vĂ€ntetid sĂ„ vi avvaktar med den Ă„tgĂ€rden. Det vi dock kanske mest av allt saknar, Ă€r ett vindroder. Vi kan inte riktigt se hur det hade gĂ„tt att montera ett pĂ„ aktern eftersom dĂ€vertar och solpaneler Ă€r i vĂ€gen sĂ„ vi kommer att vara helt beroende av autopiloten för sjĂ€lvstyrningen. Fungerar inte den Ă€r det handstyrning som gĂ€ller!</p><p>Komforten ombrd Ă€r god. I kabyssen finns en trelĂ„gig gasspis med fantastiskt bra ugn som vi redan provbakat bröd och muffins i, en mikro, en rymlig kyl, en frys o s v. Dessutom finns möjligheter för lite underhĂ„llning i bĂ„ten. En (fungerande) TV pryder vĂ€ggen ovanför frysen sĂ„ vi kan titta pĂ„ film och Christer lyckades fĂ„ igĂ„ng en radio med Bluetooth sĂ„ vi kan spela lite musik. Det finns bĂ„de AC och vĂ€rmare i bĂ„ten som vi dock inte velat provköra. Utrustningen har inte varit igĂ„ng pĂ„ minst fem Ă„r och vi behöver gĂ„ igenom motorer, flĂ€ktar, ventilationsrör etc. innan. Det fĂ„r vĂ€nta till en annan gĂ„ng. </p><p>Till vĂ„r stora lycka fick vi, mitt i allt stök med bĂ„ten, besök av vĂ„ra franska vĂ€nner Milena och Nicolas pĂ„ Oatneck. Det unga par som genomled dygnen tillsammans med oss nĂ€r vĂ„ra respektive bĂ„tar lĂ„g vid bojarna i Niue under ovĂ€dret. Det mĂ„ste erkĂ€nnas att den gemensamma upplevelsen gjorde att vi kĂ€nner ett extra emotionellt band till paret. Innan de reste vidare frĂ„n Niue hade de givit oss en mycket personlig gĂ„va i form av en liten (medicin)kapsel innehĂ„llande nĂ„gra visdomsord skrivna pĂ„ en prydligt ihoprullad papperslapp. De hade sjĂ€lva fĂ„tt en liten burk med sĂ„dana kapslar, omsorgsfullt gjorda av förĂ€ldrarna, inför sin egen seglats. Tanken med medicinburken Ă€r att, nĂ€r modet sviker, öppna en liten kapsel och lĂ€sa innehĂ„llet som tröst och uppmuntran. Nu hade vi den Ă€ran att fĂ„ en av dessa kapslar och nĂ€r vi öppnade den lilla lyckokakan fann vi nĂ„gra rader av den franske poeten, författaren och politikern(!) Alphonse de Lamartine: "Le monde est un livre dont chaque jour nous ouvre une page" ungefĂ€r âvĂ€rlden Ă€r en bok dĂ€r varje dag öppnar en sida för ossâ. Det kĂ€ndes sĂ„ trösterikt dĂ„, nĂ€r vi satt dĂ€r och bĂ„ten hade förlist, att tĂ€nka att vart och ett av dagarna i livet ger erfarenheter att lĂ€ra sig av och förundras över, och att man aldrig vet vad som vĂ€ntar nĂ€r nĂ€sta sida blĂ€ddras fram⊠Den lilla kapseln har vi fortfarande med oss och fĂ„r nu en given plats i Anastacia II.</p><p>Oatneck har nu lĂ€mnat marinan och nu Ă€r pĂ„ vĂ€g till Vanuatu. Vi tror att vi ocksĂ„ snart Ă€r redo för att ge oss ivĂ€g och göra nĂ„gra provseglingar i den Fijianska arkipelagen innan vi ocksĂ„ seglar vidare till Vanuatu. Först behöver vi hyra en bil igen och besöka nĂ„gra jĂ€rnhandlare och bĂ„ttillbehörsbutiker för att inhandla sĂ„dant vi saknar samt proviantera inför seglatsen. Eventuellt hinner vi skriva nĂ„gra rader i bloggen om Fiji som vi knappt hunnit utforska Ă€nnu.</p><p><br></p><p><em>French comfort-pill</em></p><p><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250706_100931.jpg?1751792712" loading="lazy" data-original-width="2250" data-original-height="3000" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250706_100931.jpg?1751792712 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250706_100931.jpg?1751792712 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250706_100931.jpg?1751792712 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250706_100931.jpg?1751792712 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250706_100931.jpg?1751792712 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250706_100931.jpg?1751792712?1751792712" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p><br></p><p><em>Boat name in the changing</em></p><p><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250705_120314.jpg?1751792825" loading="lazy" data-original-width="2250" data-original-height="3000" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250705_120314.jpg?1751792825 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250705_120314.jpg?1751792825 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250705_120314.jpg?1751792825 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250705_120314.jpg?1751792825 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250705_120314.jpg?1751792825 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250705_120314.jpg?1751792825?1751792825" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250610_123405.jpg?1751792825" loading="lazy" data-original-width="3000" data-original-height="1687" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250610_123405.jpg?1751792825 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250610_123405.jpg?1751792825 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250610_123405.jpg?1751792825 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250610_123405.jpg?1751792825 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250610_123405.jpg?1751792825 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250610_123405.jpg?1751792825?1751792825" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250610_123516.jpg?1751792825" loading="lazy" data-original-width="3000" data-original-height="1687" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250610_123516.jpg?1751792825 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250610_123516.jpg?1751792825 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250610_123516.jpg?1751792825 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250610_123516.jpg?1751792825 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250610_123516.jpg?1751792825 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250610_123516.jpg?1751792825?1751792825" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250612_090345.jpg?1751792825" loading="lazy" data-original-width="3000" data-original-height="1687" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250612_090345.jpg?1751792825 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250612_090345.jpg?1751792825 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250612_090345.jpg?1751792825 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250612_090345.jpg?1751792825 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250612_090345.jpg?1751792825 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250612_090345.jpg?1751792825?1751792825" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p><br></p><p><em>Two guys are lifting heavy batteries. Notice the pulled-in bellies!</em></p><p><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250610_123423.jpg?1751793071" loading="lazy" data-original-width="3000" data-original-height="1687" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250610_123423.jpg?1751793071 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250610_123423.jpg?1751793071 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250610_123423.jpg?1751793071 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250610_123423.jpg?1751793071 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250610_123423.jpg?1751793071 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250610_123423.jpg?1751793071?1751793071" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p><br></p><p><em>In the water. At last!</em></p><p><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250706_150704.jpg?1751793165" loading="lazy" data-original-width="2250" data-original-height="3000" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250706_150704.jpg?1751793165 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250706_150704.jpg?1751793165 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250706_150704.jpg?1751793165 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250706_150704.jpg?1751793165 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250706_150704.jpg?1751793165 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250706_150704.jpg?1751793165?1751793165" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p><br></p><p><em>Messy, but work in progress (we promise to take more pictures when everything is done)</em></p><p><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250628_092111.jpg?1751793241" loading="lazy" data-original-width="3000" data-original-height="1687" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250628_092111.jpg?1751793241 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250628_092111.jpg?1751793241 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250628_092111.jpg?1751793241 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250628_092111.jpg?1751793241 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250628_092111.jpg?1751793241 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250628_092111.jpg?1751793241?1751793241" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250628_092222.jpg?1751793242" loading="lazy" data-original-width="3000" data-original-height="1687" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250628_092222.jpg?1751793242 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250628_092222.jpg?1751793242 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250628_092222.jpg?1751793242 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250628_092222.jpg?1751793242 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250628_092222.jpg?1751793242 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250628_092222.jpg?1751793242?1751793242" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250705_134851.jpg?1751793242" loading="lazy" data-original-width="2250" data-original-height="3000" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250705_134851.jpg?1751793242 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250705_134851.jpg?1751793242 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250705_134851.jpg?1751793242 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250705_134851.jpg?1751793242 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250705_134851.jpg?1751793242 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250705_134851.jpg?1751793242?1751793242" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p><br></p><p><em>What the...?</em></p><p><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250705_132955.jpg?1751793370" loading="lazy" data-original-width="2250" data-original-height="3000" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250705_132955.jpg?1751793370 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250705_132955.jpg?1751793370 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250705_132955.jpg?1751793370 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250705_132955.jpg?1751793370 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250705_132955.jpg?1751793370 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Fiji/20250705_132955.jpg?1751793370?1751793370" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p>
Sun, 06 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000
/blog/july-2025/welcome-anastacia-ii
/blog/july-2025/welcome-anastacia-ii
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The quest for a new boat
Malin
<p>Before leaving Niue, we searched the sailboat market and realized that French Polynesia and Tahiti probably had the largest selection at reasonable prices. So, we flew there with a stopover in Auckland, New Zealand. We wanted to be as efficient as possible and had already booked some visits and video tours in advance. During the barely two weeks we lived in Papeete, we managed to look at over 10 different boats. We drove to different ports, took the ferry to Raiatea to look at the boats that were there, and moved from hope to despair. Hope was lit when we saw pictures and read descriptions and watched films of prospective sailboats. However, hope was lost when we visited the boats on site. Many of the pictures and films that the owners and brokers showed were several years old and rarely reflected the condition of the boats. This is not unusual in itself, but the differences here were much greater than we were used to. The concept of âready to sail!â as stated in most advertisements, should probably be read in the sense that the boat needs at least three months of renovation and overhaul, which increases the cost considerably. We looked at a Hallberg-Rassy 41 from 1978 and an Amel Maramu 46 from 1979, both ketch-rigged (two masts) and âready to sailâ. Both models are known for being robust, where age plays less of a role if they have been looked after properly, but unfortunately, they turned out to be in such a deplorable condition that even a year of renovation work on them would not have been enough to make them ready to sail. In both cases, the owners had a nostalgic image of how the boats once looked and often reminded themselves of all the fantastic and romantic moments they had on their sailing trips. Many sailors come to French Polynesia to spend the winter and end up staying. Then the owners are forced to pay the boat VAT to stay and the boat becomes âPapeetisisedâ. Sailing is then more about shorter trips between the islands and the boat becomes more of a live aboard- boat and maintenance is therefore secondary... Often there were many spare parts and tools on the boats (to our delight!) where the owners had brilliant renovation plans that unfortunately never came to realization. When we then visited the boats, we could see that the boats, spare parts and tools were now in less operational condition...</p><p>We still put a bid on a Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 39 DS from 2007 (unvisited) that was in Bora Bora. The boat was in good condition and was very similar to the Anastacia, although a little smaller and with a so-called "deck-saloon". Unfortunately, the owner asked for a lot more than we could give for it so we did not go ahead with the purchase. We also looked at a Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 40 from 1999 that looked really promising at a good price until we discovered that the entire teak deck was perforated with thousands of small screws right into the hull. On a boat we visited, the owner had some odd solutions to everyday problems on board. For example, he had installed a washing machine on the boat where the water from the machine was not led out from the boat but went straight down into a compartment under the floor just above the keel of the boat. When the water almost reached the floor (which had begun to swell from the moisture), he simply scooped it out with a bucket. He didn't think a bilge pump was needed for the purpose. He knew exactly when it was time to scoop after different wash programs!</p><p>We were finally close to buying a Dufour 43 Classic from 1999 where we spent almost two hours going through the boat and bombarding the poor owner with questions. There were many things that needed fixing on the boat but nothing that was remarkably difficult and there was good bargaining power on the price. Just when we had decided to submit an offer with the condition that we would also be allowed to inspect the boat after a haul-out, we were contacted by a friend who needs to sell his boatskipper, The same boat we sailed with between Aitutaki and Niue. Now the boat is on land in Fiji for a refit and will hopefully be ready next week and "ready to sail" for real! Unlike the other boats we have looked at, this boat is basically fully equipped for long passages. The offer was too good not to be taken seriously so now we have turned down more boat-visits in French Polynesia and have instead booked flights to Fiji. If everything is going according to plan, we will be able to continue our adventure with "Anastacia II" đ and we have not lost any time from what we had planned from the beginning.</p><p>The contribution that friends and family have gratefully collected for us will go to the purchase of the boat. Even if the budget is a little tighter, we will be able to complete our round-the-world voyage!</p><p><br> ~~~~~~~~~~~~</p><p><br>Innan vi lĂ€mnade Niue sökte vi igenom segelbĂ„tsmarknaden och insĂ„g att Franska Polynesien och Tahiti troligen hade störst utbud till rimliga priser. Vi tog dĂ€rför flyget dit med mellanlandning i Auckland, Nya Zealand. Vi ville vara sĂ„ effektiva som möjligt och hade redan bokat nĂ„gra visningar och videogenomgĂ„ngar i förvĂ€g. Under de knappa tvĂ„ veckor vi bodde i Papeete hann vi titta pĂ„ över 10 olika bĂ„tar. Vi körde till olika hamnar, tog fĂ€rjan till Raiatea för att titta pĂ„ de bĂ„tar som lĂ„g dĂ€r och pendlade mellan hopp och förtvivlan. Hoppet tĂ€ndes nĂ€r vi sĂ„g bilder och lĂ€ste beskrivningar och tittade pĂ„ filmer pĂ„ presumtiva segelbĂ„tar. Hoppet slĂ€cktes dock nĂ€r vi besökte bĂ„tarna pĂ„ plats. MĂ„nga bilder och filmer som Ă€gare och mĂ€klare visade upp, var flera Ă„r gamla och speglade sĂ€llan vilket skick bĂ„tarna egentligen var i. Det Ă€r i och för sig inget ovanligt men skillnaderna hĂ€r var mycket större Ă€n vad vi var vana vid. Begreppet âready to sail!â som det stod i de flesta annonserna skulle nog lĂ€sas som att bĂ„ten behöver minst treâč mĂ„naders renovering och översyn vilket ökar kostnaden betydligt. Bl a tittade vi pĂ„ en Hallberg-Rassy 41 frĂ„n 1978 och en Amel Maramu 46 frĂ„n 1979, bĂ„da ketchriggade (tvĂ„ master) och âready to sailâ. BĂ„da modellerna Ă€r kĂ€nda för att vara robusta, dĂ€r Ă„ldern spelar mindre betydelse om de har skötts pĂ„ rĂ€tt sĂ€tt, men tyvĂ€rr visade de sig vara i sĂ„ bedrövligt skick att inte ens ett Ă„rs renoveringsarbete med dem hade rĂ€ckt för att göra dem segelklara. I bĂ€gge fallen hade Ă€garna en nostalgisk bild av hur bĂ„tarna sett ut en gĂ„ng i tiden och pĂ„minde sig ofta om alla fantastiska och romantiska stunder de haft pĂ„ sina seglatser. Till Franska Polynesien kommer mĂ„nga seglare som s a s övervintrar och till slut stannar kvar. DĂ„ blir Ă€garna tvungna att betala bĂ„tmomsen för att fĂ„ stanna och bĂ„ten blir âPapeetisisedâ. Att segla handlar dĂ„ mer om kortare turer mellan öarna och bĂ„ten blir mer av en bo-bĂ„t och underhĂ„llet dĂ€rför underordnat⊠Ofta ingick det mĂ„nga reservdelar och verktyg pĂ„ bĂ„tarna (till vĂ„r förtjusning!) dĂ€r Ă€garna haft strĂ„lande renoveringsplaner som tyvĂ€rr aldrig blivit av. NĂ€r vi sedan besökte bĂ„tarna kunde vi konstatera att bĂ„tarna, reservdelarna och verktygen numera var i mindre anvĂ€ndbart skickâŠ</p><p>Vi la Ă€ndĂ„ ett bud pĂ„ en Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 39 DS frĂ„n 2007 (osedd) som lĂ„g i Bora Bora. BĂ„ten var i bra skick och var vĂ€ldigt lik Anastacia fast lite mindre och med sĂ„ kallad âdeck-saloonâ. TyvĂ€rr begĂ€rde Ă€garen en bra bit mer Ă€n vad vi kunde ge för den sĂ„ vi gick inte vidare med köpet. Vi tittade ocksĂ„ pĂ„ en Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 40 frĂ„n 1999 som sĂ„g riktigt lovande ut till ett bra pris tills vi upptĂ€ckte att hela teakdĂ€cket var perforerat med tusental smĂ„ skruvar rĂ€tt in i skrovet. PĂ„ en bĂ„t vi besökte hade Ă€garen lite udda lösningar pĂ„ vardagsproblemen ombord. Bl a hade han installerat en tvĂ€ttmaskin pĂ„ bĂ„ten dĂ€r tvĂ€ttvattnet inte leddes ut utan gick rĂ€tt ner i ett fack under golvet strax ovanför kölsvinet pĂ„ bĂ„ten. NĂ€r vattnet nĂ€stan nĂ„dde golvet (som börjat svĂ€lla av fukten) öste han helt sonika ut det med en hink. NĂ„gon lĂ€nspump tyckte han inte behövdes för Ă€ndamĂ„let. Han visste ju precis nĂ€r det var dags att ösa efter olika tvĂ€ttprogram! </p><p>Vi var till slut nĂ€ra att köpa en Dufour 43 Classic frĂ„n 1999 dĂ€r vi Ă€gnat nĂ€stan tvĂ„ timmar med att gĂ„ igenom bĂ„ten och bombarderat den stackars Ă€garen med frĂ„gor. Det var mĂ„nga saker som behövde fixas pĂ„ bĂ„ten men inget som var anmĂ€rkningsvĂ€rt svĂ„rt och det fanns god prutmĂ„n pĂ„ priset. Precis nĂ€r vi bestĂ€mt oss för att lĂ€mna ett bud med villkoret att ocksĂ„ fĂ„ inspektera bĂ„ten efter upptagning pĂ„ land, blev vi kontaktade av en vĂ€n som vill sĂ€lja sin bĂ„t. Samma bĂ„t vi seglat tillsammans med mellan Aitutaki och Niue. BĂ„ten ligger pĂ„ land i Fiji för genomgĂ„ng och blir förhoppningvis klar under nĂ€sta vecka och Ă€r âready to sailâ pĂ„ riktigt! Till skillnad frĂ„n de andra bĂ„tarna vi tittat pĂ„ Ă€r den hĂ€r bĂ„ten i princip fullt utrustad för lĂ„nga passager. Erbjudandet var för bra för att inte tas pĂ„ allvar sĂ„ nu har vi tackat nej till fler visningar i Franska Polynesien och har istĂ€llet bokat flyg till Fiji. Om allt gĂ„r enligt plan kan vi fortsĂ€tta vĂ„rt Ă€ventyr och har inte heller förlorat nĂ„gon tid mot det vi hade planerat frĂ„n början.</p><p>Det bidrag som vĂ€nner och familj tacksamt har samlat ihop för oss, gĂ„r till bĂ„tköpet. Ăven om budgeten blir lite tightare sĂ„ kommer vi att kunna slutföra vĂ„r jordenruntsegling!</p><p><br></p><p><em>Some of the boats we have been looking at (yacht broker's pictures)</em></p><p><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/The quest/2-pelagos-tribord-modif-2.jpg?1749092133" loading="lazy" data-original-width="270" data-original-height="203" srcset="" src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f/userfiles/The%20quest/2-pelagos-tribord-modif-2.jpg?1749092133" width="320" sizes="(max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/The quest/1979-amel-maramu-.webp?1749092133" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1028" data-original-height="685" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/The%20quest/1979-amel-maramu-.webp?1749092133 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/The%20quest/1979-amel-maramu-.webp?1749092133 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/The%20quest/1979-amel-maramu-.webp?1749092133 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/The%20quest/1979-amel-maramu-.webp?1749092133?1749092133" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/The quest/imagesdufour43_1999.jpg?1749092133" loading="lazy" data-original-width="270" data-original-height="203" srcset="" src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f/userfiles/The%20quest/imagesdufour43_1999.jpg?1749092133" width="320" sizes="(max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/The quest/imageshallbergrassy41782a84e863-ac3b-47a9-b198-72ce9bc7fcd5-1 copy 1.jpg?1749092253" loading="lazy" data-original-width="270" data-original-height="203" srcset="" src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f/userfiles/The%20quest/imageshallbergrassy41782a84e863-ac3b-47a9-b198-72ce9bc7fcd5-1%20copy%201.jpg?1749092253" width="320" sizes="(max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px"> </p><p><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/The quest/imagessunodyssey99photo_41.jpg?1749092253" loading="lazy" data-original-width="270" data-original-height="203" srcset="" src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f/userfiles/The%20quest/imagessunodyssey99photo_41.jpg?1749092253" width="320" sizes="(max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/The quest/sunodyssey391.jpg?1749092253" loading="lazy" data-original-width="270" data-original-height="203" srcset="" src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f/userfiles/The%20quest/sunodyssey391.jpg?1749092253" width="320" sizes="(max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px"></p>
Wed, 04 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000
/blog/june-2025/the-quest-for-a-new-boat
/blog/june-2025/the-quest-for-a-new-boat
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âThe Rockâ and the end of Anastacia
Malin
<div style="padding: 0px 0px 1px;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; line-height: 107%; padding: 0px; text-align: left; font-size: 14px;"><p><span>After
staying on Niue for a little over a week, it was time to set off for Tonga and
we waited for the next weather window. We were now several boats following
weather forecasts and some were in contact with meteorologists specializing in
marine weather for help as we were unsure how the weather systems that
prevailed further west would develop. A low-pressure system with thunderstorms
had formed to the west of Tonga on its way east and it was unclear how fast it
would move and what direction it would take. We had hoped to leave the island
on Friday 9 May but in the end we all chose to stay on Niue as it was not
possible to determine whether the low-pressure would go north or south of the
island and we did not want to risk encountering it on the way to Tonga.
Especially not considering the thunderstorms. None of us had boats that fast...
So far, the prevailing trade winds and waves were from the east, so we were
well protected at our buoys on the west side of the island, but if the
low-pressure were to take a southerly direction, we would suddenly get wind
from the west, which is very unusual at this time of year on Niue. As time went
on, however, more weather forecasts pointed to this particular scenario and we
discussed different strategies for coping with the approaching weather without
taking too many risks. Seeking shelter on the east side was a possibility but
also associated with some danger as the forecasts were so uncertain and that
side of the island was already exposed to high easterly waves. The island is
not so high that it provides good protection from the wind and it always takes
a long time before the waves follow a change in wind, risking getting a wind
with the opposite wave direction for several hours. There were also no
anchoring options on the east side and the charts were not entirely reliable
because the depth has not been measured all the way to the reef. Everyone
prepared their boats by tying up additional moorings at the buoys with several
long storm lines and lashing sails, etc. The buoys were new and in very good
condition so we weren't too worried that they wouldn't hold. In addition, the
low-pressure system would move quite quickly past the island, Sunday to Monday
and there wouldn't be any storm winds (about 50 knots). We therefore didn't
expect any dangerously big waves to whip up from the west. We were actually
more worried about the wind and possible lightning.</span></p>
<p><span>The young
French couple on the S/V Oatneck went ashore on Saturday to avoid having to
wait out the low-pressure system on the boat. We had, from the beginning,
planned to stay on Anastacia but, took it safe before the uncertain, and
instead chose to go ashore on Sunday morning and sleep one night in the same
place as the French couple. Two of the boats that remained at the buoys chose
to go to the east side of the island. The third boat remained but later
announced that it had become rollier than expected at the buoy and so
unpleasant that they also cast off. The wind speed at that time was around 25
knots and it was no longer possible for us on land to get to our boats. The sea
was too rough in and around the harbor where the reef is shallower. However,
the westerly waves were manageable for Anastacia and Oatneck and they moved,
facing the waves as they should at their buoys. Unfortunately, the weather
forecast was later changed to say that the wind would only subside during the
night to Tuesday. During Monday it continued to blow with about the same
strength as before but there were now strong gusts and the wave height at the
reef was estimated to be around 3-4 m. However, there was never any
thunderstorm. The last time we checked at our boats was at 3 p.m. At 4-5 pm the
wind strength increased further while the wind began to turn to the southwest
and during the half hour that it lasted, Anastacia's mooring lines snapped and
she was wrecked. The police came to us shortly afterwards and wanted to make
sure that we were safe and that no one else was on board either boat. Nothing
more could be done at that time.</span></p>
<p><span>While we
had been ashore and waiting for the low-pressure to pass, we tried to keep our
spirits up, together with Milena and Nicolas from S/V Oatenec. We checked on
the boats at regular intervals and it was a good support not to have to be
alone with the agony. However, we were, despite everything, pretty sure that
everything would go well until Monday afternoon. When the wind strength
suddenly increased and our boat tore from the mooring, it became much worse
mentally for both us and our friends. During the night of Tuesday, we could
only lie listening to the wind and hoping that their boat would withstand the
waves. It was a great relief for all of us to see Oatenec at her buoy on
Tuesday morning. It was worse with Anastacia, which had now completely broken
up against the reef and the rocks of the island during the night.</span></p>
<p><span>During
Tuesday the wind gradually died down and a little later the other boats
appeared from the east side. When we all met later the other crews told how
they had been âpatrollingâ back and forth behind the island, trying to avoid
the areas that were not mapped on the charts and trying to stay away from each
other at night so that they did not collide by mistake. It had It had been a
tough 48 hours for them too, with a lot of motoring when it was difficult to
set suitable sails. However, everything had gone well and everyone was relieved
but also very sad on our behalf. A piece of good news in the midst of all the
misery was that the autopilot on Timmies Run suddenly and for some inexplicable
reason decided to work, along with other electronics that had also previously
given up. It had made it a lot easier for the crew to finally not have to steer
manually during the two days.</span></p>
<p><span>Of the two
boats that remained, it is difficult to know which was decisive for Anastacia
to sink while Oatenek endured. There were probably several factors that
interacted. The buoy Anastacia was moored at, was closer to the island than the
neighboring boat. We later also learned that one of the buoyâs concrete blocks
had moved a little closer to the reef. She was therefore in shallower water and
the waves broke more in front of her when the wind increased. Another
contributing factor may have been that she was slightly heavier than Oatenek.
Two of the three mooring lines we used to moor her were strong storm lines with
both chafing protection and built-in shock absorbers and we had laid them out
about 10 m away from the buoy which in turn also had âslackâ to the buoyâs
blocks. There were never any storm winds so they should have been able to
handle the pressure but since the wind lasted longer than expected the waves
probably became too high and when the wind slowly changed direction the boat
may have heeled over into the waves. But that is just speculation. It is easy
to conclude in retrospect that we should have made it to the east side of the
island on Sunday but we really didnât think it would be necessary and at the
same time we were unsure of what the conditions on that side of the island
would be like. It is of course a lesson to learn from that weather forecasts
are uncertain until the last moment and you have to take that into account. At
the same time, in the midst of all this chaos, we were grateful that we were
unharmed and still had each other.</span></p>
<p><span>When we
looked at the remains of Anastacia on Tuesday morning, we could only see that
what had been our home for two years was literally in ruins, washed ashore and
far out on the reef. It was difficult and so incredibly sad to see and for a
long time we had difficulty approaching the place and seeing all our private
belongings so scattered and destroyed. The reef is razor sharp and the rock so
hard that most of it had been torn to pieces. Now we understand why Niue is
nicknamed âThe rockâ!</span></p>
<p><span>We have
been met with a lot of warmth and understanding and have received help from
both our sailing friends and the islanders as well as several business owners.
Not least, the Niue Yacht Club has contributed to our being able to buy some
clothes and hygiene items and helped us with accommodation together with
Kololi's Motel. Although there are few things that are still intact, we hope
that they can be of some use on the island. We know that some items have
already found a new home. Our dinghy, that had been on land, has been donated
to those who will work on restoring the reefs. Salvage of the wreck and
everything that has been scattered is being handled by the Maritime Division of
Niue Transport Authority's Department with the help of various actors. Our
insurance company has confirmed that they will cover the costs of wreck
removal, environmental actions and as well as final disposal, which is a
relief, even though we realize that there is a lot of work involved before the
reef is restored. It should also be said that we received many questions and
several who suggested that we should have stayed on the boat and sailed around
the island when the low-pressure system came, and that is absolutely true, but
the situation was also difficult to assess and the safest strategy was not
obvious.</span></p>
<p><span>While we
were on the island after the accident, we had the privilege to participate in a
headstone unveiling ceremony for a deceased relative of the family that stayed
at the motel with us. It was a very warm and beautiful experience where several
relatives from near and far had gathered to unveil the gravestone of a relative
who died in the midst of the corona epidemic. Parts of the family live in Niue
and parts in New Zealand, so it has been difficult for them to arrange this
occasion. Now it has finally happened and the beautiful headstone that they
arranged, as well as the ceremony, breathed both love and humor, spiced with
little anecdotes about the deceased. As in many other places in Polynesia,
deceased relatives are often buried in the familyâs property. This way, it is
easier to keep the memory of the deceased alive and they continue to be a
natural part of the family. It was touching to be part of so much human warmth
and meant a lot to us. It helped us to gain perspective on what had happened
and to be grateful for what we still had. After the ceremony, we were treated
to such a large buffet at the motel that we could not possibly manage to taste
all the delicious dishes. Thank you very much for letting us be a part of this!</span></p>
<p><span>It has now
been almost two weeks since the accident and we are experiencing how we think
in terms of the time before and after Anastacia. The time that has passed since
the accident has felt like an eternity but it has been useful to process what
has happened. We do not feel we are done with sailing and it seems that the
insurance company will compensate us for the boat itself but not all the
equipment we had on it. If that happens, we will try to find a new boat that
works with our, now a tighter budget, so we can continue our adventure. Here we
would like to especially thank family and friends for supporting us so that we
can hopefully continue sailing.</span></p>
<p><span>Soon we
will leave Niue and head back to Tahiti where there are several sailboats for
saleâŠ</span></p>
<p><span> </span><br></p>
<p><span> </span>~~~~~~~~~~~~</p>
<p>NÀr vi stannat pÄ Niue i lite drygt en vecka var det dags
att ge sig av mot Tonga och vi vÀntade pÄ nÀsta lÀmpliga vÀderfönster. Vi var
nu flera bÄtar som följde vÀderprognoser och nÄgra hade kontakt med
meteorologer specialiserade pÄ sjövÀder för att fÄ hjÀlp eftersom vi var osÀkra
pÄ hur de olika vÀdersystemen som rÄdde lÀngre vÀsterut skulle utvecklas. Ett
lÄgtryck med ÄskovÀder hade bildats vÀster om Tonga pÄ vÀg österut och det var
oklart hur snabbt det skulle röra sig och vilken riktning det skulle ta. Vi
hade hoppats kunna lÀmna ön fredagen den 9 maj men till slut valde samtliga att
stanna pÄ Niue eftersom det inte gick att avgöra om lÄgtrycket skulle gÄ norr
eller söder om ön och vi ville inte riskera att möta det pÄ vÀgen till Tonga.
SĂ€rskilt inte med tanke pĂ„ Ă„skan. SĂ„ snabba bĂ„tar hade ingen av oss... Ăn sĂ„
lÀnge rÄdde passadvind och vÄgor frÄn öster sÄ vi lÄg vÀl skyddade vid vÄra
bojar pÄ vÀstsidan ön men om lÄgtrycket skulle ta en sydlig riktning skulle vi
plötsligt fÄ vind frÄn vÀster vilket Àr vÀldigt ovanligt sÄ hÀr Ärs pÄ Niue. Ju
lÀngre tiden gick pekade fler vÀdermodeller dock för just detta scenario och vi
diskuterade olika strategier för att klara det annalkande vÀdret utan att ta
för stora risker. Att söka skydd pÄ östsidan var en möjlighet men ocksÄ förenat
med viss fara eftersom prognoserna var sÄ osÀkra och den sidan av ön var redan
utsatt för höga östliga vĂ„gor. Ăn Ă€r inte sĂ„ hög att den ger skydd för vinden
och det dröjer alltid lÀnge innan vÄgorna följer en vindförÀndring sÄ man riskerade
att fÄ en vind med motsatt vÄgriktning under flera timmar. Det fanns heller
inga ankringsmöjligheter pÄ östsidan och sjökorten var inte helt tillförlitliga
dÄ det inte Àr djupmÀtt Ànda fram till revet. Alla förberedde sina bÄtar
genom ytterligare tampar vid bojarna med flera lÄnga stormlinor och surra segel
m m. Bojarna var nya och i mycket gott skick sÄ vi var inte sÄ oroliga för att
de inte skulle hÄlla. Dessutom skulle lÄgtrycket röra sig ganska snabbt förbi
ön, söndag till mÄndag och det skulle inte bli stormvindar (motsvarande ca 50
knop). Vi rÀknade dÀrför inte med att det skulle hinna piska upp nÄgra större
vÄgor vÀsterifrÄn. Vi var egentligen mer oroliga för vinden och ev.
blixtnedslag. </p>
<p>Det unga franska paret pÄ S/V Oatneck gick iland pÄ lördagen
för att slippa vÀnta ut ovÀdret pÄ bÄten. Vi hade, frÄn början, tÀnkt vara kvar
pÄ Anastacia men, tog det sÀkra före det osÀkra, och valde istÀllet att gÄ i
land pÄ söndagsmorgonen och sova en natt pÄ samma stÀlle som det franska paret.
TvÄ av bÄtarna som lÄg kvar vid bojarna valde att ta sig till östsidan av ön.
Den tredje bĂ„ten lĂ„g kvar men meddelade senare att det blivit ârulligareâ Ă€n
förvÀntat vid bojplatsen och sÄ pass otrevligt att de ocksÄ kastade loss.
Vindstyrkan var vid det tillfÀllet runt 25 knop och vid den tidpunkten var det
inte lÀngre möjligt för oss pÄ land att ta oss till vÄra bÄtar. Sjön var för
orolig i och runt hamnen dÀr revet ligger grundare. De vÄgor som kom
vÀsterifrÄn var dock hanterliga för Anastacia och Oatneck och de rörde sig mot
vÄgorna som de skulle vid sina bojar. VÀderprognoserna Àndrades tyvÀrr senare
till att vinden skulle avta först under natten till tisdag. Under mÄndagen
fortsatte det att blÄsa med ungefÀr samma styrka som tidigare men det kom nu
starka byar och vÄghöjden vid revet lÄg uppskattningsvis runt 3-4 m. NÄgot
ÄskvÀder blev det dock aldrig. Sista gÄngen vi tittade till vÄra bÄtar var vid
15-tiden. Vid 16-17-tiden ökade vindstyrkan ytterligare samtidigt som vinden
började vrida mot sydvÀst och under den cirka halvtimme som det varade, brast
Anastacias förtöjningslinor och hon förliste. Polisen kom till oss strax
efterÄt och ville försÀkra sig om att vi var i sÀkerhet och att ingen mer fanns
ombord pÄ nÄgon av bÄtarna. NÄgot mer kunde inte göras dÄ.</p>
<p>Under tiden vi hade varit i land och vÀntat pÄ att ovÀdret
skulle dra förbi försökte vi hÄlla modet uppe, tillsammans med Milena och
Nicolas frÄn S/V Oatenec. Vi tittade till bÄtarna med jÀmna mellanrum och det
var ett gott stöd att inte behöva vara ensamma med vÄndan. Vi var dock, trots
allt, ganska sÀkra pÄ att allt skulle gÄ bra Ànda fram till
mÄndagseftermiddagen. NÀr sedan vindstyrkan plötsligt ökade och vÄr bÄt slet
sig blev det psykiskt mycket vÀrre bÄde för oss och vÄra vÀnner. Under natten
till tisdagen kunde vi bara ligga och lyssna pÄ vinden utanför och hoppas att
deras bÄt skulle stÄ emot vÄgorna. Det var en stor lÀttnad för oss alla att se
Oatenec vid sin boj pÄ tisdagsmorgonen. VÀrre var det med Anastacia som nu helt
slagits sönder mot revet och öns klippor under natten.</p>
<p>Under tisdagen avtog vinden sÄ smÄningom och lite senare dök
de övriga bÄtarna upp frÄn östsidan. NÀr vi senare trÀffades allihop berÀttade
de andra besĂ€ttningarna hur de âpatrulleratâ fram och tillbaka bakom ön och
försökt undvika de omrÄden som inte var kartlagda pÄ sjökorten samt försökt
hÄlla sig borta frÄn varandra pÄ nÀtterna sÄ de inte kolliderade av misstag.
Det hade varit tuffa 48 timmar för dem ocksÄ, med mycket motorkörning dÄ det
var svÄrt att sÀtta vettiga segel. Allt hade dock gÄtt bra och alla var lÀttade
men ocksÄ bedrövade för vÄr skull. En glÀdjande nyhet mitt i allt elÀnde var
att autopiloten pÄ Timmies Run plötsligt och av oförklarlig anledning bestÀmt
sig för att fungera, tillsammans med annan elektronik som ocksÄ tidigare givit
upp. Det hade underlÀttat en hel del för besÀttningen att Àntligen slippa styra
manuellt under de tvÄ dygnen.</p>
<p>Av de tvÄ bÄtar som legat kvar Àr det svÄrt att veta vad som
var avgörande för att Anastacia förliste medan Oatenek klarade sig. Troligen
var det flera faktorer som samverkade. Bojen Anastacia lÄg förtöjd vid, lÄg
nÀrmare ön Àn grannbÄten. Vi fick senare ocksÄ veta att en av bojstenarna hade
flyttat sig lite nÀrmare revet. Hon lÄg alltsÄ pÄ lite grundare vatten och
vÄgorna bröt mer framför henne nÀr vindökningen kom. En annan bidragande faktor
kan ha varit att hon var nÄgot tyngre Àn Oatenek. TvÄ av de tre tampar vi
förtöjt henne med var riktiga stormlinor med bÄde skavskydd och inbyggd
ryckdÀmpare och vi hade lagt ut dem med ca 10 m avstÄnd till bojen som i sin
tur ocksĂ„ hade âslackâ till bojstenarna. Det blĂ„ste aldrig stormvindar sĂ„ de
borde ha klarat pressen men eftersom blÄsten varade lÀngre Àn förvÀntat blev
vÄgorna antagligen för svÄra och nÀr vinden sakta bytte riktning sig kan bÄten
ha fÄtt slagsida mot vÄgorna. Men, det Àr bara spekulationer. Det Àr lÀtt att i
efterhand konstatera att vi borde tagit oss till östra sidan av ön pÄ söndagen
men vi trodde verkligen inte att det skulle behövas samtidigt som vi var osÀkra
pÄ hur förhÄllandena pÄ den sidan av ön skulle bli. Det Àr sÄklart en lÀrdom
att ta med sig att vÀderprognoser Àr osÀkra in i det sista och man mÄste ta
höjd för det. Samtidigt, mitt i allt detta kaos som rÄdde, kÀnde vi tacksamma
för att vi var oskadda och fortfarande hade varandra.</p>
<p>NÀr vi tittade pÄ resterna av Anastacia pÄ tisdagsmorgonen
sÄ kunde vi bara konstatera att det som varit vÄrt hem sedan tvÄ Är tillbaka
bokstavligen lÄg i spillror, uppspolat pÄ land och lÄngt ut pÄ revet. Det var
svÄrt och sÄ oerhört ledsamt att se och vi hade lÀnge svÄrt att nÀrma oss
platsen och se alla vÄra privata saker sÄ fullstÀndigt utspridda och förstörda.
Revet Àr sylvasst och berget sÄ hÄrt att det mesta slitits i smÄbitar. Nu
förstĂ„r vi varför Niue har smeknamnet âThe rockâ!</p>
<p>Vi har mötts av mycket vÀrme och förstÄelse och fÄtt hjÀlp
av bÄde vÄra seglarvÀnner och öborna liksom flera nÀringsidkare. Inte minst har
Niues Yacht Club bidragit till att vi kunnat handla lite klÀder och
hygienartiklar samt hjĂ€lpt oss med logi tillsammans med Kololi's Motel. Ăven om
det Àr fÄ saker som fortfarande Àr intakta hoppas vi att de kan komma till
nÄgon nytta pÄ ön. Vissa prylar vet vi redan har fÄtt ett nytt hem. VÄr dinge
som legat pÄ land Àr skÀnkt till dem som skall arbeta med restaurering av
reven. BÀrgning av vraket och allt som spridits ut sköts av Niues
transportmyndighet avdelning för maritima frÄgor med hjÀlp av olika aktörer.
VÄrt försÀkringsbolag har bekrÀftat att de kommer att tÀcka kostnaderna för
bÀrgning och omhÀndertagande av bÄtresterna liksom ÄterstÀllning av miljön
efter förlisningen vilket Àr en lÀttnad, Àven om vi inser att det ÄterstÄr
mycket arbete innan revet Àr ÄterstÀllt. Det skall ocksÄ sÀgas att vi fÄtt
mÄnga frÄgor och flera som antytt att vi borde varit kvar pÄ bÄten och seglat
runt ön nÀr ovÀdret kom och det Àr ju helt sant men situationen var ocksÄ
svÄrbedömd och den sÀkraste strategin var inte sjÀlvklar. </p>
<p>Under tiden vi varit pÄ ön efter olyckan hade vi privilegiet
att delta i en avtÀckningsceremoni efter en avliden slÀkting till den familj
som bott pÄ motellet tillsammans med oss. Det var en mycket varm och fin
upplevelse dÀr flera slÀktingar frÄn nÀr och fjÀrran hade samlats för att
avtÀcka gravstenen till en slÀkting som avled mitt under coronaepidemin. Delar
av familjen bor pÄ Niue och delar pÄ Nya Zealand sÄ det har varit kÀmpigt för
dem att ordna med detta tillfÀlle. Nu blev det Àntligen av och den vackra
gravvÄrden som de ordnat liksom ceremonin andades bÄde kÀrlek och humor kryddad
med smÄ anekdoter om den avlidna. Som pÄ mÄnga andra platser i Polynesien sÄ
begravs avlidna slÀktingar ofta pÄ slÀktens tomt. PÄ sÄ sÀtt hÄller man lÀttare
minnet levande av de avlidna och de fortsÀtter att vara en naturlig del av
familjen. Det var rörande att vara med om sÄ mycket mÀnsklig vÀrme och betydde
mycket för oss. Det hjÀlpte oss att fÄ perspektiv pÄ det som hÀnt och vara
tacksamma för det vi ÀndÄ fortfarande hade kvar. Efter ceremonin bjöds vi pÄ en
sÄ stor buffé pÄ motellet att vi omöjligen kunde klara av att smaka pÄ alla
goda rÀtter. Stort tack för att vi fick vara med om detta!</p>
<p>Det har nu snart gÄtt tvÄ veckor efter olyckan och vi
upplever hur vi tÀnker i banor av tiden före respektive efter Anastacia. Tiden
som gÄtt efter olyckan har kÀnts som en evighet men det har varit nyttigt att
fÄ bearbeta det som hÀnt. Vi kÀnner oss inte fÀrdiga med seglingen och det
verkar som att försÀkringsbolaget kommer att ersÀtta oss för sjÀlva bÄten men
inte all utrustning vi hade pÄ den. Blir det sÄ kommer vi att försöka hitta en
ny bÄt som fungerar med vÄr, numera lite tightare budget, sÄ vi kan fortsÀtta
vÄrt Àventyr, HÀr vill vi speciellt tacka slÀkt och vÀnner för att de stÀllt
upp för oss sÄ att vi förhoppningsvis kan fortsÀtta segla.</p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; line-height: 107%; padding: 0px; text-align: left; font-size: 14px;"><br></p><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br></span></div>
<p><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250513_082602.jpg?1747820433" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1687" data-original-height="3000" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250513_082602.jpg?1747820433 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250513_082602.jpg?1747820433 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250513_082602.jpg?1747820433 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250513_082602.jpg?1747820433 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250513_082602.jpg?1747820433?1747820433" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> </p>
<p> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250515_124327.jpg?1747820433" loading="lazy" data-original-width="2250" data-original-height="3000" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250515_124327.jpg?1747820433 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250515_124327.jpg?1747820433 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250515_124327.jpg?1747820433 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250515_124327.jpg?1747820433 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250515_124327.jpg?1747820433 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250515_124327.jpg?1747820433?1747820433" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250515_131758.jpg?1747820433" loading="lazy" data-original-width="2250" data-original-height="3000" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250515_131758.jpg?1747820433 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250515_131758.jpg?1747820433 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250515_131758.jpg?1747820433 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250515_131758.jpg?1747820433 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250515_131758.jpg?1747820433 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250515_131758.jpg?1747820433?1747820433" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p>
Thu, 22 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000
/blog/may-2025/the-rock-and-the-end-of-anastacia
/blog/may-2025/the-rock-and-the-end-of-anastacia
-
Niue
Malin
<div style="padding: 0px 0px 1px;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; line-height: 107%; padding: 0px; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><em style="font-size: 14px;">Large parts of this post were written before the low-pressure
system swept over Niue and took Anastacia with it. To exclude all the good
things we had experienced during our stay on the island and only write about
the accident, would not do Niue justice. A new post about what happened to the
boat and our plans for the future will therefore come a little later, when
everything is sorted out and we are able to leave the island.</em></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; line-height: 107%; padding: 0px; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">The crossing to Niue went well for us. We had waves up
to four meters high and a strong trade wind from the east. However, the wave
period was long and the waves did not break so Anastacia still bobbed nicely on
the water, despite the roller coaster feeling...đ«€ The wind rudder did
most of the work with the steering with minor adjustments from the person
sitting at the helm when the gales became too strong. It was much tougher for
the buddy boat Timmies Run with Canadian captain Alan and Russian crew member
Alena on board. The electronics on their boat worked poorly or not at all and
the faults could not be fixed in Aiututake. The boat basically only had a
working chart plotter and a VHF radio. They sent AIS signals at certain
intervals but could not receive AIS signals and, worst of all, their autopilot
refused to work. They had to steer manually during the (almost) five days that
the voyage took and in the prevailing conditions they could not leave the helm,
even for a short while. Alan and Alena had three hours shifts where the nights
were the worst as they could not see the waves and were forced to try to keep
their course via compass and plotter. To top it all off, there was no moon so
the sky was pitch black at night. We could only imagine how difficult it was
for them and tried to stay as close as possible so that we always had the boat
in sight and gave them the opportunity to steer by our lanterns at night. It
was easier said than done as the high waves often obscured the light from
Anastacia's side and stern lanterns. Often, they couldn't see us at all... We
marked their position on our plotter as soon as their AIS transmitted and, as
usual, we wrote down our own position at regular intervals.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; line-height: 107%; padding: 0px; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Timmies Run had some gybes that tore their mainsail
despite the fact that they had set up the preventer and at one point the whisker
pole fell off and the ropes got tangled in the propeller. Alan then decided to
put on his snorkel gear and jumped into the water while the boat was lying along
the waves with all the sails down. He managed to cut the propeller free and get
back on the boat. An incredible feat that could have ended really badly in the
high waves! Before he set out on his attempt, we asked him to make sure Alena
could handle the radio in case something went wrong... In the meantime, all we
could do was circle around them and keep our fingers crossed that everything
would go well. Luckily, Alan is a very experienced sailor and Alena is a real
tough lady, despite her young age. They also managed this setback with skillfulness!
For us, the sailing was also a good practice in adjusting the boat's speed. It
turned out to be more difficult than we thought. We tried different sail settings
but still had difficulty keeping their speed.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; line-height: 107%; padding: 0px; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">The relief was of course enormous on both boats when
the silhouette of Niue emerged in the darkness on the last night and we were
finally able to dock at our buoys on the west side of the island. For a while
we were the only boats there but later Valentin also joined with JĂŒrgen and
Heike onboard who left a day after us from Aiututake. After everyone had
rested, Christer and Alan spent a few hours going up and down almost all the
cables and equipment on Timmies Run and measuring everywhere to try to identify
the fault and at least be able to get the autopilot working again but
unfortunately there was something wrong with the main unit itself. The islands
of Niue and Tonga are too small with too few resources to be able to order and
replace equipment so Alan expects to be able to get help in Fiji.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; line-height: 107%; padding: 0px; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Niue rises like a pancake out of the water and is at
its highest just over 60 m above sea level. It is a coral island and has no
lagoon but only a narrow reef around the island that ends steeply into the sea
and already a few hundred meters out from the island the depth is over 1000 m!
It is still somewhat unclear how and when the island was formed but geologists
believe that the island was formed around 1.6 million â 10,000 is then through
volcanic activity where the volcano cooled, eroded but then slowly built up
with coral reefs, much like an atoll and where tectonic activity and different
periods of sea changes of the volcano as the rest of the water level.
Therefore, Niue's geology is extra interesting with high levels of iron and
aluminum oxides and mercury. In addition, high levels of natural radioactivity!
đź The island has no sandy beaches but a fantastic coastline with lots
of deep cracks and caves. Just like the Cook Islands, Niue was populated by
Polynesians and today belongs to New Zealand with relatively large autonomy and
is considered a representative democracy but without parties! A form of
government that we have not heard of before but which seemswork in countries with small populations. Here, just
like on Aitutake, the New Zealand dollar and left-hand traffic apply.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; line-height: 107%; padding: 0px; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Niue has around 1700 inhabitants with a large diaspora
where many live and work in New Zealand and Australia and come home a few times
a year. They speak both English and a variant of Maori/Polynesian. Everyone we
have met has been wonderfully welcoming and there is a relaxed atmosphere where
everyone greets each other and wherever you go you are met with smiles and
curious questions. If you walk by the roadside, you are immediately offered a
lift. In the capital Alofi, where the small warf is also located, there is most
of the service in the form of cafes, restaurants, a market place and shops.
However, the largest shopping center is at the airport. Niue is the first
entire country to be designated an âInternational Dark Sky Sanctuaryâ so
stargazing is also a nice activity to do.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; line-height: 107%; padding: 0px; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">The wharf in Alofi is a high concrete pier with stairs
down to the water. The waves, the reef and the tidal differences make it
difficult to arrange floating docks, so if you want to get to the island from
the sea, the only option is to use the small crane in the harbor and lift the dinghy
onto the dock. A funny device that worked great! The important thing is to make
sure to leave the lifting hook behind so that it hangs at the right height,
ready for the next boat to hook in.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; line-height: 107%; padding: 0px; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">A small and a bit sad connection to Sweden: Niue lost
its top-level domain .nu in the 1990s in an agreement with the American
businessman Bill Semich who wanted to control the domain in exchange for free
unlimited access to the internet in Niue. Too late, the small island nation
discovered that they had lost a lot on the deal that had brought in big money
for Bill's company when Scandinavian (mainly Swedish) companies paid to be able
to use .nu (means ânowâ in Swedish) in their web addresses. Nowadays, the operation
and maintenance of the top-level domains .se and .nu are handled by the Swedish
Internet Foundation and Niue is in an unequal legal battle against the Internet
Foundation to regain its top-level domain and receive compensation for many
years of lost revenue. Please see a GP article on the topic from 2024
(Swedish):
<a href="https://www.gp.se/nyheter/nyhetsanalys/soderhavso-kan-inte-stamma-svenska-internetstiftelsen.94cc031c-63b8-4ce5-8f55-81cd4456638f" target="_blank">https://www.gp.se/nyheter/nyhetsanalys/soderhavso-kan-inte-stamma-svenska-internetstiftelsen.94cc031c-63b8-4ce5-8f55-81cd4456638f</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; line-height: 107%; padding: 0px; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">We rented a small motorbike and went around the island
and visited several beautiful places. Mainly on the west side where erosion and
constant waves have created fantastic formations in the rock. We walked small
paths down to the water's edge and admired the small pools and hollows that
have formed over millennia and are characteristic of the island.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; line-height: 107%; padding: 0px; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">In addition to drinking coffee and a little girl talk,
we, three ladies from Anastacia, Timmies Run and Valentin, were also able to
engage in some cultural activities. We visited the Niue Council of Women and
learned some basics of the art of weaving baskets. Older and very patient women
took us on. We had a nice and very moving time with these ladies who encouraged
us novices and showed us their ancient craft and, after an hour or so, we left
proudly with our own handmade, braided coasters. It felt just like when you
came home with something you made in crafts when you were at schoolđ</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; line-height: 107%; padding: 0px; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">After a little over a week on Niue it was time to plan
our departure for Tonga. Another sailboat, S/V Oatneck with the young French
couple Milena and Nicolas on board, joined our small fleet. They were also
going on to Tonga and we discussed a possible date for departure. The weather
forecast predicted unstable weather and a low pressure system was starting to
form far to the westâŠ</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; line-height: 107%; padding: 0px; font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</span></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; line-height: 107%; padding: 0px; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><em style="font-size: 14px;">Stora delar av detta inlÀgg skrevs innan lÄgtrycket svepte
över Niue och tog Anastacia med sig. Att utesluta allt fint vi varit med om
under vÄr vistelse pÄ ön, och bara skriva om olyckan, skulle inte göra Niue
rÀttvisa. Ett nytt inlÀgg om vad som hÀnde bÄten och vÄra planer för framtiden
kommer dÀrför lite senare, nÀr allt rett ut sig och vi kan lÀmna ön.</em></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; line-height: 107%; padding: 0px; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Ăverfarten till Niue gick bra för vĂ„r del. Vi hade upp till
fyra meter höga vÄgor och stark passadvind österifrÄn. Det var dock lÄngt
mellan vÄgorna och de bröt inte sÄ Anastacia guppade ÀndÄ fint pÄ vattnet,
trots berg- och dalbanakĂ€nslanâŠđ«€ Vindrodret gjorde det
mesta av arbetet med styrningen med mindre justeringar frÄn den som satt vid
rodret nÀr byarna blev för starka. Mycket tuffare var det för kompisbÄten
Timmies Run med kanadensiske kaptenen Alan och ryska besÀttningsmedlemmen Alena
ombord. Elektroniken ombord fungerade dÄligt eller inte alls och felen hade
inte kunnat avhjÀlpas i Aiututake. PÄ bÄten fanns i princip bara en fungerande kartplotter
samt VHF-radio. De sÀnde AIS-signal med vissa intervaller men kunde inte ta
emot AIS och, vÀrst av allt, sÄ vÀgrade deras autopilot att fungera. Det var
handstyrning som gÀllde under de (nÀstan) fem dygn som seglatsen tog och i de
förhÄllanden som rÄdde kunde de inte lÀmna rodret, ens för en kort stund. Alan
och Alena löste av varandra var tredje timme dÀr nÀtterna var vÀrst eftersom de
inte kunde se vÄgorna utan var hÀnvisade till att försöka hÄlla kursen via
kompass och plotter. Till rÄga pÄ allt rÄdde det nymÄne sÄ det var becksvart pÄ
himlen pÄ nÀtterna. Vi kunde bara ana hur jobbigt de hade det och försökte
hÄlla oss sÄ nÀra som möjligt sÄ att vi alltid hade bÄten inom synhÄll och ge
dem möjlighet att styra efter vÄra lanternor nattetid. Det var lÀttare sagt Àn
gjort dÄ de höga vÄgorna ofta skymde ljuset frÄn Anastacias sido- och
akterlanternor. Ofta kunde de inte se oss alls⊠Vi markerade deras position pÄ
vÄr plotter sÄ fort deras AIS sÀnde och, som vanligt, skrev vi ner vÄr egen
position med jÀmna mellanrum.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; line-height: 107%; padding: 0px; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Timmies Run rÄkade ut för jippar som slet pÄ deras storsegel
trots att de satt upp preventer och vid ett tillfÀlle slet sig spirbommen och
tamparna trasslade in sig i propellern. Alan valde dÄ att ta pÄ sig sin snorkelutrustning
och hoppade i vattnet under tiden de lÄg pÄ tvÀren i vÄgorna med alla segel
nere. Han lyckades skÀra loss tamparna och ta sig upp pÄ bÄten igen. En otrolig
bedrift som kunde slutat riktigt illa i de höga vÄgorna! Innan han gav sig pÄ
försöket bad vi honom se till att Alena kunde hantera radion ifall nÄgot skulle
gÄ fel⊠Under tiden kunde vi inte göra mer Àn att cirkla runt dem och hÄlla
tummarna för att allt skulle gÄ bra. Som tur Àr, Àr Alan en mycket erfaren
seglare och Alena en riktig tuffing, trots sin unga Älder. De klarade Àven
detta bakslag med bravur! För vÄr del blev seglatsen en bra trÀning i att
anpassa bÄtens fart. Det visade sig nÀmligen vara svÄrare Àn vi trott. Vi
provade olika varianter pÄ segelsÀttning men hade ÀndÄ svÄrt att hÄlla oss till
deras fart..</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; line-height: 107%; padding: 0px; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">LÀttnaden var sÄklart enormt stor pÄ bÄda bÄtarna nÀr Niues
silhuett avtecknade sig i mörkret den sista natten och vi till slut kunde lÀgga
till vid var sin boj pÄ öns vÀstsida. Ett tag var vi de enda bÄtarna vid ön men
senare anslöt Ă€ven bĂ„ten Valentin med JĂŒrgen och Heike som gav sig av nĂ„gon dag
efter oss frÄn Aiututake. Efter att alla vilat ut lade Christer och Alan nÄgra
timmar pÄ att vÀnda uppochner pÄ nÀstan alla kablar och utrustning pÄ Timmies Run
och mÀtte överallt för att försöka identifiera felet och Ätminstone kunna fÄ
igÄng autopiloten men tyvÀrr verkade det vara nÄgot fel med sjÀlva huvudenheten.
Ăarna Niue och Tonga Ă€r för smĂ„ med för dĂ„liga resurser för att kunna bestĂ€lla
och byta ut utrustning sÄ Alan rÀknar med att kunna fÄ hjÀlp först pÄ Fiji.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; line-height: 107%; padding: 0px; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Niue sticker upp som en pannkaka ur vattnet och Àr som högst
strax över 60 m över havet. Det Àr en korallö och har ingen lagun utan bara ett
smalt rev runt ön som slutar brant ner i havet och redan nÄgra hundra meter ut
frÄn ön sÄ Àr djupet över 1000 m! Det Àr fortfarande nÄgot oklart hur och nÀr
ön bildades men geologer tror att ön bildades runt 1,6 miljoner â 10 000 Ă€r
sedan genom vulkanisk aktivitet dÀr vulkanen svalnat, eroderat men sedan sakta
byggts upp med korallrev, ungefÀr som en atoll och dÀr tektonisk aktivitet och
olika perioder av havsnivÄförÀndringar gjort att delar av den gamla
koralltÀckta vulkanen rest sig ovanför vattenytan. DÀrför Àr Niues geologi
extra intressant med höga halter av jÀrn- och aluminiumoxider samt kvicksilver.
Dessutom höga halter av naturlig radioaktivitet! đź Ăn har inga sandstrĂ€nder men en fantastisk
kustremsa med massor av djupa sprickor och grottor. Precis som öarna pÄ Cook
Islands sÄ befolkades Niue av polynesier och tillhör idag Nya Zeeland med relativt
stort sjÀlvstyre och rÀknas som en representativ demokrati men utan partier! En
form av styrelseskick som vi inte hört talas om tidigare men som verkar fungera
i lÀnder med liten befolkning. HÀr, precis som pÄ Aitutake Àr det NyazeelÀndska
dollar och vÀnstertrafik som gÀller.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; line-height: 107%; padding: 0px; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Niue har runt 1700 invÄnare med en stor diaspora dÀr mÄnga
lever och arbetar i Nya Zeeland och Australien och kommer hem nÄgra fÄ gÄnger
per Är. Man talar bÄde engelska och en variant av maori/polynesiska.<span> </span>Alla vi mött har varit fantastiskt
vÀlkomnande och hÀr rÄder en avslappnad atmosfÀr dÀr alla hÀlsar pÄ varandra
och vart man Àn kommer möts man av leenden och nyfikna frÄgor. GÄr man vid
vÀgkanten sÄ erbjuds man omedelbart lift. I huvudstaden Alofi dÀr ocksÄ den
lilla hamnen ligger finns den mesta servicen i form av caféer, restauranger,
marknadsplats och butiker. Det största köpcentret ligger dock vid flygplatsen. Niue
Ă€r första hela landet som utsetts till âInternational Dark Sky Sanctuaryâ sĂ„
stjÀrnskÄdning Àr ocksÄ en trevlig aktivitet att Àgna sig Ät.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; line-height: 107%; padding: 0px; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Hamnen i Alofi Àr en hög betongbrygga med trappor ner till
vattnet. De höga vÄgorna, revet och tidvattenskillnaderna gör det svÄrt att
ordna med flytbryggor sÄ vill man komma in till ön frÄn havet Àr enda
möjligheten att anvÀnda sig av den lilla lyftkranen i hamnen och lyfta upp
dingen pÄ bryggan. En lustig anordning som fungerade utmÀrkt! Det viktiga vara
att se till att lÀmna lyftkroken efter sig sÄ den hÀngde pÄ lagom höjd, fÀrdig
för nÀsta bÄt att kroka i. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; line-height: 107%; padding: 0px; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">En liten trÄkig koppling till Sverige: Niue blev av med sin
toppdomÀn .nu pÄ 1990-talet i ett avtal med den amerikanske affÀrsmannen Bill
Semich som ville kontrollera domÀnen i utbyte mot gratis obegrÀnsad tillgÄng
till internet i Niue. Alltför sent upptÀckte den lilla önationen att de
förlorat stort pÄ dealen som inbringat stora pengar för Bills bolag dÄ
skandinaviska (frÀmst svenska) företag betalade för att kunna anvÀnda .nu i
sina webbadresser. Numera sköts drift och underhÄll av toppdomÀnerna .se och .nu
av svenska Internetstiftelsen och Niue för en ojÀmn juridisk kamp gentemot
Internetstiftelsen för att ÄterfÄ sin toppdomÀn och fÄ ersÀttning för mÄnga Ärs
förlorade intÀkter. Se gÀrna en GP-artikel frÄn 2024 (Svenska): <a href="https://www.gp.se/nyheter/nyhetsanalys/soderhavso-kan-inte-stamma-svenska-internetstiftelsen.94cc031c-63b8-4ce5-8f55-81cd4456638f" style="color: rgb(5, 99, 193); text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">https://www.gp.se/nyheter/nyhetsanalys/soderhavso-kan-inte-stamma-svenska-internetstiftelsen.94cc031c-63b8-4ce5-8f55-81cd4456638f</a>
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; line-height: 107%; padding: 0px; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Vi hyrde en liten motorcykel och tog oss runt ön och besökte
flera vackra platser. FrÀmst pÄ vÀstsidan dÀr erosion och stÀndiga vÄgor skapat
fantastiska formationer i berget. Vi gick smÄ stigar ner till vattenbrynet och
beundrade de smÄ bassÀnger och urholkningar som bildats genom Ärtusenden och
som Àr utmÀrkande för ön. Förutom kaffedrickande och lite tjejsnack kunde vi,
tre damer frÄn Anastacia, Timmies Run respektive Valentin, ocksÄ Àgna oss Ät
lite kulturaktiviteter. Vi besökte Niues kvinnorĂ„d âNiue Council of Womenâ och
fick lĂ€ra oss nĂ„gra grunder konsten att binda korgar. Ăldre och mycket
tÄlmodiga kvinnor tog sig an oss. Vi hade en trevlig och mycket rörande stund
med dessa damer som uppmuntrande visade oss noviser sitt urgamla hantverk och
efter nÄgon timme gick vi stolta dÀrifrÄn med varsitt egentillverkade, flÀtade glasunderlÀgg.
Det kÀndes precis som nÀr man kom med nÄgot man gjort i slöjden nÀr man gick i
skolanđ</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; line-height: 107%; padding: 0px; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Efter lite drygt en vecka pÄ Niue var det dags att planera
för avfÀrd till Tonga. Ytterligare en segelbÄt, S/V Oatneck med det unga
franska paret Milena och Nicolas ombord anslöt sig till vÄr lilla flotta. De
skulle ocksÄ vidare till Tonga och vi diskuterade möjligt datum för avförd.
VÀderprognoserna spÄdde ostadigt vÀder och det började bildas ett lÄgtryck
lĂ„ngt vĂ€sterutâŠ</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; line-height: 107%; padding: 0px; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; line-height: 107%; padding: 0px; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><em style="font-size: 14px;">The Warf and bay outside Alofi</em></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; line-height: 107%; padding: 0px; font-size: 15px;"><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_092643.jpg?1747454621" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1687" data-original-height="3000" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_092643.jpg?1747454621 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_092643.jpg?1747454621 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_092643.jpg?1747454621 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_092643.jpg?1747454621 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_092643.jpg?1747454621?1747454621" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250501_115457.jpg?1747454621" loading="lazy" data-original-width="3000" data-original-height="1687" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250501_115457.jpg?1747454621 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250501_115457.jpg?1747454621 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250501_115457.jpg?1747454621 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250501_115457.jpg?1747454621 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250501_115457.jpg?1747454621 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250501_115457.jpg?1747454621?1747454621" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; line-height: 107%; padding: 0px; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; line-height: 107%; padding: 0px; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><em style="font-size: 14px;">Caves, chasms and the famous arch</em></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; line-height: 107%; padding: 0px; font-size: 15px;"><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_103415.jpg?1747454926" loading="lazy" data-original-width="3000" data-original-height="1687" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_103415.jpg?1747454926 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_103415.jpg?1747454926 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_103415.jpg?1747454926 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_103415.jpg?1747454926 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_103415.jpg?1747454926 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_103415.jpg?1747454926?1747454926" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_103520.jpg?1747454926" loading="lazy" data-original-width="3000" data-original-height="1687" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_103520.jpg?1747454926 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_103520.jpg?1747454926 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_103520.jpg?1747454926 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_103520.jpg?1747454926 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_103520.jpg?1747454926 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_103520.jpg?1747454926?1747454926" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; line-height: 107%; padding: 0px; font-size: 15px;"><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_104605.jpg?1747454926" loading="lazy" data-original-width="3000" data-original-height="1687" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_104605.jpg?1747454926 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_104605.jpg?1747454926 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_104605.jpg?1747454926 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_104605.jpg?1747454926 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_104605.jpg?1747454926 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_104605.jpg?1747454926?1747454926" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_104758.jpg?1747454926" loading="lazy" data-original-width="3000" data-original-height="1687" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_104758.jpg?1747454926 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_104758.jpg?1747454926 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_104758.jpg?1747454926 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_104758.jpg?1747454926 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_104758.jpg?1747454926 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_104758.jpg?1747454926?1747454926" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; 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line-height: 107%; padding: 0px; font-size: 15px;"><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_104939.jpg?1747454927" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1687" data-original-height="3000" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_104939.jpg?1747454927 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_104939.jpg?1747454927 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_104939.jpg?1747454927 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_104939.jpg?1747454927 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_104939.jpg?1747454927?1747454927" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_112234.jpg?1747454927" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1687" data-original-height="3000" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_112234.jpg?1747454927 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_112234.jpg?1747454927 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_112234.jpg?1747454927 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_112234.jpg?1747454927 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_112234.jpg?1747454927?1747454927" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; line-height: 107%; padding: 0px; font-size: 15px;"><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_120828.jpg?1747454926" loading="lazy" data-original-width="3000" data-original-height="1687" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_120828.jpg?1747454926 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_120828.jpg?1747454926 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_120828.jpg?1747454926 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_120828.jpg?1747454926 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_120828.jpg?1747454926 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/20250502_120828.jpg?1747454926?1747454926" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; line-height: 107%; padding: 0px; font-size: 15px;"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; line-height: 107%; padding: 0px; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">At Niue Council of Women (Photos by Heike Wagener)</span><br></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; line-height: 107%; padding: 0px; font-size: 15px;"><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/IMG-20250507-WA0001.jpg?1747455196" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1200" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/IMG-20250507-WA0001.jpg?1747455196 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/IMG-20250507-WA0001.jpg?1747455196 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/IMG-20250507-WA0001.jpg?1747455196 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/IMG-20250507-WA0001.jpg?1747455196 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/IMG-20250507-WA0001.jpg?1747455196?1747455196" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/IMG-20250507-WA0003.jpg?1747455196" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1200" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/IMG-20250507-WA0003.jpg?1747455196 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/IMG-20250507-WA0003.jpg?1747455196 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/IMG-20250507-WA0003.jpg?1747455196 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/IMG-20250507-WA0003.jpg?1747455196 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/IMG-20250507-WA0003.jpg?1747455196?1747455196" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; line-height: 107%; padding: 0px; font-size: 15px;"><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/IMG-20250507-WA0004.jpg?1747455196" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1200" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/IMG-20250507-WA0004.jpg?1747455196 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/IMG-20250507-WA0004.jpg?1747455196 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/IMG-20250507-WA0004.jpg?1747455196 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/IMG-20250507-WA0004.jpg?1747455196 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/IMG-20250507-WA0004.jpg?1747455196?1747455196" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/IMG-20250507-WA0005.jpg?1747455196" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1200" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/IMG-20250507-WA0005.jpg?1747455196 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/IMG-20250507-WA0005.jpg?1747455196 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/IMG-20250507-WA0005.jpg?1747455196 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/IMG-20250507-WA0005.jpg?1747455196 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Niue/IMG-20250507-WA0005.jpg?1747455196?1747455196" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; 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Fri, 16 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000
/blog/may-2025/niue
/blog/may-2025/niue
-
Cook Islands and Aitutaki
Malin
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Aitutaki belongs to the southern group of the Cook
Islands and is an âalmostâ atoll with a large coral reef around the entire
island and several small islands inside the surrounding lagoon. We had good
winds but also high waves when we sailed to the island, so it was a rough four
days sailing for us. Since we had sailed a little faster than expected, we
sailed the last few nautical miles with only a small headsail in order to
arrive after sunrise. To get to the island, you have to pass through a narrow channel
on the northwest side and this has to be done in daylight. Once inside the
small harbor at the larger town of Arutanga, we noticed that we were the only
visiting boat. The harbor is under construction and actually consists of a
large basin that is being excavated. The excavator was in full swing and the
water was completely brown from all the mud that had been suspended. We
anchored in the basin and found that the depth was around 2 meters in some
places and were getting stuck in the mud as Anastaciaâs draft is 2.05 m. After
being checked by authorities from the biosecurity, health, immigration and
customs, we were able to take down the yellow Q flag and raise the Cook Islands
courtesy flag. We were welcome ashore!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A little later that day, the catamaran Valentin
appeared with a German crew and anchored behind us in the basin. JĂŒrgen and
Heiki were a nice couple and we quickly got along well with them. We decided to move
Anastacia and instead anchor on the outside of the atoll. Now the catamaran had
the entire basin at its disposal đ. Outside the reef, the water was much clearer and we
had enough protection from the waves, although the flat island itself does not
provide any protection from the wind. We anchored on a shelf in the coral reef
and floated the chain so as not to damage the corals or get caught with the
chain. The weather forecast warned of winds of up to 30 knots during the Easter
weekend so we wanted to make sure that Anastacia was in a good position. Later,
the Canadian boat Timmies-Run appeared and had the same problem as we had in the
shallows in the basin so that boat also had to anchor the outside reef. We had many nice sundowners on our boats...</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Cook Islands archipelago is named after Captain
James Cook who visited the islands in the 18th century. Since the beginning of
the 20th century, the islands have belonged to New Zealand and thus also to
Great Britain but now have greater autonomy. Previously, different Polynesian
dialects were spoken on the different islands but it is mainly the older
generation that master the indigenous languages because it was banned for several
years in schools in favor of English. Nowadays, the rules have been relaxed and
a Maori dialect is now an official language on the islands along with English.
Aitutaki is the second largest of the Cook Islands after the main island of
Rarotonga and is an incredibly beautiful atoll that is often compared to Bora
Bora. The islanders themselves say that Aitutaki is paradise on earth. About
1200 people live here and most are Christians belonging to one of the several
different faith communities represented on the island. All
with their own church or meeting place.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">To see around, we were recommended to rent scooters.
We went to the nearest rental company and booked two. I happily thought how
nice it would be to drive my own scooter because otherwise we always just used
to rent a scooter that Christer used to drive and where I sat behind. My
experience can certainly be accommodated in a few hours of moped driving about
10 years ago, but this looked so easy! Everyone droves scooters on the island.
Old and young! After a brief introduction to the few and simple controls of the
means of transport, Christer drove off a bit further down the road. We had
agreed that he would drive ahead of me as he was more used to left-hand traffic.
I tried to follow but it was coming to an end with horror when I crossed the
road. Acceleration, keeping my balance and finding the right brakes was just
too much. Then I had to turn too - preferably BEFORE the ditch appeared...
halfway into the ditch I managed to stop my vehicle. A lady in the car right
behind me asked compassionately if everything was okay. She had seen me swaying
away and was genuinely concerned. I thanked her for her concern and said I was
fine. Then I realized that I was actually a traffic hazard and that there would
probably be no more scootering for me. My self-confidence had taken a hit and I
muttered something to Christer who quickly understood the situation and without
any major fuss gave my scooter back and offered me a seat on his instead. Then
he looked really pleased when I sat behind him, and exclaimed "This
actually feels much safer. Now I know where I have you!" I muttered
something like âYes, yes. I canât do everythingâ and so we didnât discuss the
matter anymore⊠For the next two days we explored the small island, found
beautiful viewpoints and drove on all the back roads we could find. We
sometimes stopped for coffee and lunch and had a great time đ</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Easter weekend is celebrated in a traditional way on
the island, as the Christian holiday it really is, in memory of Jesusâ death
and resurrection. No Easter eggs, Easter bunnies,
sweets or easter witches. No feasting and lavish meals. Here you go to your
church and attend the services throughout the weekend and spend time with your
family. Together with our German friends, we therefore chose to go to the
island's largest and oldest church on Easter Day. The church was built almost
200 years ago and is simple but beautiful. Most of the visitors from the local
population were brightly dressed and the ladies wore large, bright straw hats
with flowers in them. The service was a pleasant experience with many different
speakers and a, not too long, sermon in the name of joy. Throughout the
ceremony, there were many breaks for beautiful choir singing. Some messages to
the local population with information about upcoming events were also given, as
well as some welcoming words to us tourists who had gathered in the church.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">After the strong wind during the Easter weekend, the
wind has almost completely died down and we are waiting for the next weather
window to be able to set off. We have passed the time with some snorkeling
around the boat and have slowly started preparing for departure for Niue
together with the Canadian boat together with the Canadian boat that has some problems with the electronics on board and is happy to join us as they are heading to the same destination.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Aitutaki tillhör den södra ögruppen av Cooköarna och Àr en
ânĂ€stanâatoll med ett stort korallrev runt hela ön och flera smÄöar innanför
den omgivande lagunen. Vi hade god vind men ocksÄ höga vÄgor nÀr vi seglade
till ön sÄ det blev fyra skumpiga dygn för oss. Eftersom vi seglat lite
snabbare Àn berÀknat seglade vi de sista sjömilen med bara lite försegel för
att kunna komma fram efter soluppgÄng. För at ta sig in till ön Àr man nÀmligen
tvungen att passera genom ett smalt sund pÄ nordvÀstra sidan och det mÄste
göras i dagsljus. VÀl inne i den lilla hamnen vid den större orten Arutanga konstaterade
vi att vi var den enda besökande bÄten. Hamnen Àr under uppbyggnad och bestÄr
egentligen av en stor bassÀng som hÄller pÄ att grÀvas ut. GrÀvmaskinen var i
full gÄng och vattnet var alldeles brunt av all uppslammad lera. Vi ankrade i
bassÀngen och konstaterade att djupet var runt 2 meter pÄ vissa sÀllen och höll
pÄ att fastna i lerbotten eftersom Anastacia sticker ner 2,05 m. Efter att ha
blivit kontrollerade av myndighetspersoner frÄn miljö, hÀlsa, immigration och
tull kunde vi ta ner den gula Q-flaggan och hissa Cooköarnas gÀstflagga. Vi var
vÀlkomna i land! </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Lite senare samma dag dök katamaranen Valentin upp med tysk
besĂ€ttning och lade sig bakom oss i bassĂ€ngen. JĂŒrgen och Heiki var ett
trevligt par som vi snabbt fick bra kontakt med. Vi bestÀmde att byta plats pÄ
Anatsacia och istÀllet ankra pÄ utsidan av atollen. Nu hade katamaranen hela
bassĂ€ngen till sitt förfogande đ Utanför revet var vattnet mycket klarare och
vi hade tillrÀckligt skydd frÄn vÄgorna Àven om den flacka ön i sig inte ger
nÄgot skydd för vinden. Vi ankrade pÄ en avsats i korallrevet och bojade
kÀttingen för att inte skada korallerna eller fastna med kÀttingen. VÀderprognosen
varnade för vindar uppÄt 30 knop under pÄskhelgen sÄ i vi ville vara sÀkra pÄ
att Anastacia lÄg bra. Senare dök den kanadensiska bÄten Timmies-Run upp och
fick samma problem som vi haft i den grunda i bassÀngen sÄ Àven den bÄten fick lÀgga
sig pÄ utsidan revet. Vi hade mÄnga trevliga "sundowners" pÄ vÄra respektive bÄtar...</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Ăgruppen Cooköarna Ă€r döpt efter kapten James Cook som
besökte öarna pĂ„ 1700-talet. Ăarna tillhör sedan början av 1900-talet Nya
Zeeland och dÀrmed ocksÄ Storbritannien men har numera en större autonomi.
Tidigare talades olika polynesiska dialekter pÄ de olika öarna men det Àr
frÀmst den Àldre generationen som behÀrskar ursprungssprÄken eftersom det
förbjöds under flera Är i skolorna till förmÄn för engelskan. Numera har man lÀttat pÄ reglerna och en maoridialekt
utgör nu officiellt sprÄk pÄ öarna tillsammans med engelskan. Aitutaki Àr den
nÀst största av Cooköarna efter huvudön Rarotonga och Àr en otroligt vacker
atoll som ofta jĂ€mförs med Bora Bora. Ăborna sjĂ€lva menar att Aitutaki Ă€r
paradiset pÄ jorden. HÀr bor ca 1200 mÀnniskor och de flesta Àr kristna
tillhörande nÄgon av de flera olika trossamfund som finns representerade pÄ ön.
Alla med sin egen kyrka eller samlingslokal.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">För att se oss omkring blev vi rekommenderade att hyra
skotrar. Vi gick till nÀrmaste uthyrare och bokade tvÄ stycken. Glad i hÄgen
tÀnkte jag hur skönt det skulle bli att köra egen skoter eftersom vi annars
alltid bara brukade hyra en skoter som Christer brukade köra och dÀr jag satt
bakom. Min erfarenhet kan visserligen inrymmas i nÄgra timmars mopedkörning för
en sisÄdÀr 10 Är sedan men det hÀr sÄg ju sÄ enkelt ut! Alla körde ju skoter pÄ
ön. Gammal som ung! Efter en kort introduktion av fortskaffningsmedlens fÄ och
enkla reglage körde Christer ivÀg en bit bort pÄ vÀgen. Vi hade kommit överens
om att han skulle köra före mig dÄ han hade större vana vid vÀnstertrafik. Jag
försökte köra efter men det höll pÄ att ta en Ànde med förskrÀckelse nÀr jag
korsade vÀgen. Att gasa, hÄlla balansen och hitta rÀtt i bromsarna blev bara
för mycket. Sedan skulle jag ju svÀnga ocksÄ - helst INNAN vÀgdiket dök upp⊠halvvÀgs
ut i diket fick jag stopp pÄ mitt Äkdon. En dam i bilen strax efter mig frÄgade
medlidsamt om allt stod rÀtt till. Hon hade sett mig vingla ivÀg och var
uppriktigt bekymrad. Jag tackade för omtÀnksamheten och sa att jag mÄdde prima.
Sedan insÄg jag att jag egentligen utgjorde en trafikfara och att det nog inte
skulle bli mer skoterkörande för min del. Mitt sjÀlvförtroende hade fÄtt sig en
törn och jag fick mumlat nÄgot till Christer som snabbt förstod situationen och
utan nÄgra större ÄthÀvor lÀmnade tillbaka min skoter och erbjöd mig plats pÄ
hans istÀllet. Sedan sÄg han riktigt nöjd ut, nÀr jag satt mig bakom honom, och
utbrast âDet hĂ€r kĂ€nns faktiskt mycket sĂ€krare. Nu vet jag var jag har dig!â Jag
muttrade nĂ„got om att âJa, ja. Jag kan inte klara alltâ och sĂ„ diskuterade vi
inte den saken mer⊠Kommande tvÄ dagar utforskade vi den lilla ön, hittade
vackra utsiktsplatser och körde pÄ alla smÄvÀgar vi kunde hitta. Vi stannade ibland
för fika och lunch och hade det hur mysigt som helst đ</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">PÄskhelgen firas pÄ traditionellt sÀtt pÄ ön, som den
kristna högtiden det egentligen Àr, till minne av Jesus död och uppstÄndelse. Inga
pÄskÀgg, pÄskharar, godis eller pÄskkÀrringar. Inget kalasande och överdÄdiga
mÄltider. HÀr gÄr man till sin kyrka och deltar i gudstjÀnsterna under hela
helgen och umgÄs med familjen. Tillsammans med vÄra tyska vÀnner valde vi dÀrför
att gÄ till öns största och Àldsta kyrka pÄ pÄskdagen. Kyrkan byggdes för snart
200 Är sedan och Àr enkel men vacker. De flesta besökarna ur lokalbefolkningen
var ljust klÀdda och damerna bar stora ljusa strÄhattar med blommor i. GudstjÀnsten
blev en trevlig erfarenhet med mÄnga olika talare och en, inte alltför lÄng,
predikan i glÀdjens tecken. Under hela ceremonin var det mÄnga avbrott för vacker
körsÄng. NÄgra meddelanden till lokalbefolkningen med information om kommande
hÀndelser hanns ocksÄ med liksom nÄgra vÀlkomnande ord till oss turister som
bÀnkat oss i kyrkan. </p>
<p>Efter den starka blÄsten under pÄskhelgen har vinden
nÀstan mojnat helt och vi vÀntar pÄ nÀsta vÀderfönster för att kunna ge oss ivÀg.
Vi har fördrivit tiden med lite snorkling runt bÄten och sÄ smÄtt börjat
förbereda oss för avfÀrd mot Niue tillsammans med den kanadensiska bÄten som har lite problem med elektroniken ombord och gÀrna hÀnger med oss dÄ de skall
till samma destination.</p><p><br></p><p><em>Aitutaki</em></p><p><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250416_104313.jpg?1745545526" loading="lazy" data-original-width="3000" data-original-height="1351" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250416_104313.jpg?1745545526 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250416_104313.jpg?1745545526 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250416_104313.jpg?1745545526 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250416_104313.jpg?1745545526 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250416_104313.jpg?1745545526 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250416_104313.jpg?1745545526?1745545526" width="450" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250416_110806.jpg?1745545526" loading="lazy" data-original-width="3000" data-original-height="1351" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250416_110806.jpg?1745545526 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250416_110806.jpg?1745545526 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250416_110806.jpg?1745545526 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250416_110806.jpg?1745545526 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250416_110806.jpg?1745545526 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250416_110806.jpg?1745545526?1745545526" width="450" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250417_100248.jpg?1745545526" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1351" data-original-height="3000" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250417_100248.jpg?1745545526 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250417_100248.jpg?1745545526 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250417_100248.jpg?1745545526 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250417_100248.jpg?1745545526?1745545526" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250417_130859.jpg?1745545526" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1351" data-original-height="3000" 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srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250417_144125.jpg?1745545526 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250417_144125.jpg?1745545526 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250417_144125.jpg?1745545526 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250417_144125.jpg?1745545526 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250417_144125.jpg?1745545526 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250417_144125.jpg?1745545526?1745545526" width="450" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250417_144151.jpg?1745545526" loading="lazy" data-original-width="3000" data-original-height="1351" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250417_144151.jpg?1745545526 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250417_144151.jpg?1745545526 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250417_144151.jpg?1745545526 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250417_144151.jpg?1745545526 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250417_144151.jpg?1745545526 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250417_144151.jpg?1745545526?1745545526" width="450" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p><br></p><p><em>Arutanga CICC Church</em></p><p><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250420_112057.jpg?1745545526" loading="lazy" data-original-width="3000" data-original-height="1351" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250420_112057.jpg?1745545526 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250420_112057.jpg?1745545526 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250420_112057.jpg?1745545526 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250420_112057.jpg?1745545526 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250420_112057.jpg?1745545526 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250420_112057.jpg?1745545526?1745545526" width="450" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250420_112150.jpg?1745545526" loading="lazy" data-original-width="3000" data-original-height="1351" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250420_112150.jpg?1745545526 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250420_112150.jpg?1745545526 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250420_112150.jpg?1745545526 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250420_112150.jpg?1745545526 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250420_112150.jpg?1745545526 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/20250420_112150.jpg?1745545526?1745545526" width="450" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p><br></p><p><em>Sundowner with crew from Valentin, Anastacia and Timmies-Run. Photo by Heike Wagener</em></p><p><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/IMG-20250420-WA0006.jpg?1745546883" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1200" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/IMG-20250420-WA0006.jpg?1745546883 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/IMG-20250420-WA0006.jpg?1745546883 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/IMG-20250420-WA0006.jpg?1745546883 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/IMG-20250420-WA0006.jpg?1745546883 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Aitutaki/IMG-20250420-WA0006.jpg?1745546883?1745546883" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p>
Thu, 24 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000
/blog/april-2025/cook-islands-and-aitutaki
/blog/april-2025/cook-islands-and-aitutaki
-
French Polynesia and the Society Islands
Malin
<p class="MsoNormal">Tahiti is
the largest of the 14 islands in the archipelago of the Society Islands and is
also home to Papeete, the capital of all of French Polynesia. Tahiti, like many
of the islands in the archipelago, is surrounded by lagoons protected by large
reefs all around the islands and act as effective breakwaters. A bit like a
combination of island and atoll!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We arrived
in Tahiti on March 10, two days after we left Fakarava. Apart from a few strong
squalls, the sailing did not hold any surprises. None of the marinas in Tahiti
had responded to our requests for a buoy or a berth, so we decided to anchor
instead. As we approached the mouth of the lagoon at Papeete, we were met by a
small group of dolphins playing in the tidal waves, but they soon left us. We
called out âPort controlâ on the radio to announce our arrival and ask for
permission to pass the inlet. Since there is an airport next to the city, we
also needed to get the go-ahead to cross the airport runway to reach the
anchorage area. After a few minutes, we got permission to sail to the
anchorage. There we then lay and prepared the boat for our arriving guests.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One evening
we thought the moon looked strange with a cloud that stubbornly covered a small
part of it. Finally, we understood that it was not a cloud and after a little
googling we realized that we had just been honored to witness the beginning of
a total lunar eclipse! With a blood moon and all! We just enjoyed watching the
whole process with a completely clear sky. We got a little sore in the neck
afterwards, but it was worth it! đ</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">On March
15, our son Isac finally arrived with his friend Joel and it was a happy
reunion. The guys wanted to see the island of Tahiti before we sailed the short
distance to the neighboring island of Moorea. We rented a car and drove around
the island and visited one waterfall after another. We also visited an old cult
site, marae, with a typical rectangular, large and high stone altar.
There were also tikis (anthropomorphic statues of God-like persons) at
the site. In addition to serving as a place of worship in ancient Polynesian
culture, this marae had also been used for important meetings and events such
as war councils, celebrating war victories or holding weddings. Tahiti's
highest point is at the old volcano Mont Orohena at about 2,240 meters above
sea level. We couldn't drive that high, but high enough to get a nice view of
the oceanđ. We looked at beautiful nature and
beaches with black sand and ate really good and generous hamburgers at a small
restaurant. On the southeast side of the island we came to a small isthmus that
divides the island into Tahiti-Nui (big Tahiti) and Tahiti-Iti (little Tahiti).
The vast majority of the island's approximately 1,700 inhabitants live on
Tahiti-Nui and we never visited Tahiti-Iti but continued around the main
island.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The guys
took the opportunity to snorkel around the reefs in the lagoon where we
anchored and saw many different fish and other animals. Among them a reef
shark! The visibility was so good that you could see at least 10 meters down to
the bottom! One day they also managed to find the wrecks of an old airplane and
a ship. It was a Catalina seaplane that used to fly between Tahiti and Bora
Bora. The schooner was once a minesweeper. Both were sunk to the bottom of the
lagoon in 1962 and 1976 respectively to provide a diving site for recreational
divers. Today, lots of fish thrive at the wrecks.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Papeete is
like any other small European city. There is an abundance of jewelry stores
here, most of which sell pearl jewelry with black Polynesian pearls. The local
market is large and sells jewelry and local crafts, soaps, wicker baskets as
well as flowers, fruit and vegetables. We sometimes walked along the promenade
to the large city park, Jardin de Paofai. There were often various activities
and performances held there. In the evenings, you could smell the intense
jasmine-like scent of the white flowers of the Gardenia taitensis (Tiare
flower) shrub, the national flower of French Polynesia. These large bushes were
planted early on the islands and have been incorporated into Polynesian
culture. The flowers are used for wreaths and ornaments and their fragrant
essence is used in soaps and perfumes, etc. The traditional way to prepare the
flowers is to let them lie in coconut oil for a few days and then use the
fragrant oil.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One day we
witnessed a small farewell ceremony in the park, between students from
different schools. A cultural exchange that takes place every year between
students from Raiatea (one of the Society Islands) and Hawaii. The students
from Hawaii had come to Tahiti and, among other things, learned more about
navigation, sailing and canoe building. There were many tearful farewells where
people thanked each other by hanging wreaths around their necks and touching
their foreheads to each other. One of the teachers from Raiatea told us about
the exchange that had been going on for several years.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">After a few
days in Tahiti, we sailed the short distance to the smaller island of Moorea,
which lies northwest of Tahiti. Here too we anchored in the lagoon and had
fantastic snorkeling water right next to the boat. Here, in addition to the
usual colorful reef fish there are sea turtles, moray eels, rays, black-finned
reef sharks and harlequin snake eel (Myrichthys colubrinus), a harmless snake
eel with distinctive black and white stripes across its body. As the icing on
the cake, a small family of spinner dolphins passed by Anastacia. The youngest
ones held their hooves and happily jumped into the air and did daring
pirouettes before landing with a splash! They played and showed off until one
of the adults flicked his tail so that the water splattered and then they all
swam out of the lagoon in a group.Unfortunately we didn't have time to film much of all the beauty we sawđ</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">On Moorea
we spent a day taking a car ride around the small island and looking around.
Like on Tahiti, the nature is incredibly beautiful and varied with lots of
different flowering trees and bushes. We visited the small eco-museum and
research station Te Fare Natura with a well-made exhibition that, among other
things, described the geological processes behind the formation of the
Polynesian islands and how the reefs with their protected lagoons have slowly
emerged by large pieces of coral reef being broken off and blown towards the
islands when the cyclones ravaged. These enormous pieces of coral have, over
the years, been "cemented" around the islands through various
chemical processes and further growth of corals. Here we could also learn more
about the ecosystems in the different environments around the coral reefs. It
was definitely worth the visit!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">After three
days in Moorea, it was time to return to Tahiti and Papeete. We could no longer
stay at the anchorage at Moorea as a large canoe competition with traditional
Polynesian canoes (vaka, or va'a) with outriggers was to take
place between the islands. Unfortunately, we never had time to see any of the
competition. It was certainly worth seeing with many different women's, youth
and men's classes competing.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In Papeete,
we had managed to get a berth at the marina and the last few days before the
guys' departure were spent shopping for some souvenirs and visiting the
ethnographic museum Te Fare Manaha. The museum is about early Polynesian
culture and is not large but extremely informative and the archaeological collections
were interesting to look at. We were particularly impressed by the art of boat
building where the Polynesians, long before the Europeans arrived, could build
beautiful ships of all sizes with simple tools. Everything from small canoes
with outriggers to large catamarans. Each type of canoe and ship had its
function. The smallest ones were for sailing inland, the slightly larger ones
for waging war against other kingdoms on other Polynesian islands and the
largest catamarans for exploration and colonization of new places hundreds and
sometimes over a thousand nautical miles away! Here we could also learn more
about how they could navigate using the position of celestial objects, tidal
currents, the flight of birds and cloud formations. We also learned that they
applied so-called dead reckoning which we still use today as an extra security
to be able to calculate the boat's new position. The museum also explained how
the different islands were slowly populated. The Polynesians lived in a
hierarchical structure in small kingdoms. The kings were considered more or
less divine and power was inherited so it was important to keep bloodlines and
kinship in order. When resources began to run out on an island, a group of
younger Polynesians set off to find new islands/country to settle on.
Originally, the Polynesians came from Asia where Samoa and Tonga were populated
around 3000 BC. Then additional flows of people came from (probably) the
Philippines and slowly the Polynesians spread south, north and east. Tahiti,
for example, is believed to have been populated around 200 BC. Today we speak
of the so-called Polynesian Triangle which connects New Zealand, Hawaii and
Easter Island where French Polynesia forms a large geographical part with its
five archipelagos. The entire area shares roughly the same culture with
variations depending on how long people have lived isolated, as a group, in the
same place.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">An
archaeological artifact at the museum that also caught our attention was the
remains of several small strings of braided coconut fiber tied together with
small knots. These strings are believed to have been used to help remember
important lineages. Since all history and knowledge was based on oral stories,
it seems that this type of object could be used as a form of memory hooks to
help remember long sequences.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">After the
museum visit, we were so saturated with information and impressions that it had
to be enough for a while⊠We hope and believe that the guys got most of what
they had on their wish list for the trip, checked off. Now they are back in
Sweden and in the marina we brought back Anastacia to its original condition đ In the last few days we took the opportunity
to fill the tanks with drinking water, service the engine and change the filter
on the watermaker. We also had to spray the anchor chain again as the
experiment with cotton stripes every ten meters did not prove to be so
successful. All the stripes had worn away so we had to return to red spray
paint. We will anchor in many places in the future and need to know how much
chain we will put out. We filled up the food supplies and also bought a good
sewing machine to take with us on the boat. After a long wait and many repairs
carried out by hand sewing, we can now finally get started on some bigger
projects. Among other things, the zipper on the almost 6-meter-long lazy bag
(enclosing the sail on the boom) needs to be replaced. On the last evening, we
were visited by our British friends on the Ocean Dream 2. We met in Nuku Hiva
and have been in touch ever since. We exchanged itineraries and arranged with
the Harbor master to take our place in the harbor. Then we set off for Raiatea,
the last island we wanted to visit before leaving French Polynesia.</p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Here on Raiatea (formerly called Havaii) we are
waiting for better winds that can take us further west to the Cook Islands. In
the meantime, we have visited another historical cult site, Taputapuatea. This
site is said to have been founded when the first Polynesians arrived on the
island (around the same time as Tahiti). The site has several marae, probably
the first of their kind, and has had particular importance as a religious and
political center and is considered to be the historical and cultural cradle of
Polynesia. The site has had a renaissance as Polynesians become more interested
and aware of their culture, and Taputapuatea has been a UNESCO World Heritage
Site since 2017. We made the mistake of walking on the stones of a marae at the
site and were soon reprimanded by a guide. âAs a non-native, you are welcome to
visit and take photos but not enter the cult site itselfâ, she said. We excused
ourselves and took a closer look at the information brochures about the area
that we had just acquired and on the first page there was a clear information
box with the text: âDo not walk on the marae except for cultural ceremoniesâ.
We are great at reading instructions⊠-not! đ</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The following days we had only bad weather so
Christer immersed himself in reading Ancient Tahitian Society by anthropologist
Douglas L. Oliver (University of Hawaii): <a href="https://manifold.uhpress.hawaii.edu/projects/ancient-tahitian-society">https://manifold.uhpress.hawaii.edu/projects/ancient-tahitian-society</a>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It is over 1400 pages of very interesting
reading and takes some time to go through but on the other hand we had many
days with rain đ. It is highly recommended reading even
though it of course does not give the whole picture of early Polynesian
culture. Oral traditions have not been preserved and it is âonlyâ the
observations of Europeans that are treated and the Europeansâ contact with the
Polynesians also contributed to the transformation of the culture, which the
author himself also problematizes. However, it is an honest attempt to give as
objective a picture as possible, which we appreciated.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Raiatea is known for its vanilla plantations
and when the weather permitted, we took the dinghy to the neighboring island of
Tahaa and met Alice who works at the small vanilla plantation, Fare Vanira.
Alice is originally from France and is married to a Polynesian man. The small
family has lived in Tahaa for many years. We were the only visitors at that
time so she had lots of time and talked to us for over two hours! We learned
that the vanilla plant belongs to the orchid family and needs a small tree to
cling to as it grows. She explained how the flowers are pollinated by hand and
showed several plants with vanilla pods in different stages. She said herself
that vanilla is her passion and it was clearly noticeable! She showed us
different finished vanilla products and how to dry and process the long pods
into finished vanilla pods. A process that is repeated every day and takes
several months! She gave tips on how the vanilla can be stored over time and
also managed to share some food recipes. Among other things, how to get rid of
the sour taste in tomato sauce with the help of a little vanilla! Something we
tried in the tomato sauce for the pasta that same evening, with successful
results although I doubt my Italian relatives would appreciate the ventuređ.<br>Alice had great respect for the
knowledge that existed earlier in Polynesia about cultivation methods and
medicinal plants. On the plantation, pesticides are avoided as much as possible
and they try to find other ways to combat pests. One example was getting rid of
certain insect pests with the help of ladybugs, which in turn like to live on
acacia trees, which were consequently seen everywhere in the plantation. She
grew salvia nearby as it has proven to be fantastic against small insects that
could damage the vanilla plants. One of many tricks Alicia learned from her
Polynesian in-laws. In addition to talking about vanilla, we had time to
discuss Polynesian society in general and how people live here today. There
were a lot of aha-moments for usâŠ</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Our impressions of the little we got to
experience of French Polynesia during the two months we spent on different
islands are that even though the country is today strongly shaped by French
influence, the Polynesian identity has not been completely lost. From the
beginning, it was forbidden to speak Polynesian in schools, give newborn
children Polynesian names or practice Polynesian religion. The restrictions
have now eased considerably. Today, there is a greater awareness of one's own
history and a desire to learn more about one's own, to some extent forgotten,
culture. Unlike the Caribbean, where the indigenous population no longer
remains on the various islands after colonization and it is mainly the
descendants of slaves and the colonizers who live on the islands today,
Polynesia still has its indigenous population. The culture has been shaped and
changed over time The changes became more noticeable after Captain Cook's
expeditions in the 18th century and through visits by other Europeans such as
the crew of the ship Bounty as well as various whaling boats where some crew
members (including some Swedes from the ship Matilda) chose to stay, until the
French took over. The Polynesians we met and talked to have not seemed to worry
too much about various historical events and even though several injustices
have been committed in contact with Europeans that have contributed to sadness
and disappointment, they have wanted to look forward. We do not know if this
applies more generally or if it is just something that we, as tourists,
experience. We have been met with a lot of kindness and helpfulness and also
straightforwardness. Here, people do not wrap things up in cotton wool and can,
without hesitation, say that "now, I donât have have time for you" or
"you can't do this, it is not showing respect" without any hard
feelings. A bit liberating, we think...</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We experienced that the food was expensive on
all the islands we visited. Not so surprising since a lot has to be imported
and shipped to the islands. Fruit and vegetables can always be obtained but the
prices vary depending on whether it is imported or domestic. The same applies
to fish and meat. Here you do not pay income tax but goods are taxed all the
more. To address the public health problems that the increasing proportion of
overweight people in the country has, food products are therefore taxed differently.
Alcoholic beverages are taxed at between 100-200%, as are many products with a
high sugar content, while basic goods are taxed low. For example, if you want
to buy bread, of course baguettes are the way to go, and the simplest ones cost
around 6 SEK (60 Polynesian francs), which is affordable for most people.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Before we came to the islands, we had read that
Polynesians on the more remote islands, where cargo ships do not come so often,
are happy to exchange goods for, for example, fruit and vegetables. We also
experienced this, but perhaps not to the extent we had expected. However, we
got a strong feeling that people here are generally generous, but also that
many things are easier to solve with the help of services and reciprocal
services. Which, incidentally, seems to apply to bluewater-sailors too đ. Hiti, the retired captain we met on the small
atoll Kauehi, was very generous and hospitable to us, but he also had a wish.
To get a better internet connection than the one available on the island. There
are restrictions in French Polynesia regarding which operators are allowed to
operate in the country - for economic and understandable reasons. However, we
think that sometimes it must be possible to make exceptions when you live in
such an isolated place. Hiti did not want us to feel obliged to solve his
little problem, but we still promised to see what was possible. Via one of our
sailing friends from Viking Explorer who is soon on his way to French
Polynesia, it now seems that everything is going to be resolved. Another
example is the parcel we brought with us from Galapagos that was addressed to a
crew member on a sailboat heading to Tahiti, who had to leave before the
package arrived. In addition to traveling on our boat across the Pacific Ocean,
the package had to travel with another contact, via air and is now with its
very grateful owner who has disembarked in Papeete. The events would not have
been possible without the awareness from everyone involved that "next time
it could be my turn to need help...".</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We have seen that there are definitely class
differences in Polynesian society and, mainly in Papeete, have encountered
beggars but certainly not to the extent that we have seen in the Caribbean or
Colombia. There is also a much greater acceptance of LGBTQ people here and even
though the Christian religion has reduced tolerance in general, we have never
met so many people (usually guys) who are, so to speak, members of the third
gender and who are so openly and obviously part of society. The closest
description from our Western eyes would be that we have met an unusually large
number of transgender people. However, this is not a completely accurate
description, since the third gender includes many roles and responsibilities in
older Polynesian culture.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In a few days we will be leaving on a four-day
sailing to the Cook Islands and will be celebrating Easter there. The next stop
will probably be Niue and then we will sail on to Tonga and then Fiji. All are
Polynesian islands but different countries!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Tahiti Àr den största av de totalt 14 öarna i ögruppen
SÀllskapsöarna och hÀr ligger ocksÄ Papeete som Àr huvudstaden för hela Franska
Polynesien. Tahiti, liksom de mÄnga av öarna i arkipelagen, Àr omgÀrdade av
laguner skyddade av stora rev som omringar öarna och fungerar som effektiva
vÄgbrytare. Lite som en kombination av ö och atoll! Vi kom till Tahiti den 10
mars, tvÄ dygn efter att vi lÀmnat Fakarava. Förutom nÄgra rejÀla squalls bjöd
seglingen inte pÄ nÄgra överraskningar. Ingen av marinorna pÄ Tahiti hade
svarat pÄ vÄra förfrÄgningar om boj- eller hamnplats sÄ vi bestÀmde oss för att
ligga för ankar istÀllet. NÀr vi nÀrmade oss mynningen till lagunen vid Papeete
möttes vi av en liten grupp delfiner som lekte i tidvattenvÄgorna men de
lĂ€mnade oss snart. Vi ropade upp âPort controlâ pĂ„ radion för att anmĂ€la vĂ„r
ankomst och be om tillstÄnd att fÄ passera inloppet. Eftersom det ligger en
flygplats intill staden behövde vi Àven fÄ klartecken för att passera
flygplatsens start- och landningsbana för att nÄ ankringsomrÄdet. Efter nÄgra
minuter fick vi klartecken att segla till ankringsplatsen. DÀr lÄg vi sedan och
förberedde bÄten för vÄra ankommande gÀster.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">En kvÀll tyckte vi att mÄnen sÄg mÀrklig ut med ett moln som
envist tÀckte en liten del av den. Till slut förstod vi att det inte var ett
moln och efter lite googlande insÄg vi att vi just fÄtt Àran att bevittna
början av en total mÄnförmörkelse! Med blodmÄne och allt! Vi bara njöt och
tittade pÄ hela förloppet med en fullstÀndigt klar himmel. Lite ont i nacken
fick vi efterĂ„t, men det var det vĂ€rt! đ</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Den 15 mars kom Àntligen sonen Isac med kompisen Joel och
det blev ett glatt Äterseende. Killarna hade önskemÄl om att fÄ se ön Tahiti
innan vi skulle segla den korta biten till grannön Moorea. Vi hyrde bil och
körde runt ön och besökte det ena vattenfallet efter det andra. Vi besökte ocksÄ
en gammal kultplats, marae, med typiskt stensatt rektangulÀrt, stort och
högt altare. PÄ platsen fanns ocksÄ tikis (antropomorfa statyer av
gudaliknande mÀnniskor). Förutom att fungera som en plats för tillbedjan i den
antika polynesiska kulturen, hade denna marae ocksÄ anvÀnts för viktiga möten och
hÀndelser som krigsrÄd, fira krigssegrar eller hÄlla bröllop. Tahitis högsta
punkt Àr vid den gamla vulkanen Mont Orohena pÄ cirka 2 240
meter över havet. SÄ högt upp kunde vi inte köra men tillrÀckligt högt för att
fĂ„ en fin utsikt över havetđ. Vi tittade pĂ„ vacker natur och strĂ€nder med
svart sand samt Ät riktigt goda och vÀl tilltagna hamburgare pÄ liten
restaurang. PÄ öns sydostsida kom vi till ett litet nÀs som delar ön i Tahiti-Nui (stora
Tahiti) och Tahiti-Iti (lilla Tahiti). De allra flesta av öns ca 1700
invÄnare bor pÄ Tahiti-Nui och vi i besökte aldrig Tahiti-Iti utan fortsatte
runt huvudön.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Killarna passade pÄ att snorkla runt reven i lagunen dÀr vi
ankrat och fick se mÄnga olika fiskar och andra djur. Bl a revhaj! Sikten var
sÄ god att man kunde se minst 10 meter ner mot botten! En dag lyckades de ocksÄ
hitta vraken frÄn ett gammalt flygplan och ett skepp. Det var ett Catalina
sjöflygplan som brukade flyga mellan Tahiti och Bora Bora. Skonaren var en gÄng
en minsvepare. BÄda sÀnktes pÄ botten av lagunen under 1962 respektive 1976 för
att just utgöra en dykplats för fritidsdykare. Idag trivs massor av fiskar vid
vraken. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Papeete Àr som vilken mindre europeisk stad som helst. HÀr
finns ett överflöd av juvelerarbutiker som till största delen sÀljer
pÀrlsmycken med svarta polynesiska pÀrlor. Den lokala marknaden Àr stor och hÀr
sÀljs smycken och lokalt hantverk, tvÄlar, flÀtade korgar liksom blommor, frukt
och grönt. Vi gick ibland strandpromenaden till den stora stadsparken Jardin
de Paofai. DÀr hölls ofta olika aktiviteter och förestÀllningar. PÄ
kvÀllarna kunde man kÀnna den intensiva jasminliknande doften frÄn de vita
blommorna pÄ busken Gardenia taitensis (Tiare flower), Franska
Polynesiens nationalblomma. Dessa stora buskar inplanterats tidigt till öarna
och har införlivats i den polynesiska kulturen. Blommorna anvÀnds till kransar
och prydnader och dess doftessens anvÀnds i tvÄlar och parfymer etc. Det
traditionella sÀttet att bereda blommorna Àr att lÄta dem ligga i kokosolja i
nÄgra dygn och sedan anvÀnda den vÀldoftande oljan.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">En dag fick vi bevittna en liten avskedsceremoni parken
mellan elever frÄn olika skolor. Ett kulturutbyte som sker varje Är mellan
elever frÄn i Raiatea (en av sÀllskapsöarna) och Hawaii. Eleverna frÄn Hawaii
hade kommit till Tahiti och bl a fÄtt lÀra sig mer om navigation, segling och
kanotbygge. Det blev mÄnga tÄrfyllda avsked dÀr man tackade varandra genom att hÀnga
blomkransar runt halsen och nudda pannorna mot varandra. En av lÀrarna frÄn
Raiatea berÀttade för oss om utbytet som pÄgÄtt i flera Är.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Efter nÄgra dygn i Tahiti seglade vi den korta biten till den
mindre ön Moorea som ligger nordvĂ€st om Tahiti. Ăven hĂ€r ankrade vi i lagunen
och hade fantastiska snorkelvatten precis intill bÄten. HÀr fanns, förutom de
vanliga fÀrgglada revfiskarna Àven vattensköldpaddor, murÀnor, rockor,
svartfenad revhaj och Harlequin snake eel (Myrichthys colubrinus), en ofarlig ormÄl
med distinkta svartvita band tvÀrsöver kroppen. Som grÀdde pÄ moset kom en
liten familj spinndelfiner och passerade Anastacia. De yngsta höll hov och
hoppade glatt upp i luften och gjorde halsbrytande piruetter innan de landade
med ett plask! De lekte och visade upp sig tills en av de vuxna snÀrtade till
med stjÀrten sÄ det small till i vattnet och sÄ simmade de alla ut ur lagunen i
samlad tropp. TyvĂ€rr hann vi inte filma sĂ„ mycket av allt vackert vi sĂ„gđ</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">PÄ Moorea Àgnade vi en dag Ät att ta en biltur runt den
lilla ön och se oss omkring. Liksom pÄ Tahiti Àr naturen fantastiskt vacker och
varierad med massor av olika blommande trÀd och buskar. Vi besökte det lilla
ekomuseet och forskningsstationen Te Fare Natura med en vÀlgjord utstÀllning
som bland annat beskrev de geologiska processer som ligger bakom tillkomsten av
Polynesiens öar och hur reven med sina skyddade laguner sakta har uppstÄtt genom
att stora bitar av korallrev brutits loss och blÄst in mot öarna nÀr cyklonerna
hĂ€rjat. Dessa enorma korallbitar har, under Ă„rens lopp, âcementerats fastâ runt
öarna genom olika kemiska processer och ytterligare tillvÀxt av koraller. HÀr
kunde vi ocksÄ lÀra oss mer om ekosystemen pÄ de olika miljöerna runt
korallreven. Det var helt klart vÀrt besöket!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Efter tre dygn i Moorea var det dags att ÄtervÀnda till Tahiti
och Papeete. Vi kunde inte lÀngre ligga kvar vid ankarplatsen vid Moorea dÄ en
stor kanottÀvling med traditionella polynesiska kanoter (vaka, eller va'a)
med utriggare skulle gÄ av stapeln mellan öarna. TyvÀrr hann vi aldrig se nÄgot
av tÀvlingen. Den var sÀkert sevÀrd med mÄnga olika dam- ungdoms- och
herrklasser som tÀvlade. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I Papeete hade vi lyckats fÄ en hamnplats och de sista
dagarna innan killarnas avfÀrd gick till att handla lite souvenirer och besöka
etnografiska museet Te Fare Manaha. Museet handlar om den tidiga polynesiska
kulturen och Àr inte stort men oerhört informativt och de arkeologiska
samlingarna var intressanta att se pÄ. Vi blev sÀrskilt imponerade av
bÄtbyggarkonsten dÀr polynesierna, lÄngt innan européerna kom, med enkla
verktyg kunde bygga vackra skepp i alla storlekar. Allt frÄn smÄ kanoter med
utriggare till stora katamaraner. Varje kanot- och skeppstyp hade sin funktion.
De minsta för att segla inomskÀrs, de lite större för krigsföring mot andra
kungadömen pÄ andra polynesiska öar och de största katamaranerna för
upptÀcktsfÀrder och kolonisering av nya platser hundratals och ibland över
tusen sjömil bort! HÀr kunde vi ocksÄ lÀra oss mer om hur de kunde navigera med
hjÀlp av himlakroppars position, tidvattenströmmar, fÄglars flykt och
molnformationer. Vi har ocksÄ lÀst oss till att man tillÀmpade s k död rÀkning
som vi sjÀlva anvÀnder Àn idag som en extra sÀkerhet för att kunna berÀkna
bÄten nya position. PÄ museet förklarades ocksÄ hur de olika öarna sakta
befolkats. Polynesierna levde i en hierarkisk struktur i smÄ kungadömen.
Kungarna ansÄgs vara mer eller mindre gudomliga och makten Àrvdes sÄ det var viktigt
att hÄlla ordning pÄ blodslinjer och slÀktskap. NÀr resurserna började tryta pÄ
en ö gav sig en grupp yngre polynesier sig av för att hitta nya öar/land att
bosÀtta sig pÄ. Ursprungligen kom polynesierna frÄn Asien dÀr Samoa och Tonga
befolkades runt 3000 f kr. Sedan kom ytterligare folkströmmar frÄn (troligen)
Filippinerna och sakta spred sig polynesierna söderut, norrut och österut. Tahiti
tror man exempelvis befolkades runt 200 f kr. Idag talar man om den s k
Polynesiska Triangeln som binder samman Nya Zeeland, Hawaii och PÄskön dÀr
Franska Polynesien utgör en stor geografisk del med sina fem arkipelager. Hela
omrÄdet delar ungefÀr samma kultur med variationer beroende pÄ hur lÀnge man
levt isolerad, som grupp, pÄ samma plats.<br>
En arkeologisk artefakt pÄ muséet, som ocksÄ fÄngade vÄr uppmÀrksamhet, var
resterna av flera sammanbundna smÄ snören i flÀtad kokosfiber med smÄ knutar
pÄ. Dessa snören tror man anvÀndes för att lÀttare komma ihÄg viktiga slÀktled.
Eftersom all historia och kunskap byggde pÄ muntliga berÀttelser verkar det som
att denna typ av föremÄl kunde anvÀndas som en form av minneskrokar för att lÀttare
komma ihÄg lÄnga sekvenser.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Efter museibesöket var vi sÄ fulla av information och
intryck sÄ det fick rÀcka för ett tag⊠Vi hoppas och tror att killarna fick bockat
av det mesta de hade pÄ sin önskelista inför resan. Nu Àr de Äter i Sverige och
i hamnen Ă„terstĂ€llde Anastacia till ursprungligt skick đDe
sista dagarna passade vi pÄ att fylla pÄ med dricksvatten i tankarna, serva
motorn och byta filter pÄ watermakern. Dessutom fick vi spraya ankarkÀttingen
igen dÄ experimentet med bomullsband var tionde meter inte visat sig vara sÄ
lyckat. Alla band hade nötts bort sÄ vi fick ÄtergÄ till röd sprayfÀrg. Vi
kommer att ankra pÄ mÄnga stÀllen framöver och behöver veta hur mycket kÀtting
vi lÀgger ut. Vi fyllde pÄ matförrÄden och köpte ocksÄ en bra symaskin att ta
med oss pÄ bÄten. Efter lÄng vÀntan och mÄnga lagningar som genomförts genom
handsömnad kan vi nu Àntligen ge oss pÄ lite större projekt. Bl a behöver
dragkedjan pÄ den nÀstan 6 meter lÄnga lazybagen (omsluter seglet pÄ bommen) bytas
ut. Sista kvÀllen fick vi besök av vÄra brittiska vÀnner pÄ Ocean Dream 2. Vi
trÀffades i Nuku Hiva och har haft kontakt sedan dess. Vi utbytte fÀrdplaner
och ordnade med hamnkaptenen sÄ de kunde överta vÄr plats i hamnen. Sedan gav
vi oss ivÀg till Raiatea, den sista ön vi ville besöka innan vi lÀmnar Franska
Polynesien.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">HÀr pÄ Raiatea (hette tidigare Havaii) vÀntar vi pÄ vind som
kan ta oss vidare vÀsterut till Cook Island. Under tiden har vi besökt ytterligare
en historisk kultplats, Taputapuatea. Denna plats sÀgs ha grundats nÀr
de första polynesierna kom till ön runt (ungefÀr samtidigt som till Tahiti). Platsen
har flera marae, troligen de första i sitt slag, och har haft sÀrskilt stor
betydelse som religiöst och politiskt centrum och anses utgöra Polynesiens
historiska och kulturella vagga. Platsen har fÄtt en renÀssans i takt med att polynesierna
blir mer intresserade och medvetna om sin kultur och Taputapuatea Àr sedan 2017
en del av UNESCOs vÀrldsarv. Vi begick misstaget att gÄ pÄ stenarna pÄ en marae
pÄ platsen och blev snart tillrÀttavisade av en guide. Som icke-infödd fÄr man
gÀrna besöka och ta kort men inte betrÀda sjÀlva kultplatsen, sa hon. Vi
ursÀktade oss och kikade lite extra i informationsbroschyrerna om omrÄdet som vi
just skaffat och pÄ första sidan stod en tydlig informationsruta med texten:
âDo not walk on the marae except for cultural ceremoniesâ. JĂ€ttebra pĂ„
att lĂ€sa anvisningar Ă€r vi⊠-inte! đ</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Efterföljande dagar hade vi bara ruskvÀder sÄ Christer
försjönk i lÀsning av Ancient Tahitian Society av antropologen Douglas L.
Oliver (University of Hawaii): <a href="https://manifold.uhpress.hawaii.edu/projects/ancient-tahitian-society">https://manifold.uhpress.hawaii.edu/projects/ancient-tahitian-society</a><br>
Det Àr över 1400 sidor mycket intressant lÀsning och tar lite tid att gÄ igenom
men Ă„ andra sidan hade vi mĂ„nga dagar med regn đ Den rekommenderas varmt Ă€ven om det sĂ„klart
inte ger hela bilden av den tidiga polynesiska kulturen. Muntliga traditioner
finns inte bevarade och det Ă€r âbaraâ europĂ©ernas iakttagelser som behandlas
och européernas kontakt med polynesierna bidrog ocksÄ till omformandet av
kulturen, vilket författaren ocksÄ sjÀlv problematiserar. Det Àr dock ett
Àrligt försök att ge en sÄ objektiv bild av som möjligt som vi uppskattade.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Raiatea Àr kÀnt för sina vaniljodlingar och nÀr vÀdret
tillÀt tog vi dingen till grannön Tahaa och trÀffade Alice som jobbar pÄ den
lilla vaniljplantagen Fare Vanira. Alice kommer ursprungligen frÄn Frankrike
och Àr gift med en polynesisk man och den lilla familjen bor i Tahaa sedan
mÄnga Är tillbaka. Vi var de enda besökarna just dÄ sÄ hon hade tid och pratade
med oss i över tvÄ timmar! Vi fick lÀra oss att vaniljplantan tillhör orkidéslÀktet
och behöver ett litet trÀd att klamra sig fast runt nÀr det vÀxer. Hon
förklarade hur blommorna pollineras för hand och visade flera plantor med
vaniljfröskidor i olika stadier. Hon sa sjÀlv att vanilj Àr hennes passion och
det mÀrktes tydligt! Hon visade oss olika fÀrdiga vaniljprodukter samt hur man
torkar och behandlar de lÄnga fröskidorna till fÀrdiga vaniljstÀnger. En
process som upprepas varje dag och tar flera mÄnader! Hon gav tips pÄ hur
vaniljen kan lagras över tid och hann ocksÄ med nÄgra matrecept. Bland annat
hur man kunde bli av med den syrliga smaken i tomatsÄs med hjÀlp av lite
vanilj! NÄgot vi provade i tomatsÄsen till pastan redan samma kvÀll, med lyckat
resultat Ă€ven om jag tvivlar pĂ„ att mina italienska slĂ€ktingar skulle upskatta tilltaget đ.<br> Alice hyste stor respekt för de kunskaper
som fanns tidigare i Polynesien kring odlingsmetoder och medicinalvÀxter. PÄ
odlingen undviker man bekÀmpningsmedel sÄ lÄngt det gÄr och försöker hitta
andra sÀtt att bekÀmpa skadedjur. Ett exempel var att bli av med vissa
skadeinsekter med hjÀlp av nyckelpigor som i sin tur gÀrna vill leva pÄ akacietrÀd
vilka följaktligen syntes lite varstans i odlingen. Salvia odlade hon i
nÀrheten dÄ den visat sig vara fantastiskt bra mot smÄ kryp som kunde skada
vaniljplantorna. Ett av mÄnga knep Alicia lÀrt av sina polynesiska svÀrförÀldrar.
Förutom vaniljprat sÄ hann vi med att diskutera polynesiska samhÀllet i stort
och hur mÀnniskor lever hÀr idag. Det blev en hel del aha-upplevelser för vÄr
delâŠ</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">VÄra intryck av det lilla vi fÄtt uppleva av Franska
Polynesien under de tvÄ mÄnader vi vistats pÄ olika öar Àr att trots att landet
idag Àr starkt format av det franska inflytandet sÄ har den polynesiska
identiteten inte gÄtt helt förlorad. FrÄn att det frÄn början var förbjudet att
prata polynesiska i skolorna, ge nyfödda barn polynesiska namn eller utöva polynesisk
religion har restriktionerna lÀttat betydligt. Idag finns en större medvetenhet
om den egna historien och en önskan om att lÀra sig mer om sin egen, till viss
del bortglömda, kultur. Till skillnad frÄn Karibien, dÀr ursprungsbefolkningen
inte lÀngre finns kvar pÄ de olika öarna efter koloniseringen och det Àr
slavÀttlingar och Àttlingar av kolonisatörerna som idag lever pÄ öarna, sÄ har trots
allt Polynesien sin ursprungsbefolkning kvar. Kulturen har formats över tid och
förÀndrats. FörÀndringarna blev mer pÄtagliga efter Kapten Cooks expeditioner
pÄ 1700-talet och genom besök av andra européer som exempelvis besÀttningen pÄ skeppet
Bounty liksom olika valfÄngarbÄtar dÀr Àven vissa besÀttningsmedlemmar
(dÀribland nÄgra svenskar frÄn fartyget Matilda) valt att stanna kvar, fram
till fransmÀnnens övertagande. De polynesier vi trÀffat och pratat med har inte
verkat oroa sig alltför mycket över olika historiska hÀndelser och Àven om flera
oförrÀtter har begÄtts i kontakten med européer som bidragit till sorg och
besvikelse sÄ har man velat se framÄt. Vi vet inte om det gÀller mer generellt
eller om det bara Àr nÄgot som vi, som turister upplever. Vi har mötts av
mycket vÀnlighet och hjÀlpsamhet och ocksÄ rÀttframhet. HÀr lindar man inte in
orden sĂ„ mycket utan kan, utan omsvep, sĂ€ga att ânu har jag inte lĂ€ngre tid med
erâ eller âsĂ„ hĂ€r fĂ„r ni inte göra, det Ă€r inte att visa respektâ utan att det
ligger nĂ„gon mer vĂ€rdering i det. Lite befriande, tycker viâŠ</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Vi upplevde vi att maten var dyr pÄ alla öar vi besökt. Inte
sÄ konstigt dÄ mycket mÄste importeras och fraktas till öarna. Frukt och grönt
gÄr alltid att fÄ tag i men priserna varierar beroende pÄ om det Àr importerat
eller inhemskt. Detsamma gÀller fisk och kött. HÀr betalar man ingen
inkomstskatt men varor beskattas desto mer. För att möta de folkhÀlsoproblem
som den ökade andelen överviktiga i landet har, beskattas dÀrför matvaror
olika. Alkoholhaltiga drycker beskattas till mellan 100-200% liksom mÄnga
produkter med högt sockerinnehÄll medan basvaror beskattas lÄgt. Om man exempelvis
vill köpa bröd sÄ Àr det sÄklart baguetter som gÀller och de enklaste kostar
runt 6 kr (60 polynesiska franc) vilket Àr överkomligt för de flesta.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Innan vi kom till öarna hade vi lÀst att polynesier pÄ de
mer avlÀgsna öarna, dit fraktfartygen inte kommer sÄ ofta, gÀrna byter till sig
varor mot t ex frukt och grönsaker. Det fick vi ocksÄ uppleva men kanske inte i
den omfattning vi hade förvÀntat oss. Dock fick vi en stark kÀnsla av att
mÀnniskor generellt hÀr Àr givmilda men ocksÄ att mÄnga saker lÀttare löses med
hjÀlp av tjÀnster och gentjÀnster. Vilket för övrigt verkar gÀlla för lÄngseglare
ocksĂ„ đ. Hiti, den pensionerade kaptenen vi trĂ€ffade
pÄ den lilla atollen Kauehi var mycket givmild och gÀstvÀnlig mot oss men hade ocksÄ
en önskan. Att fÄ bÀttre en internetuppkoppling Àn den som fanns tillgÀnglig pÄ
ön. Det finns restriktioner i Franska Polynesien vad gÀller vilka operatörer
som fÄr verka i landet -av ekonomiska och förstÄeliga skÀl. Dock tycker vi att
det ibland mÄste kunna gÄ att göra undantag nÀr man lever pÄ en sÄ isolerad
plats. Hiti ville inte att vi skulle kÀnna oss tvungna att lösa hans lilla
problem men vi lovade ÀndÄ att se vad som var möjligt. Via en av vÄra
seglarvÀnner frÄn Viking Explorer som snart Àr pÄ vÀg till Franska Polynesien
verkar nu det hela lösa sig. Ett annat exempel Àr paketet vi tog med oss frÄn
Galapagos som var adresserat till en besÀttningsman, pÄ en segelbÄt pÄ vÀg till
Tahiti, som blev tvungen att ge sig av innan paketet hunnit fram. Förutom att
fÀrdas pÄ vÄr bÄt över Stilla havet har paketet fÄtt Äka med ytterligare en kontakt,
via flyg och Àr nu hos sin mycket tacksamme Àgare som mönstrat av i Papeete. HÀndelserna
hade inte varit möjliga utan alla involverades kĂ€nsla för att ânĂ€sta gĂ„ng kan
det vara min tur att behöva hjĂ€lpâŠâ.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Vi har sett att det absolut finns klasskillnader i det
polynesiska samhÀllet och, frÀmst i Papeete, trÀffat pÄ tiggare men absolut
inte i den omfattning som vi sett i Karibien eller Colombia. HÀr finns ocksÄ en
mycket större acceptans för HBTQ-personer och Àven om den kristna religionen
gjort att toleransen minskat generellt sÄ har vi aldrig trÀffat pÄ sÄ mÄnga
mÀnniskor (oftast killar) som s a s tillhör det tredje könet och som sÄ öppet
och sjÀlvklart Àr en del av samhÀllet. NÀrmaste beskrivningen utifrÄn vÄra vÀsterlÀndska
ögon skulle vara att vi trÀffat ovanligt mÄnga transpersoner. Det Àr dock inte en
helt rÀttvisande beskrivning, eftersom det tredje könet inbegriper mÄnga roller
och ansvar i Àldre polynesisk kultur.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Om nÄgra dagar ger vi oss av pÄ en fyradygns-seglats till
Cook Islands och skall fira pÄsk dÀr. NÀsta anhalt blir troligen Niue och sedan
seglar vi vidare till Tonga och dÀrefter Fiji. Alla Àr polynesiska öar men
olika lĂ€nder!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p><iframe width="490px" height="240px" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/M4cXi_b-jz8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal"><em>Tahiti and Papeete</em></p><p class="MsoNormal"><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society Isl/20250316_123908.jpg?1744083794" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1960" data-original-height="4032" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_123908.jpg?1744083794 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_123908.jpg?1744083794 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_123908.jpg?1744083794 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_123908.jpg?1744083794 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_123908.jpg?1744083794?1744083794" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society Isl/20250316_115504.jpg?1744083794" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1960" data-original-height="4032" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_115504.jpg?1744083794 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data-original-height="4032" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_152259.jpg?1744083794 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_152259.jpg?1744083794 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_152259.jpg?1744083794 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_152259.jpg?1744083794 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_152259.jpg?1744083794?1744083794" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society Isl/20250316_123433.jpg?1744083794" loading="lazy" data-original-width="3024" data-original-height="4032" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_123433.jpg?1744083794 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_123433.jpg?1744083794 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_123433.jpg?1744083794 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_123433.jpg?1744083794 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_123433.jpg?1744083794 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_123433.jpg?1744083794?1744083794" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society Isl/20250316_124851.jpg?1744083794" loading="lazy" data-original-width="4032" data-original-height="1960" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_124851.jpg?1744083794 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_124851.jpg?1744083794 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_124851.jpg?1744083794 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_124851.jpg?1744083794 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_124851.jpg?1744083794 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_124851.jpg?1744083794?1744083794" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society Isl/20250316_151750.jpg?1744083794" loading="lazy" data-original-width="4032" data-original-height="1960" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_151750.jpg?1744083794 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_151750.jpg?1744083794 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_151750.jpg?1744083794 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_151750.jpg?1744083794 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_151750.jpg?1744083794 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_151750.jpg?1744083794?1744083794" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p class="MsoNormal"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society Isl/20250316_131825.jpg?1744083794" loading="lazy" data-original-width="4032" data-original-height="1960" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_131825.jpg?1744083794 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_131825.jpg?1744083794 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_131825.jpg?1744083794 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_131825.jpg?1744083794 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_131825.jpg?1744083794 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_131825.jpg?1744083794?1744083794" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society Isl/20250324_102308.jpg?1744084448" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1960" data-original-height="4032" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250324_102308.jpg?1744084448 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250324_102308.jpg?1744084448 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250324_102308.jpg?1744084448 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250324_102308.jpg?1744084448 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250324_102308.jpg?1744084448?1744084448" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society Isl/20250322_100513.jpg?1744083794" loading="lazy" data-original-width="4032" data-original-height="1960" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250322_100513.jpg?1744083794 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250322_100513.jpg?1744083794 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250322_100513.jpg?1744083794 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250322_100513.jpg?1744083794 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250322_100513.jpg?1744083794 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250322_100513.jpg?1744083794?1744083794" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society Isl/20250322Tahiti.png?1744083794" loading="lazy" data-original-width="902" data-original-height="886" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250322Tahiti.png?1744083794 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250322Tahiti.png?1744083794 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250322Tahiti.png?1744083794 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250322Tahiti.png?1744083794?1744083794" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal"><em>Marae and the ethnographic museum (Tahiti)</em></p><p class="MsoNormal"><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society Isl/20250316_114002.jpg?1744084448" loading="lazy" data-original-width="3024" data-original-height="4032" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_114002.jpg?1744084448 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_114002.jpg?1744084448 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_114002.jpg?1744084448 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_114002.jpg?1744084448 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_114002.jpg?1744084448 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_114002.jpg?1744084448?1744084448" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society Isl/20250316_120848.jpg?1744084448" loading="lazy" data-original-width="4032" data-original-height="1960" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_120848.jpg?1744084448 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_120848.jpg?1744084448 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_120848.jpg?1744084448 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_120848.jpg?1744084448 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_120848.jpg?1744084448 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250316_120848.jpg?1744084448?1744084448" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p class="MsoNormal"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society Isl/20250323_122624.jpg?1744084448" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1960" data-original-height="4032" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250323_122624.jpg?1744084448 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250323_122624.jpg?1744084448 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250323_122624.jpg?1744084448 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250323_122624.jpg?1744084448 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250323_122624.jpg?1744084448?1744084448" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society Isl/20250323_125805.jpg?1744084448" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1960" data-original-height="4032" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250323_125805.jpg?1744084448 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250323_125805.jpg?1744084448 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250323_125805.jpg?1744084448 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250323_125805.jpg?1744084448 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250323_125805.jpg?1744084448?1744084448" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society Isl/20250323_130705.jpg?1744084448" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1960" data-original-height="4032" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250323_130705.jpg?1744084448 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250323_130705.jpg?1744084448 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250323_130705.jpg?1744084448 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250323_130705.jpg?1744084448 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250323_130705.jpg?1744084448?1744084448" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal"><em>Moorea</em></p><p class="MsoNormal"><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society Isl/20250320_121525.jpg?1744083794" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1960" data-original-height="4032" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250320_121525.jpg?1744083794 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250320_121525.jpg?1744083794 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250320_121525.jpg?1744083794 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250320_121525.jpg?1744083794 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250320_121525.jpg?1744083794?1744083794" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society Isl/20250320_120554.jpg?1744083794" loading="lazy" data-original-width="4032" data-original-height="1960" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250320_120554.jpg?1744083794 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250320_120554.jpg?1744083794 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250320_120554.jpg?1744083794 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250320_120554.jpg?1744083794 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250320_120554.jpg?1744083794 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250320_120554.jpg?1744083794?1744083794" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society Isl/20250320_100858.jpg?1744083794" loading="lazy" data-original-width="4032" data-original-height="1960" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250320_100858.jpg?1744083794 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250320_100858.jpg?1744083794 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250320_100858.jpg?1744083794 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250320_100858.jpg?1744083794 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250320_100858.jpg?1744083794 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250320_100858.jpg?1744083794?1744083794" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal"><em>Raiatea</em></p><p class="MsoNormal"><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society Isl/20250403_103542.jpg?1744085262" loading="lazy" data-original-width="4032" data-original-height="1816" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250403_103542.jpg?1744085262 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250403_103542.jpg?1744085262 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250403_103542.jpg?1744085262 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250403_103542.jpg?1744085262 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250403_103542.jpg?1744085262 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250403_103542.jpg?1744085262?1744085262" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society Isl/20250403_103637.jpg?1744085262" loading="lazy" data-original-width="4032" data-original-height="1816" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250403_103637.jpg?1744085262 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250403_103637.jpg?1744085262 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250403_103637.jpg?1744085262 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250403_103637.jpg?1744085262 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250403_103637.jpg?1744085262 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250403_103637.jpg?1744085262?1744085262" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal"><em>Local Market at Raiatea (with music performance đ)</em></p><iframe width="490" height="240" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RPCVEwVLrqE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><p class="MsoNormal"><em style="font-size: 11px;"><br></em></p><p class="MsoNormal"><em style="font-size: 11px;">We bought Avocados (Avozilla), Apples, Bananas, Pompelmus, Rambutan, Pineapple and Papaya</em></p><p class="MsoNormal"><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society Isl/20250404_113917.jpg?1744085262" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1816" data-original-height="4032" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250404_113917.jpg?1744085262 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250404_113917.jpg?1744085262 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250404_113917.jpg?1744085262 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250404_113917.jpg?1744085262 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250404_113917.jpg?1744085262?1744085262" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal"><em>Taputapuatea (Raiatea)</em></p><p class="MsoNormal"><em><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society Isl/20250330_145109.jpg?1744085263" loading="lazy" data-original-width="4032" data-original-height="3024" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250330_145109.jpg?1744085263 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250330_145109.jpg?1744085263 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250330_145109.jpg?1744085263 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250330_145109.jpg?1744085263 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250330_145109.jpg?1744085263 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250330_145109.jpg?1744085263?1744085263" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></em></p><p class="MsoNormal"><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society Isl/20250330_152140.jpg?1744085262" loading="lazy" data-original-width="4032" data-original-height="1816" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250330_152140.jpg?1744085262 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250330_152140.jpg?1744085262 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250330_152140.jpg?1744085262 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250330_152140.jpg?1744085262 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250330_152140.jpg?1744085262 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250330_152140.jpg?1744085262?1744085262" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society Isl/20250330_153203.jpg?1744085262" loading="lazy" data-original-width="4032" data-original-height="1816" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250330_153203.jpg?1744085262 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250330_153203.jpg?1744085262 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250330_153203.jpg?1744085262 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250330_153203.jpg?1744085262 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250330_153203.jpg?1744085262 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250330_153203.jpg?1744085262?1744085262" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society Isl/20250330_150738.jpg?1744085262" loading="lazy" data-original-width="4032" data-original-height="1816" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250330_150738.jpg?1744085262 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250330_150738.jpg?1744085262 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250330_150738.jpg?1744085262 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250330_150738.jpg?1744085262 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250330_150738.jpg?1744085262 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250330_150738.jpg?1744085262?1744085262" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society Isl/20250330_150706.jpg?1744085263" loading="lazy" data-original-width="4032" data-original-height="1816" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250330_150706.jpg?1744085263 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250330_150706.jpg?1744085263 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250330_150706.jpg?1744085263 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250330_150706.jpg?1744085263 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250330_150706.jpg?1744085263 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250330_150706.jpg?1744085263?1744085263" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal"><em>Vanilla plantation (Tahaa)</em></p><p class="MsoNormal"><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society Isl/20250405_154003.jpg?1744085263" loading="lazy" data-original-width="4032" data-original-height="1816" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250405_154003.jpg?1744085263 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250405_154003.jpg?1744085263 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250405_154003.jpg?1744085263 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250405_154003.jpg?1744085263 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250405_154003.jpg?1744085263 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250405_154003.jpg?1744085263?1744085263" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society Isl/20250405_134131.jpg?1744085262" loading="lazy" data-original-width="3024" data-original-height="4032" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250405_134131.jpg?1744085262 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250405_134131.jpg?1744085262 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250405_134131.jpg?1744085262 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250405_134131.jpg?1744085262 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250405_134131.jpg?1744085262 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250405_134131.jpg?1744085262?1744085262" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society Isl/20250405_134240.jpg?1744085262" loading="lazy" data-original-width="3024" data-original-height="4032" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250405_134240.jpg?1744085262 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250405_134240.jpg?1744085262 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250405_134240.jpg?1744085262 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250405_134240.jpg?1744085262 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250405_134240.jpg?1744085262 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250405_134240.jpg?1744085262?1744085262" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society Isl/20250405_135445.jpg?1744085263" loading="lazy" data-original-width="3024" data-original-height="4032" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250405_135445.jpg?1744085263 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250405_135445.jpg?1744085263 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250405_135445.jpg?1744085263 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250405_135445.jpg?1744085263 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250405_135445.jpg?1744085263 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Society%20Isl/20250405_135445.jpg?1744085263?1744085263" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p>
Mon, 07 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000
/blog/april-2025/french-polynesia-and-the-society-islands
/blog/april-2025/french-polynesia-and-the-society-islands
-
French Polynesia and the Tuamotus
Malin
<p class="MsoNormal">The sail
from Nuku Hiva to the small atoll Kauehi in Tuamotu took four days and started
with a surprisingly large pod of dolphins with over 50 individuals that joined
us for an hour or so. We believe they were bottlenose dolphins. Wonderful to
see! đ During the sail we had good wind but very variable weather. During the
day we had strong sunshine and at night one small storm replaced another with
so-called squalls which mean a sudden increase in wind that lasts for 15-20
minutes with thunder and sometimes rain. Neither the windvane nor the autopilot
is able to keep the course during stronger squalls so you have to steer manually,
follow the wind, and then slowly bring the boat back in the right direction. It
was certainly good training because you learn to handle the boat in tougher
weather but also tiring in the long run because we are alone on the shifts at
night, when the other person is sleeping. At one point it rained so heavily
that you couldn't even see the other side of the cockpit when you were at the
helm. You just had to try to keep up, and steer the boat as best you could
until it was all over. We also saw large illuminated ships at night without any
AIS turned on, moving slowly a few nautical miles away. We suspected large
trawlers that didn't want to be discovered. Later we also received confirmation
that Chinese and Japanese fishing vessels are fishing illegally in Polynesian
waters.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The entire
Tuamotus consists of 78 atolls spread over an area that is about 2,000 km long.
The atolls are all former underwater volcanoes that are now coral reefs. Kauehi
is a small atoll that is relatively easy to get into and was therefore our
beginner's choice đ The only entrance is on the southwest side of
the atoll. We had managed to adjust the sailing so that there was just over an
hour left until high tide when we reached the inlet and the current was about
two knots into the atoll. We had a light wind against us which did not pose any
major problems but we sailed through the mouth with some areas with
"overfalls" and smaller so-called standing waves which are the result
of when the current and waves/wind go in opposite directions. It was very deep
both just outside and just inside the inlet. Once inside the atoll we noticed
that it was much larger than we had first thought. It took us just over an hour
to reach the northwestern, inhabited part. The rest of the atoll consists of
reefs that are either just below the water surface or are lined with coconut
palms. A strange feeling to sail into an old volcanic crater! Once we arrived
at the village of Tearavero which is located at a shallower part of the lagoon
we were lucky enough that the only remaining buoy was free and in good
condition, so we moored at it. Apart from another sailboat that was in the same
lagoon, we were the only visitors. The other boat turned out to belong to a
Frenchman who had been in the area for 15 years!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Kauehi has
around 200 inhabitants. The village has everything you could need, shops,
church, cemetery, school, a mayor, a small health centre etc. The island has
also had its own small airport for a few years now, with flights 1-2 times a
week. The main source of income comes from the coconut plantations owned by the
various families on the atoll. There used to be pearl farms here, but these
have now been closed down. Old pearl farm buoys are ideal for holding up the
anchor chain (i.e. floating anchor chain) when anchoring near corals. With
these buoys, the chain is kept slightly above the seabed and there is no risk
of damaging the corals or getting stuck around the coral heads (boomies) when
the boat turns around. We were looking to get hold of some of these buoys and
to our delight got a couple from some kind villagers who had them in their gardens
đWe wanted to pay or exchange them for something, but they didn't want to
hear about it!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We stayed a
few days at Tearavero and enjoyed looking at the turquoise water with small
darker boomies with small colorful reef fish. We got to know the retired
captain Hiti who was born and raised on the island. He told us about his life
and how he did his military service in the French navy as a young man.
Throughout his adult life he has been a captain of cargo ships and traveled to
many distant places. He knew all the islands and atolls in French Polynesia
well. He himself thought that he and his wife were doing well in their nice
house and were happy with their pension. We asked him how he viewed the issue
of independence from France and he replied that few Polynesians talk about it
out loud and the younger generation do not want to hear about completely
freeing themselves from France. After all, France contributes economically and
with infrastructure, education systems, etc., but the older generation may have
a different view.<br>
-We are not free, he said. Then he looked at us seriously and continued.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">- You know.
During our military service, we were ordered to Moruroa 24 hours after they
dropped the bomb. 24 hours! âIt was nothing dangerousâ, they said. We wondered.
If it's not dangerous. Why don't they detonate the bombs in France? Why here? I
remember what it looked like! Destruction everywhere, dead fish floating in the
water...<br>Then he
turned away and fell silent. We understood that this was hard to talk about, and
didn't ask any more questions.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Hati
changed the subject and told us that he now takes care of the family's coconut
plantation and showed us his land and how to harvest the coconuts. He offered
us fresh coconut water from still green coconuts. Then he showed us some young
coconut palms that were only a year old. My grandchild planted these, he said
and smiled broadly! He proudly told us about his children and grandchildren.
The children were all well-educated. Some lived in Tahiti, others in France.
None of them lived on the island, which is slowly being depopulated. On Kauehi,
as on many other smaller islands, children go to school until they are around
10 years old. To continue their education (secondary school), they must be
accommodated with a family in Tahiti, for example. If you don't know of a
family the children can stay with, the parents may also have to move there and
look for accommodation and support. Young Polynesians also choose to continue
their studies at universities in France and it can be difficult to motivate
themselves to move back to the island where the livelihoods are worse.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">After the
little sightseeing, Hiti gave us two young coconuts to take on the boat and
urged us to drink the water from them within a week because otherwise they
would have time to go bad from being shaken around on the boat. He gave us
advice on how to navigate into Fakarava, our next destination. When we asked if
he knew the times for high and low tide for the next 24 hours, he said that
nowadays he just went by what he had learned from his grandfather. When the
moon was at its highest in its orbit, it was high tide. Then you can calculate
the rest⊠We thanked him for his hospitality and everything he had taught us
with a gift in return and the next day we set off for Fakarava. We had studied
the moonâs path in the evening and, sure enough, when we looked at the tide
tables for the area, the theory was relatively correct. The time for the
highest point on the moonâs path is high tide. If you add 6 hours and 15
minutes, you get the time for the next low tide, after another 6 hours and 15
minutes the next high tide will come, etc. Then you just have to consult the
moon again⊠Not an exact science but enough for us to navigate byđ</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Afterwards,
we also read more about the nuclear weapons tests that France carried out on
the uninhabited atolls of Moruroa and adjacent Fangataufa. We also remembered
how the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior had been sunk in connection with these
and the protests that arose around the world. Between 1966 and 1996, over 190
nuclear weapons tests were carried out on the atolls, both above and below
ground. It was later shown that this had devastating consequences for both
animal and plant life and, not least, all residents of the islands and the
military personnel who participated in various missions in connection with the
blasts. Primarily, the number of cases of thyroid cancer has increased
significantly, but the frequency of other forms of cancer has also increased,
as have deformities in newborns, birth defects, etc. since the test blasts were
carried out, and the whole of Polynesia has been affected in various ways
because the winds and water currents have brought radioactive particles with
them. It can still be difficult to obtain compensation from the French governement,
even though the regulations have changed somewhat over the years as more
evidence has been produced of damage linked to the blasts. France was by no
means the only country to have carried out this type of blast. The USA, Great
Britain, the Soviet Union/Russia and China have also carried out test blasts,
to name a few. These have also almost always taken place in occupied areas
where the indigenous population has been affectedâŠ.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The sail to
Fakarava, where we are now, took almost six hours. The island is the second
largest in the Tuamotu and is part of one of the UNESCO biosphere reserves. The
atoll and has two inlets/outlets. We entered through the (enormous) northern
inlet, completely without any problems. Even in this atoll, it is the northern
part that is inhabited with the largest village, Rotoava. Just outside Rotoava,
about fifty sailboats were anchored. When we arrived, we looked for a free
place to anchor and tried, for the first time, to float the anchor chain with our
buoys as not to damage or get stuck to the corals on the seabed. However, the
depth was so great that no corals probably grew there, but we practiced anyway.
We were a little worried that if the chain came off the seabed, the anchor
might not set properly, but we have now been here for four days without
dragging, so it seems to be working. đ</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Fakarava
turned out to be much more tourist-oriented than little Kauehi and reminded us
more of Nuku Hiva with large cruise ships that come in and unload passengers
ashore for a day's experiences before they re-board for the onward journey to
the next island. Craft shops, grocery stores and restaurants are open and taxis
arrange transport and small excursions. It is important to make the most of the
hours that tourists are ashore!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The atoll
is so large that there is a lot of life in the large lagoon such as different
species of sharks, turtles, rays, mantas, etc. Even dolphins are said to be
here! The atmosphere is calm and relaxed and we were warmly welcomed by the
staff at the mayor's office when we went in to pay the tourist and garbage fee.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In the
shallower parts of the lagoon, the water is turquoise blue and the sand is
chalk white. For those who like sun, swimming and white beaches, this is pure
paradise! Small boomies can be seen here and there in the water that you can
cross between when you go ashore with the dinghy. We took the time to snorkel
around a reef that was close to the boat and saw lots of reef fish and
beautiful corals. Unfortunately, most of the corals were in poor condition and
completely gray. We have also seen blacktip reef sharks, nurse sharks
and large water turtles. It also looks like we caught three suckerfish from
Kauhei that probably hitchhiked with us by sitting under the Anastacia's hull.
We had fed them small pieces of bread in Kauehi and were surprised when the
same fish appeared again as soon as we anchored in Fakarava. They look funny
with a big sucker plate on their heads⊠Of course, they got some bread crumbs
here too. Baguettes, naturally. These are French islands! đ.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Fakarava is
perhaps best known for its pearl farms and that was something we wanted to
learn more about. You can see the buoys of the farms floating in the water
further out in the lagoon. We booked a small tour at Les Perles D'Havaiki. The
guide showed the whole process, from surgically inserting a small mini-pearl
made of seashells into the oyster's stomach to how to pick out a finished pearl
after the oyster has grown for about two years. The finished pearl is then
washed and classified by color, size, shape, etc. In Polynesia, mainly black
pearls are cultivated, which have a special luster. The whole process requires
clean water and a good environment for the oyster to thrive. An oyster can be
allowed to produce several pearls one after the other until it is too old. In
cases where the oyster can no longer be used, it is opened completely and the
meat (muscle) is sold to restaurants. The shells are used to make jewelry and
other works of art, as these also have a beautiful luster. To end the tour, we each
got to choose an oyster that was ready to harvest and take home the pearl that
had formed in it. Now we understand what a complicated process pearl farming is
and involves many steps that require craftsmanship and several different
professions.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Now, we
will soon set off again. There will be no more atolls for us, but we have a
two-day sailing to Tahiti where we are also expecting a visit from our son and
his friend.</p>
<div>
~~~~~~~~~~~</div><p><br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Seglingen frÄn Nuku Hiva till den lilla atollen Kauehi i
Tuamotu tog fyra dygn och började med en överraskande stor flock delfiner med
över 50 individer som slog följe med oss under nÄgon timme. Vi tror det var
flasknosdelfiner. Underbart att se! đ Under seglatsen hade vi
bra vind men mycket varierande vÀder. PÄ dagarna hade vi starkt solsken och pÄ
nÀtterna avlöste det ena lilla ovÀdret det andra med s k squalls som innebÀr
plötslig vindökning som varar i 15-20 minuter med Äska och ibland regn. Vare
sig vindroder eller autopilot klarar att hÄlla kursen vid kraftigare squalls sÄ
man fÄr handstyra och s a s följa med vinden, för att sedan sakta föra bÄten
tillbaka i rÀtt riktning. Bra trÀning var det visserligen eftersom man lÀr sig
hantera bÄten i tuffare vÀder men ocksÄ tröttsamt i lÀngden eftersom vi Àr
ensamma pÄ passen nattetid, dÄ den andre sover. Vid ett tillfÀlle regnade det
sÄ kraftigt att det inte ens gick att se andra sidan av sittbrunnen nÀr man
stod vid rodret. Det var bara att försöka hÀnga med, och styra bÄten sÄ gott
det gick tills det hela var över. Vi fick ocksÄ Äterigen se stora upplysta
fartyg pÄ nÀtterna utan nÄgon AIS pÄslagen som sakta rörde sig pÄ nÄgra sjömils
avstÄnd. Vi misstÀnkte stora trÄlare som helst inte ville bli upptÀckta. Senare
har vi ocksÄ fÄtt bekrÀftat att kinesiska och japanska fiskefartyg fiskar
olovandes i de polynesiska vattnen.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Hela Tuamotus bestÄr av 78 atoller utspridda pÄ ett omrÄde som
Àr ca 2 000 km lÄngt. Atollerna Àr alla före detta undervattensvulkaner som
numera Àr korallrev. Kauehi Àr en liten atoll som Àr relativt enkel att ta sig
in i och blev dĂ€rför vĂ„rt nybörjarval đ Det enda inloppet ligger pĂ„ atollens sydvĂ€stra
sida. Vi hade lyckats anpassa seglingen sÄ det var drygt en timme kvar till
högvatten nÀr vi nÄdde inloppet och strömmen var pÄ ca tvÄ knop in mot atollen.
Vi hade svag vind emot oss som inte utgjorde nÄgra större problem utan vi
seglade igenom mynningen med nĂ„gra omrĂ„den med âoverfallsâ och mindre s k
stÄende vÄgor som Àr resultatet av nÀr ström och vÄgor/vind gÄr i motsatta
riktningar. Det var brÄddjupt bÄde strax utanför och strax innanför mynningen. VÀl
inne i atollen konstaterade vi att den var mycket större Àn vi först hade
trott. Det tog oss dryga timmen att nÄ den nordvÀstra, bebodda delen. Resten av
atollen utgörs av rev som antingen ligger strax under vattenytan eller Àr
beklÀdda med kokospalmer. En mÀrklig kÀnsla att segla in i en gammal vulkankrater!
VĂ€l framme vid byn Tearavero som ligger vid en grundare del i lagunen hade vi
sÄdan tur att den enda kvarvarande bojen var ledig och i gott skick, sÄ vi lade
till vid den. Förutom en annan segelbÄt som lÄg i samma lagun var vi de enda
besökarna. Den andra bÄten visade sig tillhöra en fransman som vistats i
omrÄdet i 15 Är!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">PÄ Kauehi bor runt 200 invÄnare. I byn finns det mesta som
man kan behöva, affÀrer, kyrka, kyrkogÄrd, skola, en borgmÀstare, en liten
vĂ„rdcentral etc. Ăn har sedan nĂ„gra Ă„r tillbaka Ă€ven en egen mindre flygplats
dÀr flygen gÄr 1-2 gÄnger i veckan. FrÀmsta inkomstkÀllan kommer frÄn
kokosplantagen som Àgs av de olika familjerna pÄ atollen. Tidigare fanns det
Àven pÀrlodlingar hÀr men dessa var nu nerlagda. Gamla pÀrlodlingsbojar Àr idealiska
för att kunna hÄlla uppe ankarkÀttingen (s k bojad kÀtting) nÀr man skall ankra
i nÀrheten av koraller. Med dessa bojar hÄlls kÀttingen lite ovanför botten och
man riskerar inte att förstöra korallerna eller fastna runt korallhuvudena
(boomies) nÀr bÄten svÀnger runt. Vi var ute efter att fÄ tag i nÄgra sÄdana
bojar och fick till vÄr förtjusning ett par av nÄgra snÀlla bybor som hade dem
i sina trĂ€dgĂ„rdar đVi ville betala eller byta med nĂ„got med det
ville de inte höra talas om!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Vi stannade nÄgra dagar vid Tearavero och njöt av att titta
pÄ det turkosa vattnet med smÄ mörkare boomies med smÄ fÀrgglada revfiskar. Vi lÀrde
kÀnna den pensionerade kaptenen Hiti som Àr född och uppvuxen pÄ ön. Han
berÀttade om sitt liv och hur han gjort sin militÀrtjÀnst i den franska flottan
som ung. Under hela sitt vuxna liv har han varit kapten pÄ fraktfartyg och rest
till mÄnga avlÀgsna platser. Han kÀnde vÀl till alla öar och atoller i Franska
Polynesien. Han tyckte sjÀlv att han och hans fru hade det bra i sitt fina hus och
var nöjd med sin pension. Vi frÄgade om hur han sÄg pÄ frÄgan om
sjÀlvstÀndighet frÄn Frankrike. Han förklarade att fÄ polynesier pratar högt om
det och de yngre vill inte höra talas om att helt frigöra sig frÄn Frankrike.
Frankrike bidrar trots allt ekonomiskt och med infrastruktur, utbildningssystem
m m men de Àldre har kanske en annan syn, menade han.<br>
-Vi Àr ju inte fria, sa han. Sedan sÄg han allvarligt pÄ oss och sa:<br>
-Ni vet. Under militÀrtjÀnsten blev vi kommenderade till Moruroa 24 timmar
efter att de slĂ€ppte bomben. 24 timmar! âDet var inget farligtâ, sa de. Vi
undrade. Om det inte Àr farligt. Varför sprÀnger de dÄ inte bomberna i
Frankrike? Varför hos oss? Jag minns hur det sÄg ut! Förstörelse överallt, döda
fiskar flöt i vattnetâŠ<br>Sedan vĂ€nde han sig bort och tystnade. Det hĂ€r var jobbigt
att tala om, förstod vi och stÀllde inga fler frÄgor.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Hati bytte samtalsÀmne och berÀttade att han numera sköter
om familjens kokosplantage och visade oss sina marker och hur man skördar kokosnötterna.
Han bjöd pÄ fÀrskt kokosvatten frÄn Ànnu gröna kokosnötter. Sedan visade han
oss nÄgra spÀda kokospalmer som bara var ett Är gamla. De hÀr har mitt barnbarn
planterat, sa han och log stort! Han berÀttade stolt om sina barn och barnbarn.
Barnen var alla vÀlutbildade. NÄgra bodde pÄ Tahiti, andra i Frankrike. Ingen
av dem fanns kvar pÄ ön som sakta hÄller pÄ att avfolkas. PÄ Kauehi liksom pÄ
mÄnga andra mindre öar gÄr barnen i skola tills de Àr runt 10 Är gamla. För att
fortsÀtta sin utbildning (secondary school) mÄste de inkvarteras hos nÄgon
familj i exempelvis Tahiti. KÀnner man ingen familj barnen kan fÄ bo hos, mÄste
kanske förÀldrarna ocksÄ flytta dit och söka bostad och försörjning. Unga
polynesier vÀljer ocksÄ att lÀsa vidare pÄ universitet i Frankrike och det kan
vara svÄrt att motivera sig att flytta tillbaka till ön dÀr
försörjningsmöjligheterna Àr sÀmre. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Efter den lilla sightseeingen gav Hiti oss tvÄ spÀda
kokosnötter att ta med pÄ bÄten och uppmanade oss att dricka vattnet frÄn dem
inom en vecka eftersom de annars skulle hinna bli dÄliga av att skakas runt pÄ
bÄten. Han gav oss rÄd om hur vi skulle navigera in i Fakarava, vÄr nÀsta
destination. NÀr vi frÄgade om han visste tiderna för hög- och lÄgvatten det
nÀrmste dygnet sa han att han numera bara gick efter vad han lÀrt av sin morfar.
NÀr mÄnen stod som högst pÄ sin bana sÄ var det högvatten. Sedan kan man rÀkna
ut restenâŠVi tackade för hans gĂ€stfrihet och allt han lĂ€rt oss med en gĂ„va
tillbaka och dagen efter gav vi oss ivÀg till Fakarava. Vi hade studerat mÄnens
bana pÄ kvÀllen och, mycket riktigt, nÀr vi tittade i tidvattentabeller för
omrÄdet sÄ stÀmde teorin relativt bra. Tiden för högsta punkten pÄ mÄnbanan rÄder
högvatten. LÀgger man till 6 timmar och 15 minuter sÄ fÄr man tiden för nÀsta
lÄgvatten, efter ytterligare 6 timmar och 15 minuter kommer nÀsta högvatten o s
v. Sedan Àr det bara att konsultera mÄnen igen⊠Ingen exakt vetenskap men
tillrĂ€ckligt för oss att navigera efterđ</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">EfterÄt lÀste vi ocksÄ pÄ mer om de kÀrnvapenprovsprÀngningar
som Frankrike gjorde pÄ de obebodda atollerna Moruroa och intilliggande Fangataufa.
Vi mindes ocksÄ hur Greenpeacefartyget Rainbow Warrior hade sÀnkts i samband
med dessa och protesterna som uppstod vÀrlden över. Mellan Ären 1966 och 1996
genomfördes över 190 kÀrnvapenprov pÄ atollerna bÄde ovan och under mark. Det
har senare visat sig att det fick förödande konsekvenser för bÄde djur och
vÀxtliv och, inte minst, alla boende pÄ öarna och de militÀrer som deltog i
olika uppdrag i samband med sprÀngningarna. FrÀmst har fallen av
sköldkörtelcancer blivit mÄnga fler men frekvensen av andra cancerformer har ocksÄ
ökat liksom missbildningar hos nyfödda, fosterskador m m sedan
provsprÀngningarna genomfördes och hela Polynesien har drabbats pÄ olika sÀtt
eftersom vindarna och vattenströmmar fört med sig radioaktiva partiklar.
Fortfarande kan det vara svÄrt att fÄ ersÀttning av franska staten Àven om
regelverket förÀndrats nÄgot genom Ären i takt med att man kunnat ta fram fler
bevis för skador knutna till sprÀngningarna. Frankrike var ingalunda det enda
land som genomfört den hÀr typen av sprÀngningar. USA, Storbritannien,
Sovjet/Ryssland och Kina har ocksÄ genomfört provsprÀngningar, för att nÀmna
nÄgra. Dessa har ocksÄ nÀstan alltid skett i ockuperade omrÄden dÀr
ursprungsbefolkningen drabbatsâŠ.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Seglingen till Fakarava, dÀr vi nu befinner oss, tog nÀstan
sex timmar. Ăn Ă€r den nĂ€st största i Tuamotu och ingĂ„r i ett av UNESCO:s biosfĂ€romrĂ„den.
Atollen och har tvÄ in-/utlopp. Vi kom in genom det (enormt stora) norra inloppet,
helt oproblematiskt. Ăven i denna atoll Ă€r det den norra delen som Ă€r bebodd med
den största byn Rotoava. Strax utanför Rotoava lÄg ett femtiotal segelbÄtar
ankrade. NÀr vi kom fram letade vi upp en ledig plats att ankra pÄ och provade,
för första gÄngen, att kroka fast bojar lÀngs ankarkÀttingen för att inte skada
eller fastna vid korallerna pÄ botten. Djupet var dock sÄ pass stort att det
troligen inte vÀxte nÄgra koraller dÀr men vi övade ÀndÄ. Vi var lite oroliga
för att om kÀttingen lÀttar frÄn botten sÄ kanske ankaret inte skulle sÀtta sig
ordentligt men vi har nu legat hÀr i fyra dygn utan att dragga sÄ det verkar
fungera. đ</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Fakarava visade sig vara mycket mer turistinriktat Àn lilla
Kauehi och pÄminde oss mer om Nuku Hiva med stora kryssningsfartyg som kommer
in och lastar av passagerare i land för en dags upplevelser innan de Äter gÄr
ombord för vidare fÀrd till nÀsta ö. Hantverksbutiker, mataffÀrer och
restauranger hÄller öppet och taxibilar ordnar med transporter och smÄ
exkursioner. Det gÀller att ta vara pÄ de timmar som turisterna Àr i land!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Atollen Àr sÄ stor att det ryms mycket liv i den stora
lagunen som olika hajarter, sköldpaddor, rockor, mantor etc. T o m delfiner
skall finnas hÀr! AtmosfÀren Àr lugn och avslappnad och vi blev hjÀrtligt
vÀlkomnade av personalen pÄ borgmÀstarens kansli nÀr vi gick in för att betala
turist- och sopavgiften.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I lagunens grundare delar Àr vattnet turkosblÄtt och sanden
kritvit. För den som gillar sol, bad och vita strÀnder Àr detta rena paradiset!
SmÄ boomies syns hÀr och var i vattnet som man fÄr kryssa emellan nÀr man Äker in
till land med dingen. Vi tog oss tid att snorkla runt ett rev som lÄg nÀra
bÄten och fick se massor av revfiskar och vackra koraller. Dock var tyvÀrr merparten
av korallerna i dÄligt skick och alldeles grÄ. Vi har Àven sett svartfenad revhaj, sköterskehaj
och stora vattensköldpaddor. Dessutom ser det ut som att vi fÄtt med oss tre
sugfiskar frÄn Kauhei som troligen liftat med oss genom att sitta under Anastacias
skrov. Vi hade matat dem med smÄ brödbitar i Kauehi och blev förvÄnade nÀr
samma fiskar dök upp igen sÄ fort vi ankrat i Fakarava. De ser lustiga ut med
en stor sugplatta pÄ huvudet⊠SjÀlvklart fick de nÄgra brödsmulor hÀr ocksÄ. Baguetter,
sĂ„klart. Det Ă€r ju franska öar! đ.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Fakarava Àr kanske mest kÀnt för sina pÀrlodlingar och det
var nÄgot vi gÀrna ville fÄ lÀra oss mer om. Man kan se odlingarnas bojar flyta
i vattnet lÀngre ut i lagunen. Vi bokade en liten visning pÄ Les Perles
D'Havaiki. Guiden visade hela processen, frÄn det att man kirurgiskt opererar
in en liten minipÀrla av snÀckskal i ostronets mage till hur man plockar ut en
fÀrdig pÀrla efter att ostronet fÄtt vÀxa till sig i ungefÀr tvÄ Är. Den fÀrdiga
pÀrlan skall sedan tvÀttas och klassificeras efter fÀrg storlek form etc. I
Polynesien odlas frÀmst de svarta pÀrlorna som har en speciell lyster. Hela
processen krÀver rena vatten och bra miljö för att ostronen skall trivas. Man
kan lÄta ett ostron producera flera pÀrlor efter varandra tills det blivit för
gammalt. I de fall ostronet inte kan anvÀndas lÀngre öppnas det helt och köttet
(muskeln) sÀljs till restauranger. Av skalen görs smycken och andra konstverk
dÄ Àven dessa har en vacker lyster. Som avslut pÄ visningen fick vi vÀlja ut varsitt
ostron som s a s var fÀrdigt att skörda och ta med oss pÀrlan som bildats i
djuret. Nu förstÄr vi vilken komplicerad process pÀrlodling innebÀr med mÄnga
steg som krÀver hantverksskicklighet och involverar flera olika yrkesgrupper.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nu skall vi strax ge oss av igen. Det blir inte fler atoller
för vÄr del utan nu vÀntar tvÄ dygns segling till Tahiti dÀr vi ocksÄ vÀntar
besök av son med kompis.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal"><em>Kauehi</em></p><p class="MsoNormal"><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/Kauehi_GoogleMaps.png?1741418696" loading="lazy" data-original-width="728" data-original-height="695" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/Kauehi_GoogleMaps.png?1741418696 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/Kauehi_GoogleMaps.png?1741418696 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f/userfiles/Tuamotus/Kauehi_GoogleMaps.png?1741418696" width="150" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/20250302_095143.jpg?1741420108" loading="lazy" data-original-width="3000" data-original-height="1458" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/20250302_095143.jpg?1741420108 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/20250302_095143.jpg?1741420108 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/20250302_095143.jpg?1741420108 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/20250302_095143.jpg?1741420108 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/20250302_095143.jpg?1741420108 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/20250302_095143.jpg?1741420108?1741420108" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/20250228_122719.jpg?1741420108" loading="lazy" data-original-width="3000" data-original-height="1458" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/20250228_122719.jpg?1741420108 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/20250228_122719.jpg?1741420108 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/20250228_122719.jpg?1741420108 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/20250228_122719.jpg?1741420108 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/20250228_122719.jpg?1741420108 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/20250228_122719.jpg?1741420108?1741420108" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/20250301_114649.jpg?1741420107" loading="lazy" data-original-width="2250" data-original-height="3000" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/20250301_114649.jpg?1741420107 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/20250301_114649.jpg?1741420107 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/20250301_114649.jpg?1741420107 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/20250301_114649.jpg?1741420107 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/20250301_114649.jpg?1741420107 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/20250301_114649.jpg?1741420107?1741420107" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/20250301_113836.jpg?1741420107" loading="lazy" data-original-width="2250" data-original-height="3000" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/20250301_113836.jpg?1741420107 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/20250301_113836.jpg?1741420107 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/20250301_113836.jpg?1741420107 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/20250301_113836.jpg?1741420107 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/20250301_113836.jpg?1741420107 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/20250301_113836.jpg?1741420107?1741420107" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal"><em>Fakarava</em></p><p class="MsoNormal"><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/Fakarava_GoogleMaps.png?1741419675" loading="lazy" data-original-width="761" data-original-height="778" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/Fakarava_GoogleMaps.png?1741419675 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/Fakarava_GoogleMaps.png?1741419675 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/Fakarava_GoogleMaps.png?1741419675 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/Fakarava_GoogleMaps.png?1741419675?1741419675" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/20250306_103033.jpg?1741420263" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1458" data-original-height="3000" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/20250306_103033.jpg?1741420263 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/20250306_103033.jpg?1741420263 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/20250306_103033.jpg?1741420263 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/20250306_103033.jpg?1741420263?1741420263" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Tuamotus/20250306_103212.jpg?1741420263" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1458" data-original-height="3000" 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Fri, 07 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000
/blog/march-2025/french-polynesia-and-the-tuamotus
/blog/march-2025/french-polynesia-and-the-tuamotus
-
French Polynesia, Nuku Hiva and the Marquesas
Malin
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Polynesia (meaning roughly the many islands) is
a large cultural and geographical region in the Pacific Ocean consisting of a
variety of islands, archipelagos and nations where the people share the same origin
and speak one of the many Polynesian languages. Polynesia is bordered by Hawaii
(to the north), New Zealand (to the southwest) and Easter Island (to the
southeast). The area is sometimes referred to as the Polynesian Triangle.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">French Polynesia is part of Polynesia and is
almost as large as Europe and consists of 118 islands and atolls, of which 67
are inhabited. The islands are divided into different archipelagos; Marquesas
Islands, Tuamotu Archipelago, Society Islands, Gambier Islands and Austral
Islands. There are long distances between the archipelagos with the Gambier
Islands and Austral Islands being the southernmost. We will probably not be
able to visit these two southern archipelagos. Further north, from east to west lie the
Marquesas, Tuamotu and Society Islands, where Tahiti with its capital Papeete
is perhaps the best known. We plan to visit a few islands on each of these archipelagos
before heading further west to other Polynesian islands/nations.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The islands in French Polynesia have all been
formed from volcanoes and the youngest are about 1-5 million years old, such as
the islands in the Marquesas. The oldest islands are in the Austral Islands and
Tuamotu and are around 50 million years old. The oldest islands are no longer
real islands, but millions of years of erosion have transformed them into
atolls where only some parts protrude from the sea surface.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The islands in French Polynesia were first
settled by Austronesian-speaking Polynesians, who probably originated from
Southeast Asia (Taiwan-Philippines) and migrated east via Samoa and Tonga. This
migration was part of the great Polynesian expansion across the Pacific. In
French Polynesia, it began in the Marquesas a few hundred years BC and the last
islands colonized by Polynesians are believed to have been the Gambier Islands,
which also became the islands from which a group of inhabitants probably emigrated
and continued the long journey to Easter Island and later Hawaii, which began
to be populated around the 11th and 13th centuries AD. A prerequisite for this
strong expansion, despite the great distances in the Pacific Ocean, was the
sophisticated navigational skills that the Polynesians had developed. They
navigated with the help of stars, ocean currents and bird migration patterns.
They used the characteristic wooden canoes with an outrigger (additional hull)
attached to one side of the canoe. These canoes were very stable and could be
both paddled and sailed. Today, the same type of canoe is still used, but made
of more modern materials.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The first time Europeans came into contact with
the islands was in the 16th century when the Portuguese and Spaniards noted
that the islands existed but they probably had little contact with the
inhabitants. In 1767, the British Samuel Wallis landed on Tahiti and declared
the island British. Protestantism was then introduced to the island. The French
eventually took over Tahiti after disputes and battles with the British and the
population of the islands under the then Polynesian regent Queen Pomare IV. In the
early 20th century, all five island groups belonged to France and Catholicism
became the official religion. Today, French Polynesia has more autonomy but is
still considered one of France's so-called overseas collectivity where France
retains control over defense, foreign policy, justice and law enforcement and
currency/economy (the CFP franc is tied to the euro). French Polynesia now
controls its own laws, economy, budget, health, education (partially) and
internal security. From what we understand, there no longer seems to be
majority support among the population on the islands for complete independence
from France, but instead they are trying to make better use of their own old
culture and have, with the help of historians and archaeologists, begun to
rediscover and embrace parts of it, such as dances, crafts and food traditions.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Polynesian indigenous culture and its
traditions vary between the islands but have a common core. Before European
colonization, the population was organized into hierarchical chiefdoms ruled by<em>
Ariâi</em> (chiefs). Below the chiefs there were several different social classes
and the lowest were the slaves who were often convicted criminals or captured
enemies. The Polynesians could build impressive structures such as <em>marae
</em> which were sacred temples for religious and social purposes. They lived on what
the sea could provide and cultivated and planted many different crops such as
breadfruit and fruit trees of various kinds which were harvested and stored in
various ways to last longer than the harvest season. Fermentation was used as a
method. For example, <em>mahi </em>or <em>pĆpoi </em>as it is also called was made.
It is breadfruit that has been mashed and left to lie in a low-oxygen
environment in a leaf-lined pit where it eventually fermented (by lactic acid
bacteria). Mahi could be stored for several years and is said to be both
nutritious and healthy. When the Polynesians colonized new islands, they
brought with them many of the important fruits and seeds and some domesticated
animals such as pigs and dogs that they needed to survive on the previously
uninhabited islands.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Polynesians were very trade-oriented but
were also warlike and fights between the islands/kingdoms occurred. They
practiced a complex polytheistic religion that was intertwined with daily life
and social structure. Their spiritual beliefs revolved around <em>atua
</em> (gods), ancestors, <em>mana </em>(spiritual power) and <em>tapu </em>(sacred
restrictions). The word taboo comes from the Polynesian word tapu.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Mana was a supernatural force that existed not only
in all living things but also inanimate things such as objects and places.
Chiefs and priests had strong mana, which gave them divine authority.
Women's mana was usually greater than men's because they could give bearth
(give life). Losing mana, through defeat in battle or breaking a tapu,
resulted in dishonor and loss of status. For example, it was tapu for a
woman to step in a canoe because her mana was much more powerful than
that of the canoe and the canoe would lose its power. This was especially
important to consider when the canoes were to be used in battle. Similarly, it
could be tapu to step over a chief's shadow if one was lower in rank.
Serious violations of a tapu could sometimes be punished by death.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Polynesians believed in a balance of masculine
and feminine energies, rather than fixed gender roles based on physical
appearance, and some myths describe gods or spirits who change sex or are
androgynous. Mana was therefore not strictly tied to biological sex, but
rather one's role in society. French Polynesia, like other parts of Polynesia,
had a recognized "third sex" known as <em>mÄhĆ«</em>. These were people
who embodied both male and female characteristics. They were biological males
who took on female gender roles, including clothing, speech, and occupations.
In some cases, there were also female mÄhĆ« who took on male roles. MÄhĆ«
had several important roles in society. They could often be priests, healers,
teachers or artists, specialized in oral traditions, dance forms and were
responsible for the care of children and the elderly. They were seen as
guardians of knowledge, and were a kind of cultural bearer of information about
different lineages, old stories and religious customs that they passed on
between generations. Chiefs could turn to a mÄhĆ« for advice before important
decisions. After European colonization and the introduction of Christianity, mÄhĆ«
were seen as an abomination and Western gender roles were introduced and many mÄhĆ«
were subjected to social oppression and avoided showing their identity. Today,
however, mÄhĆ« are still present in Polynesian and Hawaiian culture and are more
accepted, although their role has evolved and adapted to today's way of life.
Many today work in various service professions, for example.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Polynesians were also known for their <em>tikis</em>,
human-like anthropomorphic figures carved from stone, wood or bone. According
to Polynesian mythology, the tiki is sometimes considered to be the
first human created by the gods, but interpretations vary between the different
island groups. In the Marquesas, tikis primarily represent ancestors and
protective spirits. They were often designed as half human and half animal or God
with enlarged heads and eyes. One interpretation of the large eyes (which
almost look like glasses) is that through the eyes one comes into contact with
the spirit world. Tikis are also often connected to spiritual protection,
strength and guidance.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We have now been anchored for just over two
weeks outside the capital Taiohae on the island of Nuku Hiva, which is also the
main island of the Marquesas. As soon as the hurricane season (cyclone season)
ends in April, the actual tourist season begins and many boats and tourists
come to the islands. We are early in the season so there is plenty of space in
the bay and few tourists on the island, except when the cruise ships dock, when
Taiohae is packed with people for a day. The lady in the tourist office next to
the port has all the information of when the cruise ships arrive and makes sure
to book the local ensemble of dancers and drummers who have their shows for the
fascinated cruise tourists. The trade in crafts, fruit and vegetables is
flourishing and the small local cafes are full. It is understandable that
tourists are an important source of income for the islands.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The clearance process was painless. We rang the
doorbell of the French gendarmes and even though we arrived outside office
hours, they received us and the procedure was completed in 10 minutes. We had
prepared ourselves by filling in our details digitally in a system used on the
islands and had our passports and boat papers with us. As EU citizens, the
rules for visiting and staying in French Polynesia are incredibly favorable.â
This is how easy it should be to get to France. Welcome!â, one of the gendarmes
said in broken English. Or, to be more precise. The guy started speaking in
English but as soon as he noticed that we knew a little French he switched to
his native language. đAfter customs we took out some cash,
got ourselves a local SIM card and topped up with data. Finally connected
again!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nuku Hiva is a very beautiful island with high
mountain peaks and steep cliffs towards the sea with fantastic views. There are
several bays with good anchorages around the island. The second highest
(longest?) waterfall in the world is also said to be here. We rented a car and
drove on the few roads that exist. First, we went east and came to some smaller
towns with small fishing ports, shops and restaurants. The mango trees along
the road were full of half-ripe fruits and we took the liberty of picking some.
The island is lushly green and along the roadsides you can see pigs, horses and
goats and the occasional cow wandering around freely. Roosters and chickens can
be seen running around everywhere. Some horses are kept tethered and you can
see fenced areas, but there are just as many animals outside as inside the
enclosures.</p><p class="MsoNormal">In the small town of Hatiheu we had a fantastic meal. A stew made
from goat meat and coconut milk served with cassava, fried breadfruit and rice.
What we couldn't finish we then had to throw into a small stream, right next to
the restaurant where two large eels appeared and feasted on the leftovers. The
eels were "regulars" at the restaurant and part of the experience the
restaurant is known for.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Outside Hatiheu is one of several historical remains
from the time before European colonization. The place we visited is called Kamuihei and is one
of the largest archaeological excavations on the island. Here there are sacred
places, rebuilt houses and areas for various social purposes and we saw tikis,
sacrificial pits and small pits carved into rocks similar to those we can see
in rock carvings in Sweden. In addition, there were several petroglyphs on
large stone slabs with depictions of animals, gods, people and symbols that are
also found in the many tattoos of the Polynesians. Since the Polynesian culture
was a culture that was carried by oral stories and lacked written language,
interpretations are difficult to make and the meanings are said to vary
somewhat between the island groups, but archaeologists believe that they almost
always involve representations of gods, ancestors, travel, celestial bodies and
protective symbols. There was also a gigantic banyan tree at the site that is
said to be 600 years old!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The last part of our drive went west towards
the airport. Now we came to higher mountain areas, deep valleys and in the
distance, we could see a very long and very narrow waterfall. Instead of palm
trees and fruit trees, the road was lined with pine plantations with a species
of pine that originally comes from the Caribbean. The pines have been planted
mainly for the sake of the wood but have, of course, also changed the
conditions for the native species that lived there before.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">On the beach in Taiohae almost every day we saw
young guys riding back and forth on their horses. Sometimes they competed along
a given distance to be first. It was impressive to see because they were riding
bareback (without a saddle) at a fast gallop with only a blanket to sit on.
They looked mighty proud when we wanted to take pictures. However, we never saw
a girl riding. Horses now seem to be an integral part of Polynesian life but
the origin of horses is somewhat unclear. The most likely is that the Europeans
introduced different animals like horses, goats and cows to the islands.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The waters around the Marquesas Islands are
rich in life. The local fishermen come into the harbor almost every day with
fine catches of fish that they sell directly on site. The leftover fish after
cleaning is thrown into the harbor to the delight of the sharks. The sharks are
of the species (greater) blacktip reef shark. Not all residents in the area are
delighted with the spectacle in the water when the sharks fight over the
leftovers, but it is a good tourist magnet⊠đ In addition to the sharks, which are not particularly dangerous to
humans, we have also seen many manta rays swimming around our boat.
Unfortunately, we have not been able to get any good pictures of them and when
we snorkeled in the bay and tried to film, the visibility was too poor. Hopefully
there will be more opportunities. One morning we heard a terrible splash behind
the boat and when we ran out onto the deck to see what had happened, we saw a
sea turtle trying to free itself from the dinghy's mooring line that it had
managed to wrap around its neck. After a few fruitless attempts to untie the
rope, we were forced to cut it. As soon as the turtle felt it was free, it took
a big, loud breath before diving into the water and disappearing. How it
managed to get tangled up so strangely, we could never figure outâŠ</p><p class="MsoNormal">On Valentine's Day we took the opportunity to have a three-course dinner at a restaurant in Taiohae where local musicians performed languid ballads. The next day we were also able to take part in a Valentine's Day party where both locals and tourists were welcome. The meal was accompanied by a show that was over an hour long and was more like a long danced story. We showed up later in the evening but still saw parts of the show. Later we were able to dance a little ourselves to deafening Polynesian popular music đ</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In recent days, we have been stocking up on
supplies at the local store and buying a souvenir in the form of a mini-tiki
made of wood made by a local artist on the island.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Now we are waiting out some rough weather
before we can set off for the Tuamotu atolls. Since these are shallow reefs
with few entrances or exits and where the currents are strong, we have to
adjust to the tides so that we enter when it is slack water. We hope to be able
to practice on a simpler atoll with more room for the boat to enter, before we
set off to reach the Fakarava atoll where we hope to see pearl farms!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Polynesien (betyder ungefÀr de mÄnga öarna) Àr en stor
kulturell och geografisk region i Stilla havet bestÄende av en mÄngfald av öar,
ögrupper och nationer dÀr mÀnniskorna delar samma ursprung och pratar nÄgot av
de mÄnga polynesiska sprÄken. Polynesien avgrÀnsas av Hawaii (i norr), Nya
Zeeland (i sydvÀst) och PÄskön (i sydöst). OmrÄdet benÀmns ibland som den polynesiska
triangeln.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Franska Polynesien Àr en del av Polynesien och Àr till ytan nÀstan
lika stort som Europa och bestÄr av 118 öar och atoller varav 67 Àr bebodda.
Ăarna Ă€r indelade i olika ögrupper; Marquesas Islands, Tuamotu Archipelago,
Society Islands (SÀllskapsöarna), Gambier Islands och Austral Islands. Det Àr
lÄnga avstÄnd mellan ögrupperna dÀr Gambieröarna och Australöarna ligger lÀngst
söderut. Dessa sydligare ögrupper kommer vi troligen inte att besöka. LÀngre norrut, frÄn
öst till vÀst ligger Marquesas, Tuamotu och SÀllskapsöarna dÀr Tahiti med
huvudstaden Papeete kanske Àr den mest kÀnda. NÄgon ö pÄ var och en av dessa ögrupper
har vi tÀnkt besöka innan vi ger oss av lÀngre vÀsterut till andra Polynesiska
öar/nationer.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Ăarna i Franska Polynesien har alla bildats frĂ„n vulkaner
och de yngsta Àr ungefÀr 1-5 miljoner Är gamla, som t ex öarna pÄ Marquesas, De
Àldsta öarna ligger i Australöarna och Tuamotu och Àr runt 50 miljoner Är
gamla. De Àldsta öarna Àr inga egentliga öar lÀngre utan Ärmiljonernas
erodering har förvandlat dem till atoller dÀr bara vissa delar sticker upp ur
havsytan.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Ăarna i Franska Polynesien bosattes först av
austronesisktalande polynesier, som troligen hÀrstammade frÄn Sydostasien
(Taiwan-Filippinerna) och migrerade österut via Samoa och Tonga. Denna
migration var en del av den stora polynesiska expansionen över Stilla havet. I Franska
Polynesien började den vid Marquesas nÄgra hundra Är f Kr och de sista öarna
som koloniserades av polynesier tror man var Gambieröarna som ocksÄ blev de öar
dÀr en grupp invÄnare förmodligen emigrerade och fortsatte den lÄnga fÀrden till
PÄskön och senare Hawaii som började befolkas runt 1000 respektive 1200-talet e
Kr. En förutsÀttning till den starka expansionen, trots de stora avstÄnden i
Stilla havet, var de sofistikerade navigeringsfÀrdigheter som Polynesierna hade
utvecklat. De navigerade med hjÀlp av stjÀrnor, havsströmmar och fÄglars
migrationsmönster. De anvÀnde sig av de karakteristiska trÀkanoterna med en
utriggare (extra skrov) fÀst pÄ ena sidan av kanoten. Dessa kanoter var mycket
stabila och kunde bÄde paddlas och seglas. Idag anvÀnds fortfarande samma typ
av kanoter men tillverkade av modernare material.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Första gÄngen européer kom i kontakt med öarna var pÄ 1500-talet
dÄ portugiser och spanjorer noterade att öarna fanns men de hade troligen ingen
större kontakt med invÄnarna. 1767 landsteg britten Samuel Wallis pÄ Tahiti och
deklarerade ön som brittisk. Protestantism infördes sedan pÄ ön. FransmÀn tog
sÄ smÄningom över Tahiti efter dispyter och strider med britter och
befolkningen pÄ öarna under den dÄvarande polynesiska regenten Drottning Pomare
IV. I början av 1900-talet tillhörde
alla fem ögrupperna Frankrike och katolicismen blev den officiella religionen. Idag
har Franska Polynesien mer sjÀlvstyre men rÀknas fortfarande som ett av Frankrikes
sÄ kallade utomeuropeiska förvaltningsomrÄden dÀr Frankrike behÄller kontrollen
över försvar, utrikespolitik, rÀttsvÀsende och valuta (CFP-francen Àr knuten
till euron). Franska Polynesien kontrollerar numera sina egna lagar, ekonomi,
budget, hÀlsa, utbildning (delvis) och inre sÀkerhet. Vad vi förstÄtt verkar det inte
lÀngre finnas majoritetsstöd hos befolkningen pÄ öarna för fullstÀndig
sjÀlvstÀndighet frÄn Frankrike men man försöker istÀllet ta vara pÄ den egna
gamla kulturen bÀttre och har, med historikers och arkeologers hjÀlp, börjat
ÄterupptÀcka och omfamna delar av den som exempelvis danser, hantverk och
mattraditioner.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Den Polynesiska ursprungskulturen och dess traditioner
varierar mellan öarna men har en gemensam kÀrna. Innan den europeiska
koloniseringen var befolkningen organiserad i hierarkiska hövdingadömen styrda
av <em>Ariâi </em>(hövdingar). Under hövdingarna fanns flera olika samhĂ€llsskikt
och lÀgst stÄende var slavarna som ofta var dömda brottslingar eller tillfÄngatagna
fiender. Polynesierna kunde bygga imponerande strukturer som <em>marae </em>som
var heliga tempel för religiösa och sociala ÀndamÄl. Man levde pÄ vad havet
kunde ge samt odlade och planterade mÄnga olika grödor som exempelvis brödfrukt
och frukttrÀd av olika slag som man skördade och lagrade pÄ olika sÀtt för att
vara lÀngre Àn skördesÀsongen. Bl a anvÀndes fermentering som en metod. T ex
gjorde man <em>mahi </em>eller <em>pĆpoi </em>som det ocksĂ„ kallas. Det Ă€r
brödfrukt som mosats och fÄtt ligga syrefattigt i en lövbeklÀdd grop dÀr den sÄ
smÄningom fermenterade (genom mjölksyrabakterier). Mahin kunde lagras i flera
Är och sÀgs vara bÄde nÀringsrik och nyttig. NÀr polynesierna koloniserade nya
öar hade de med sig mÄnga av de viktiga frukter och frön och vissa tamdjur som
grisar och hundar som de behövde för att överleva pÄ de tidigare obebodda öarna.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Polynesierna idkade mycket handel men var ocksÄ stridslystna
och krig mellan öarna/kungadömen förekom. De utövade en komplex polyteistisk
religion som var sammanflÀtad med det dagliga livet och den sociala strukturen.
Deras andliga övertygelser kretsade kring <em>atua </em>(gudar), förfÀder, <em>mana
</em> (andlig kraft) och <em>tapu </em>(heliga begrÀnsningar). Ordet tabu kommer
just frÄn polynesiskans tapu.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Mana var en övernaturlig kraft som inte bara fanns i alla
levande varelser utan Àven döda ting som föremÄl och platser. Hövdingar och
prÀster hade stark mana, vilket gav dem gudomlig auktoritet. Kvinnors mana
var vanligen större Àn mÀnnens pÄ grund av att de kunde föda barn (ge liv). Att
förlora mana, genom nederlag i strid eller bryta en tapu,
resulterade i vanÀra och förlust av status. T ex var det tapu för en
kvinna att kliva pÄ en kanot dÄ hennes mana var mycket mÀktigare Àn
kanotens och kanoten s a s förlorade sin kraft. Detta var sÀrskilt viktigt att
ta hÀnsyn till nÀr kanoterna skulle anvÀndas i strider. LikasÄ kunde det vara tapu
att kliva över en hövdings skugga om man stod lÀgre i rang. Att allvarligt
bryta mot en tapu kunde ibland bestraffas med döden.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Polynesier trodde pÄ en balans mellan maskulina och feminina
energier, snarare Àn bestÀmda könsroller beroende pÄ hur man sÄg ut fysiskt och
vissa myter beskriver gudar eller andar som byter kön eller Àr androgyna. Manan
var dÀrför inte strikt knuten till biologiskt kön, utan snarare ens roll i
samhÀllet. Franska Polynesien, liksom andra delar av Polynesien, hade ett
erkĂ€nt "tredje kön" kĂ€nt som <em>mÄhĆ«</em>. Dessa var mĂ€nniskor som
förkroppsligade bÄde manliga och kvinnliga egenskaper. De var biologiska mÀn
som tog pÄ sig kvinnliga könsroller, inklusive klÀder, tal och yrken. I vissa
fall fanns det Ă€ven kvinnliga mÄhĆ« som tog pĂ„ sig manliga roller. <a name="_Hlk191066362">MÄhĆ« </a>hade flera viktiga roller i samhĂ€llet.
Ofta kunde de vara prÀster, helare, lÀrare eller konstnÀrer, specialiserade pÄ
muntliga traditioner, dansformer och ansvarade för omsorg av barn och Àldre. De
sÄgs som kunskapens vÀktare, och var en slags kulturbÀrare av informationen om
olika slÀktled, gamla berÀttelser och religiösa sedvÀnjor som de förde vidare
mellan generationer. Hövdingar kunde vĂ€nda sig till en mÄhĆ« för att fĂ„
rÄd inför viktiga beslut. Efter den europeiska koloniseringen och införandet av
kristendom sĂ„gs MÄhĆ« som en styggelse och vĂ€sterlĂ€ndska könsroller
infördes och mĂ„nga mÄhĆ« utsattes för socialt förtryck och undvek att
visa sin identitet. Idag Ă€r dock mÄhĆ« fortfarande nĂ€rvarande i den
polynesiska och hawaiianska kulturen och Àr mer accepterade, Àven om deras roll
har utvecklats och anpassats till dagens levnadssÀtt. MÄnga arbetar idag exempelvis
inom olika serviceyrken.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Polynesierna var ocksÄ kÀnda för sina <em>tikis</em>,
mÀnniskoliknande antropomorfiska figurer, uthuggna ur sten, trÀ eller ben.
Enligt polynesisk mytologi anses tiki ibland vara den första mÀnniskan
som skapats av gudarna men tolkningarna varierar pÄ de olika ögrupperna. PÄ
Marquesas representerar tikis frÀmst förfÀder och skyddande andar. Ofta utformades
de som hÀlften mÀnniska och hÀlften djur eller gud med förstorade huvuden och
ögon. En tolkning av de stora ögonen (som nÀstan ser ut som glasögon) Àr att
genom ögonen kommer man i kontakt med andevÀrlden. Tikis Àr ofta ocksÄ
kopplade till andligt skydd, styrka och vÀgledning.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Vi har nu legat för ankar i drygt tvÄ veckor utanför
huvudorten Taiohae pÄ ön Nuku Hiva som ocksÄ Àr huvudön i Marquesas. SÄ fort
orkansÀsongen (cyklonsÀsongen) Àr avslutad i april börjar den egentliga
turistsÀsongen och dÄ kommer mÄnga bÄtar och turister till öarna. Vi Àr tidigt
ute pÄ sÀsongen sÄ det Àr gott om plats i viken och fÄ turister pÄ ön, förutom
nÀr kryssningsfartygen lÀgger till för dÄ kryllar det av folk Taiohae under en
dag. Damen i turistbyrÄn intill hamnen har full koll pÄ nÀr kryssningsfartygen
kommer och ser till att boka den lokala ensemblen av dansare och trumslagare som
har sina uppvisningar inför hÀnförda kryssningsturister. Kommersen med
hantverk, frukt och grönt blommar upp och de smÄ lokala caféerna fylls. Man
förstÄr att turisterna utgör en viktig inkomstkÀlla för öarna.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Inklareringen gick smÀrtfritt. Vi ringde pÄ dörren hos de
franska gendarmerna och fast vi kom utanför kontorstid tog de emot oss och
proceduren var klar pÄ 10 minuter. Vi hade förberett oss genom att fylla i vÄra
uppgifter digitalt i ett system som anvÀnds pÄ öarna och hade passen och
bÄtpapprena med oss. Som EU-medborgare Àr reglerna för att besöka och stanna i
Franska Polynesien otroligt förmĂ„nliga.â SĂ„ hĂ€r enkelt skall det vara att komma
till Frankrike. VĂ€lkomna!â, sa en av gendarmerna pĂ„ knagglig engelska. Eller,
rÀttare sagt. Killen började prata pÄ engelska men sÄ fort han konstaterade att
vi kunde lite franska gick han över till sitt modersmĂ„l. đEfter
inklareringen tog vi ut lite kontanter, skaffade oss ett lokalt sim-kort och
fyllde pĂ„ med data. Ăntligen uppkopplade igen!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nuku Hiva Àr en vÀldigt vacker ö med höga bergstoppar och
branta stup mot havet med fantastiska vyer. Det finns flera vikar med bra
ankringsplatser runt ön. HÀr lÀr ocksÄ den nÀst högsta (lÀngsta?) vattenfallet
i vÀrlden finnas. Vi hyrde en bil och körde pÄ de fÄ vÀgarna som finns. Först
Äkte vi österut och kom till nÄgra mindre orter med smÄ fiskehamnar, affÀrer
och restauranger. MangotrÀden lÀngs vÀgen dignade av halvmogna frukter och vi
tog oss friheten att plocka nĂ„gra. Ăn Ă€r frodigt grön och vid vĂ€gkanterna kan
man se grisar, hÀstar och getter och en och annan ko vandra runt fritt. Tuppar
och hönor syns sprÀtta överallt. Vissa hÀstar hÄlls tjudrade och man ser
inhÀgnade omrÄden men det gÄr lika mÄnga djur utanför som innanför hÀgnen.</p><p class="MsoNormal">PÄ
den lilla orten Hatiheu Ät vi en fantastiskt god mÄltid. En gryta gjord pÄ
getkött och kokosmjölk serverat med kassava, friterad brödfrukt samt ris. Det
vi inte orkade Àta upp fick vi sedan slÀnga i en liten bÀck, precis intill
restaurangen dĂ€r det dök upp tvĂ„ stora Ă„lar som kalasade pĂ„ resterna. Ă
larna
var âstammisarâ pĂ„ restaurangen och en del av upplevelsen restaurangen Ă€r kĂ€nd
för.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Utanför Hatiheu finns en av flera historiska lÀmningar frÄn
tiden innan européernas kolonisering. Platsen vi besökte heter Kamuihei och Àr
en av de största arkeologiska utgrÀvningarna pÄ ön. HÀr finns heliga platser,
Äteruppbyggda hus och ytor för olika sociala ÀndamÄl och vi sÄg tikis, offergropar
och skÄlgropar uthuggna i stenar liknande dem vi kan se pÄ hÀllristningar i
Sverige. Dessutom fanns flera petroglyfer pÄ stora stenhÀllar med avbildningar
av djur, gudar, mÀnniskor och symboler som ocksÄ Äterfinns i polynesiernas
mÄnga tatueringar. Eftersom den polynesiska kulturen var en kultur som bars av
muntliga berÀttelser och saknade skriftsprÄk Àr tolkningar svÄra att göra och betydelserna
sÀgs variera nÄgot mellan ögrupperna men arkeologerna menar att det nÀstan
alltid handlar om representationer av gudar, förfÀder, resor, himlakroppar och
skyddssymboler. PÄ platsen fanns ocksÄ ett gigantiskt banjantrÀd som pÄstÄs
vara 600 Är gammalt!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sista delen av vÄr bilfÀrd gick vÀsterut mot flygplatsen. Nu
kom vi till högre bergsomrÄden, djupa dalgÄngar och pÄ hÄll kunde vi se en
mycket lÄngt och vÀldigt smalt vattenfall. IstÀllet för palmer och frukttrÀd kantades
vÀgen av tallplanteringar med en art av tall som ursprungligen kommer frÄn
Karibien. Tallarna har frÀmst planterats för virkets skull men har, sÄklart,
ocksÄ förÀndrat villkoren för de inhemska arterna som levde dÀr tidigare.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">PÄ stranden i Taiohae sÄg vi nÀstan varje dag unga killar
som red fram och tillbaka pÄ sina hÀstar. Ibland tÀvlade de lÀngs en given
strÀcka om att komma först. Det var imponerande att se eftersom de red barbacka
(utan sadel) i snabb galopp med endast en filt att sitta pÄ. De sÄg mÀkta
stolta ut nÀr vi ville ta kort. Vi sÄg dock aldrig nÄgon tjej rida. HÀstarna
verkar numera vara en integrerad del av polynesiernas liv men hÀstarnas ursprung
Àr nÄgot oklart. Det troligaste Àr att européerna införde flera djur som hÀstar, getter
och kor till öarna.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Vattnen kring öarna i Marquesas Àr rika pÄ liv. De lokala
fiskarna kommer in till hamnen nÀstan varje dag med fina fiskfÄngster som de
sÀljer direkt pÄ plats. Fiskresterna efter rensningen kastas i hamnen till
hajarnas förtjusning. Hajarna Àr av arten större svartfenad revhaj. Inte alla boende
i omrÄdet Àr förtjusta över spektaklet i vattnet nÀr hajarna slÄss om resterna
men det utgör en bra turistmagnet⊠đ Förutom hajarna, som trots allt inte Ă€r
sÀrskilt farliga för mÀnniskor, har vi ocksÄ sett mÄnga mantor simma runt vÄr
bÄt. TyvÀrr har det inte gÄtt att fÄ nÄgra bra bilder pÄ dem och nÀr vi
snorklade i viken och försökte filma var sikten för dÄlig. Förhoppningsvis
kommer fler tillfÀllen. En morgon hörde vi ett fasligt plaskade bakom bÄten och
nÀr vi sprang ut pÄ dÀck ut för att se vad som hÀnt sÄg vi en havssköldpadda
som försökte komma loss frÄn dingens förtöjningslina som den lyckats linda runt
halsen. Efter nÄgra fruktlösa försök att vrida loss linan blev vi tvungna att
kapa den. SÄ fort sköldpaddan kÀnde att den var fri tog den ett stort och
ljudligt andetag innan den dök ner i vattnet och försvann. Hur den lyckats
trassla in sig sĂ„ konstigt kunde vi dock aldrig lista utâŠ</p><p class="MsoNormal">PĂ„ alla hjĂ€rtans dag passade vi pĂ„ att Ă€ta en trerĂ€tters middag pĂ„ en restaurang i Taiohae dĂ€r lokala musiker framförde smĂ€ktande ballader. Dagen efter kunde vi ocksĂ„ ta del av en alla hjĂ€rtans dag-fest dĂ€r bĂ„de lokalbor och turister var vĂ€lkomna. Till maten framfördes en show som var över en timme lĂ„ng och var mer som en dansad lĂ„ng berĂ€ttelse. Vi dök upp senare pĂ„ kvĂ€llen men sĂ„g Ă€ndĂ„ delar av uppvisningen. senare kunde vi sjĂ€lva dansa lite till öronbedövande polyneisisk populĂ€rmusik đ </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">De senaste dagarna har vi provianterat lite i den lokala
affÀren och köpt en souvenir i form av en mini-tiki i trÀ gjord av en lokal
konstnÀr pÄ ön.</p>
<p>Nu vÀntar vi ut lite oroligt vÀder innan vi kan ge oss
av till atollerna i Tuamotu. Eftersom det rör sig om grunda rev med fÄ in-
eller utgÄngar och dÀr strömmarna Àr starka mÄste vi passa tidvattentiderna sÄ
att vi kommer in nÀr det Àr slack. Vi hoppas kunna trÀna pÄ en enklare atoll med
större utrymme för bÄten att komma in, innan vi ger oss pÄ att nÄ atollen Fakarava
dÀr vi hoppas kunna fÄ se pÀrlodlingar!</p><p><br></p><p><em>Show for tourists</em></p><iframe width="490" height="240" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ezxgysC0OJI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><p><br></p><p><em>Different tikis. Some old and some new</em></p><p><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku Hiva/20250205_153642.jpg?1740271342" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1960" data-original-height="4032" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250205_153642.jpg?1740271342 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250205_153642.jpg?1740271342 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250205_153642.jpg?1740271342 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250205_153642.jpg?1740271342 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250205_153642.jpg?1740271342?1740271342" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku Hiva/20250205_153918.jpg?1740271343" loading="lazy" data-original-width="3024" data-original-height="4032" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250205_153918.jpg?1740271343 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250205_153918.jpg?1740271343 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250205_153918.jpg?1740271343 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250205_153918.jpg?1740271343 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250205_153918.jpg?1740271343 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250205_153918.jpg?1740271343?1740271343" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku Hiva/20250205_152953.jpg?1740271342" loading="lazy" data-original-width="3024" data-original-height="4032" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250205_152953.jpg?1740271342 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250205_152953.jpg?1740271342 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250205_152953.jpg?1740271342 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250205_152953.jpg?1740271342 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250205_152953.jpg?1740271342 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250205_152953.jpg?1740271342?1740271342" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku Hiva/20250205_153734.jpg?1740271342" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1960" data-original-height="4032" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250205_153734.jpg?1740271342 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250205_153734.jpg?1740271342 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250205_153734.jpg?1740271342 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250205_153734.jpg?1740271342 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250205_153734.jpg?1740271342?1740271342" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku Hiva/20250210_094639.jpg?1740271343" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1960" data-original-height="4032" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250210_094639.jpg?1740271343 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250210_094639.jpg?1740271343 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250210_094639.jpg?1740271343 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250210_094639.jpg?1740271343 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250210_094639.jpg?1740271343?1740271343" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku Hiva/20250210_094725.jpg?1740271343" loading="lazy" data-original-width="4032" data-original-height="1960" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250210_094725.jpg?1740271343 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250210_094725.jpg?1740271343 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250210_094725.jpg?1740271343 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250210_094725.jpg?1740271343 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250210_094725.jpg?1740271343 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250210_094725.jpg?1740271343?1740271343" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku Hiva/20250210_095118.jpg?1740271342" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1960" data-original-height="4032" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250210_095118.jpg?1740271342 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250210_095118.jpg?1740271342 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250210_095118.jpg?1740271342 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250210_095118.jpg?1740271342 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250210_095118.jpg?1740271342?1740271342" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku Hiva/20250210_095443.jpg?1740271342" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1960" data-original-height="4032" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250210_095443.jpg?1740271342 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250210_095443.jpg?1740271342 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250210_095443.jpg?1740271342 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250210_095443.jpg?1740271342 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250210_095443.jpg?1740271342?1740271342" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku Hiva/20250210_111618.jpg?1740271343" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1960" data-original-height="4032" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250210_111618.jpg?1740271343 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250210_111618.jpg?1740271343 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250210_111618.jpg?1740271343 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250210_111618.jpg?1740271343 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250210_111618.jpg?1740271343?1740271343" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku Hiva/20250210_111947.jpg?1740271342" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1960" data-original-height="4032" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250210_111947.jpg?1740271342 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250210_111947.jpg?1740271342 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250210_111947.jpg?1740271342 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250210_111947.jpg?1740271342 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250210_111947.jpg?1740271342?1740271342" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p><br></p><p><em>Views from land</em></p><p><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku Hiva/20250212_093308.jpg?1740271599" loading="lazy" data-original-width="4032" data-original-height="1960" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_093308.jpg?1740271599 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_093308.jpg?1740271599 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_093308.jpg?1740271599 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_093308.jpg?1740271599 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_093308.jpg?1740271599 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_093308.jpg?1740271599?1740271599" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku Hiva/20250212_111212.jpg?1740271599" loading="lazy" data-original-width="4032" data-original-height="3024" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_111212.jpg?1740271599 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_111212.jpg?1740271599 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_111212.jpg?1740271599 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_111212.jpg?1740271599 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_111212.jpg?1740271599 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_111212.jpg?1740271599?1740271599" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku Hiva/20250212_102837.jpg?1740271599" loading="lazy" data-original-width="4032" data-original-height="3024" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_102837.jpg?1740271599 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_102837.jpg?1740271599 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_102837.jpg?1740271599 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_102837.jpg?1740271599 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_102837.jpg?1740271599 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_102837.jpg?1740271599?1740271599" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p><br></p><p><em>Animals pasturing freely</em></p><p><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku Hiva/20250212_154500.jpg?1740271748" loading="lazy" data-original-width="4032" data-original-height="1960" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_154500.jpg?1740271748 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_154500.jpg?1740271748 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_154500.jpg?1740271748 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_154500.jpg?1740271748 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_154500.jpg?1740271748 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_154500.jpg?1740271748?1740271748" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><iframe width="490" height="240" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WYwB6cWdUCQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><p><br></p><p><em>Hatiheu. eels feasting on leftovers</em></p><iframe width="490" height="240" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7jH2Oq1laO4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br><p><br></p><p><em>Kamuihei arheological site</em></p><p><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku Hiva/20250212_114849.jpg?1740271996" loading="lazy" data-original-width="3024" data-original-height="4032" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_114849.jpg?1740271996 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_114849.jpg?1740271996 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_114849.jpg?1740271996 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_114849.jpg?1740271996 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_114849.jpg?1740271996 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_114849.jpg?1740271996?1740271996" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku Hiva/20250212_120000.jpg?1740271996" loading="lazy" data-original-width="3024" data-original-height="4032" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_120000.jpg?1740271996 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_120000.jpg?1740271996 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_120000.jpg?1740271996 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_120000.jpg?1740271996 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_120000.jpg?1740271996 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_120000.jpg?1740271996?1740271996" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku Hiva/20250212_114332.jpg?1740271996" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1960" data-original-height="4032" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_114332.jpg?1740271996 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_114332.jpg?1740271996 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_114332.jpg?1740271996 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_114332.jpg?1740271996 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_114332.jpg?1740271996?1740271996" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku Hiva/20250212_114640.jpg?1740271996" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1960" data-original-height="4032" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_114640.jpg?1740271996 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_114640.jpg?1740271996 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_114640.jpg?1740271996 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_114640.jpg?1740271996 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_114640.jpg?1740271996?1740271996" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku Hiva/20250212_120127.jpg?1740271996" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1960" data-original-height="4032" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_120127.jpg?1740271996 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_120127.jpg?1740271996 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_120127.jpg?1740271996 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_120127.jpg?1740271996 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_120127.jpg?1740271996?1740271996" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku Hiva/20250212_120009.jpg?1740271996" loading="lazy" data-original-width="3024" data-original-height="4032" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_120009.jpg?1740271996 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_120009.jpg?1740271996 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_120009.jpg?1740271996 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_120009.jpg?1740271996 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_120009.jpg?1740271996 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_120009.jpg?1740271996?1740271996" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku Hiva/20250212_120143.jpg?1740271996" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1960" data-original-height="4032" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_120143.jpg?1740271996 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_120143.jpg?1740271996 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_120143.jpg?1740271996 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_120143.jpg?1740271996 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_120143.jpg?1740271996?1740271996" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> </p><p> <br></p><p><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku Hiva/20250212_121701.jpg?1740271996" loading="lazy" data-original-width="4032" data-original-height="3024" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_121701.jpg?1740271996 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_121701.jpg?1740271996 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_121701.jpg?1740271996 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_121701.jpg?1740271996 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_121701.jpg?1740271996 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_121701.jpg?1740271996?1740271996" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku Hiva/20250212_120942.jpg?1740271996" loading="lazy" data-original-width="4032" data-original-height="1960" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_120942.jpg?1740271996 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_120942.jpg?1740271996 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_120942.jpg?1740271996 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_120942.jpg?1740271996 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_120942.jpg?1740271996 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_120942.jpg?1740271996?1740271996" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku Hiva/20250212_121804.jpg?1740271996" loading="lazy" data-original-width="4032" data-original-height="1960" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_121804.jpg?1740271996 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_121804.jpg?1740271996 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_121804.jpg?1740271996 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_121804.jpg?1740271996 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_121804.jpg?1740271996 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_121804.jpg?1740271996?1740271996" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku Hiva/20250212_123052.jpg?1740271996" loading="lazy" data-original-width="4032" data-original-height="1960" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_123052.jpg?1740271996 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_123052.jpg?1740271996 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_123052.jpg?1740271996 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_123052.jpg?1740271996 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_123052.jpg?1740271996 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_123052.jpg?1740271996?1740271996" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku Hiva/20250212_123207.jpg?1740271996" loading="lazy" data-original-width="4032" data-original-height="1960" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_123207.jpg?1740271996 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_123207.jpg?1740271996 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_123207.jpg?1740271996 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_123207.jpg?1740271996 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_123207.jpg?1740271996 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250212_123207.jpg?1740271996?1740271996" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p><br></p><p><em>Horse riding</em></p><iframe width="490" height="240" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WBR_pHo89Bw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br><p><br></p><p><em>Sharks at the harbour</em></p><iframe width="490" height="240" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IQW7ruvLkCk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br><p><br></p><p><em>Polynesian Traditional Canoes </em></p><p><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku Hiva/20250206_164107.jpg?1740290992" loading="lazy" data-original-width="3024" data-original-height="4032" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250206_164107.jpg?1740290992 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250206_164107.jpg?1740290992 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250206_164107.jpg?1740290992 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250206_164107.jpg?1740290992 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250206_164107.jpg?1740290992 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250206_164107.jpg?1740290992?1740290992" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku Hiva/20250221_163610.jpg?1740290992" loading="lazy" data-original-width="3024" data-original-height="4032" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250221_163610.jpg?1740290992 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250221_163610.jpg?1740290992 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250221_163610.jpg?1740290992 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250221_163610.jpg?1740290992 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250221_163610.jpg?1740290992 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250221_163610.jpg?1740290992?1740290992" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku Hiva/20250220_171206.jpg?1740290992" loading="lazy" data-original-width="4032" data-original-height="1960" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250220_171206.jpg?1740290992 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250220_171206.jpg?1740290992 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250220_171206.jpg?1740290992 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250220_171206.jpg?1740290992 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250220_171206.jpg?1740290992 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250220_171206.jpg?1740290992?1740290992" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku Hiva/20250210_100248.jpg?1740290992" loading="lazy" data-original-width="4032" data-original-height="1960" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250210_100248.jpg?1740290992 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250210_100248.jpg?1740290992 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250210_100248.jpg?1740290992 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250210_100248.jpg?1740290992 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250210_100248.jpg?1740290992 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250210_100248.jpg?1740290992?1740290992" width="350" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p><br></p><p><em>Valentine's Day (Malin WAS happy!)</em></p><p> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku Hiva/20250214_192021.jpg?1740291240" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1960" data-original-height="4032" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250214_192021.jpg?1740291240 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250214_192021.jpg?1740291240 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250214_192021.jpg?1740291240 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250214_192021.jpg?1740291240 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250214_192021.jpg?1740291240?1740291240" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku Hiva/20250214_194632.jpg?1740291240" loading="lazy" data-original-width="3024" data-original-height="4032" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250214_194632.jpg?1740291240 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250214_194632.jpg?1740291240 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250214_194632.jpg?1740291240 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250214_194632.jpg?1740291240 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250214_194632.jpg?1740291240 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250214_194632.jpg?1740291240?1740291240" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku Hiva/20250214_192014.jpg?1740291240" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1960" data-original-height="4032" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250214_192014.jpg?1740291240 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250214_192014.jpg?1740291240 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250214_192014.jpg?1740291240 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250214_192014.jpg?1740291240 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Nuku%20Hiva/20250214_192014.jpg?1740291240?1740291240" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><iframe width="490" height="240" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ez_m9Hdbaeg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br>
Sat, 22 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000
/blog/february-2025/french-polynesia-nuku-hiva-and-the-marquesas
/blog/february-2025/french-polynesia-nuku-hiva-and-the-marquesas
-
Pacific crossing
Malin
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">The entire 3100 nautical miles crossing from
Galapagos to French Polynesia took us just under 22 days to complete. We had
favorable winds for most of the crossing as well as a westerly current of about
1 knot. Despite the fact that the weather files we downloaded every day
recommended other routes, we were able to maintain a fairly straight course
towards our destination, the island of Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas archipelago.
The average speed we maintained was almost 6 knots, which can be considered a
good average speed for Anastacia.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">On all longer crossings, we write down our
position every few hours and plot it on a paper chart as part of âdead
reckoningâ. The data we obtained showed that on some days we maintained a good
speed and covered 170 nautical miles/day with an average speed of over 7 knots.
One day we had almost no wind at all and did 75 nautical miles in a whole day.
Then we took the opportunity to swim holding on to a rope behind the boat. A
wonderful experience to get a proper clean! đ. Then we also discovered how much growth Anastacia had on her hull. A
lot of gooseneck barnacles had gotten stuck under her⊠That means more hull
cleaning in the future for usâŠđ</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">During most of the sailing we were able to use
our downwind sail (Blue water runner) either fully on both sides of the boat
(goose wing) or double-folded as a large gennaker. The experience from the
Atlantic crossing, where the halyard was chafed in the mast, had taught us the
importance of sewing in extra chafing protection in the halyard where the wear
was the greatest and also being careful to, at regular intervals, change the
positions of both halyard and sheet to avoid too much chafing at the same spot.
It paid off and despite the hundreds of hours the sail was up, nothing serious
happened. The only thing that occurred was that a small line in the halyard
fastening broke one night, but we were able to quickly fix that by hauling down
the sail and securing it with a new piece of rope. Our third crew member, the
wind rudder, had to work non-stop and had done its job brilliantly. We are
still amazed by this mechanical marvel that steers the boat after the wind with
such elegance. The autopilot has been allowed to rest during the entire trip,
which also contributed to low power consumption. We are also a little proud
that we have not had to use the engine for anything other than sporadically
charging the boat's batteries and running the water maker. We have really been
able to sail the whole time! đ</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We have also taken the opportunity to practice the so called heave
to, which we have never done before with Anastacia. It required a little
trimming of the sail and rudder until we could reduce the speed from 7 to 0.8
knots in relatively high waves. Now we have agreed that we will practice heave
to until both of us can solve it on our own. It can be important to slow down
the boat in rough weather or emergencies.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">At regular intervals, we have had text contact
with family via Iridium Go (satellite phone) and the crew of the Swedish boat S/Y Kerpa who also
sailed to the Marquesas but started the crossing from Panama. Being without
internet for so long was a challenge for us at the beginning but something we
also got used to relatively quickly and eventually didn't miss at allâŠ</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The voyage has otherwise been quite uneventful.
We created routines to be able to get through the days. We ate all meals
together and made sure they ended up between our four-hour watch shifts. The
waves were sometimes big and caused the boat to roll a lot. Sleeping was
sometimes a challenge and we had to help each other give each other extra sleep
time when possible. We have done daily inspection rounds of the boat to check
the ropes, mast, boom and sails. We have devoted ourselves to cooking in a
kitchenette, where just about everything is moving all the time and, at regular
intervals, baked bread, made yogurt, etc. We have spent time on maintenance,
such as renovating the chafing protections for the ropes and stays. We have
read books, learned a little more about sea weather and navigation with a
sextant. At night we could observe the starry sky of the southern hemisphere
where only a few stars and constellations were familiar to us. The North Star
had disappeared below the northern horizon and the guidance for the compass
directions was replaced instead by the constellation of the Southern Cross to
the south. The moon appeared to lie like a small smiley in the sky when it was
new. We noted that at no time during the voyage did we see any airplanes in the
sky, nor have we seen any other boats. We have seen storm-petrels, however,
almost every day. It is incredible that these birds can fly out to sea when the
nearest landmass is 1,500 nautical miles away! We have looked in vain for
whales. However, we were able to see large schools of
dolphins in the distance, a few days after we left the Galapagos. They jumped
several meters into the air before landing with a thunderous splash! A real
spectacle! Christer caught two tunas (Skipjack tuna). They were enough for a
week's dinner for the two of us, but after that there was a fishing ban on
Anastacia! Sometimes you can have too much of a good thing! đ</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Now, after the longest sailing we have ever
done, we have finally reached land and are anchored outside the village of
Taiohae on the main island of Nuku Hiva. We celebrated with a beer and some
chips in the cockpit. A bit festive as there is an absolute ban on alcohol on
the boat while sailing⊠After an uncomplicated clearance at the French
gendarmerie on the island, we went to bed and slept for over 12 hours! Now a
few months of exploring the different island in Polynesia awaits đ</p><p class="MsoNormal">~~~~~~~~~~~~</p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Hela överfarten pÄ 3100 sjömil frÄn Galapagos till Franska
Polynesien tog oss knappt 22 dygn att genomföra. Vi hade gynnsamma vindar den
största delen av överfarten liksom medström med ca 1 knops fart. Trots att
vÀderfilerna vi laddade ner varje dag rekommenderade andra rutter kunde vi
hÄlla en nÄgorlunda rak kurs mot mÄlet, ön Nuku Hiva i ögruppen Marquesas. Snittfarten
vi höll var nÀstan 6 knop vilket fÄr anses vara en bra medelfart för Anastacia.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Vid alla lÀngre överfarter skriver vi upp vÄr position med
nĂ„gra timmars mellanrum och plottar ut pĂ„ ett papperssjökort som en del i âdead
reckoningâ. Den data vi fick fram visade att vi vissa dygn höll god fart och
tillryggalade 170 nautiska mil/dygn med en snittfart pÄ över 7 knop. En dag
hade vi nÀstan ingen vind alls och gjorde 75 nautiska mil pÄ ett helt dygn. DÄ
passade vi pÄ att bada hÄllandes i ett rep efter bÄten. En underbar upplevelse
att fĂ„ bli ordentligt ren! đ. DĂ„ upptĂ€ckte vi ocksĂ„ sĂ„ mycket pĂ„vĂ€xt Anastacia
hade fÄtt pÄ sin botten. En massa s k lÄnghalsar (Gooseneck barnacles) hade
fastnat under henne⊠Det innebĂ€r mer bottenskrapning framöver för vĂ„r delâŠđ</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Under större delen av seglingen kunde vi anvÀnda vÄrt medvindssegel
(Blue water runner) Antingen fullt ut pÄ bÄda sidor om bÄten (goose wing) eller
dubbelvikt som en stor gennaker. Erfarenheterna frÄn Atlantöverfarten, dÀr
fallet skavts sönder i masten, hade lÀrt oss vikten av att sy in extra
skavskydd i fallet dÀr nötningen var som störst och dessutom vara noga med att,
med jÀmna mellanrum, Àndra pÄ positionerna för bÄde fall och skot för att
undvika för stort skav pÄ samma punkt. Det betalade sig och trots de hundratals
timmar seglet var uppe skedde inget allvarligt. Det enda som hÀnde var att en
liten tamp i fÀstet mot fallet brast en natt men det kunde vi snabbt ÄtgÀrda
genom att hala ner seglet och fÀsta med en ny repstump. VÄr tredje
besÀttningsmedlem, vindrodret, har fÄtt arbeta oavbrutet och skötte sitt arbete
med bravur. Vi Àr fortfarande förundrade över detta mekaniska underverk som
styr bÄten efter vinden med sÄdan elegans. Autopiloten har fÄtt vila under hela
resan vilket ocksÄ bidragit till lÄg strömförbrukning. Lite stolta Àr vi ocksÄ
över att inte ha behövt anvÀnda motorn till annat Àn att sporadiskt ladda bÄtens
batterier och köra watermakern för att göra vatten. Vi har verkligen kunnat
segla hela tiden! đ</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Vi har ocksÄ passat pÄ att öva pÄ att dreja bi, vilket vi
aldrig gjort tidigare med Anastacia. Det krÀvde lite trimning av segel och
roder tills vi kunde fÄ ner farten frÄn 7 till 0,8 knop i relativt höga vÄgor.
Nu Àr vi överens om att vi skall trÀna pÄ att dreja bi tills bÄda kan lösa det
pÄ egen hand. Det kan vara viktigt att fÄ ner bÄtens fart vid hÄrt vÀder eller
nödsituationer.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Med jÀmna mellanrum har vi haft sms-kontakt med familjen via
Iridium Go (satellittelefon) samt besÀttningen pÄ den svenska bÄten S/Y Kerpa som ocksÄ seglade
till Marquesas men startade överfarten frÄn Panama. Att vara utan internet sÄ
lÀnge var en utmaning för oss i början men nÄgot vi ocksÄ vande oss vid
relativt snabbt och till slut inte saknade allsâŠ</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">FÀrden har i övrigt varit ganska hÀndelsefattig. Vi skapade
rutiner för att kunna fÄ dagarna att gÄ. Alla mÄltider Ät vi tillsammans och
sÄg till att de hamnade mellan vÄra fyratimars vaktpass. VÄgorna var tidvis
stora och gjorde att bÄten rullade en hel del. Att sova blev ibland en utmaning
och vi fick hjÀlpas Ät att ge varandra extra sömntid nÀr det var möjligt. Vi
har gÄtt dagliga kontrollrundor pÄ bÄten för att se över tampar, mast, bom och
segel. Vi har Àgnat oss Ät matlagning i ett pentry, dÀr precis allting rör sig
hela tiden och, med jÀmna mellanrum, bakat bröd, gjort yoghurt mm. Vi har Àgnat
tid Ät underhÄll, som att renovera skavskydd till tampar och stag. Vi har lÀst
böcker, lÀrt oss lite mer om sjövÀder och navigation med sextant. PÄ nÀtterna
kunde vi betrakta södra halvklotets stjÀrnhimmel dÀr bara nÄgra fÄ stjÀrnor och
stjÀrnbilder var bekanta för oss. PolstjÀrnan hade försvunnit under norra
horisonten och vÀgledningen för vÀderstrecken ersattes istÀllet av stjÀrnbilden
södra korset mot syd. MÄnen syntes liggandes som en liten smiley pÄ himlavalvet
nÀr den var ny. Vi noterade att vi inte under nÄgon tidpunkt pÄ seglatsen sett
nÄgra flygplan pÄ himlen inte heller har vi sett nÄgra andra bÄtar. Stormsvalor
har vi dÀremot sett nÀstan varje dag. Otroligt att dessa fÄglar kan flyga ute
till havs nÀr nÀrmaste landmassa ligger 1500 sjömil bort! Vi har förgÀves
spanat efter valar, utan att se nÄgra. Stora flockar med delfiner kunde vi dock
beskÄda pÄ avstÄnd, nÄgra dygn efter att vi lÀmnat Galapagos. De hoppade flera
meter upp i luften innan de landade med ett hejdundrande plask! Ett riktigt
skÄdespel! Christer fick upp tvÄ tonfiskar (Skipjack tuna). De rÀckte till en
veckas middagar för oss tvÄ men dÀrefter rÄdde fiskeförbud pÄ Anastacia! Det
kan ibland bli för mycket av det goda! đ</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nu, efter den lÀngsta seglats vi nÄgonsin gjort har vi
Àntligen nÄtt land och ligger för ankar utanför byn Taiohae pÄ huvudön Nuku
Hiva. Vi firade med varsin öl och lite chips i sittbrunnen. Lite högtidslikt dÄ
det rÄder absolut alkoholförbud pÄ bÄten under fÀrd⊠Efter en okomplicerad
inklarering vid det franska gendarmeriet pÄ ön lade vi oss och sov i över 12
timmar! Nu vÀntar nÄgra mÄnaders utforskande av de olika ögrupperna i
Polynesien đ</p><p><br></p><p><em>A short video from the crossing</em></p><iframe width="490" height="240" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/X3kdFzUfXxc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal"><em>A happy fisherman</em> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Pacific/20250116_133014.jpg?1738988587" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1458" data-original-height="3000" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Pacific/20250116_133014.jpg?1738988587 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Pacific/20250116_133014.jpg?1738988587 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Pacific/20250116_133014.jpg?1738988587 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Pacific/20250116_133014.jpg?1738988587?1738988587" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Pacific/20250122_155402.jpg?1738988587" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1458" data-original-height="3000" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Pacific/20250122_155402.jpg?1738988587 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Pacific/20250122_155402.jpg?1738988587 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Pacific/20250122_155402.jpg?1738988587 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Pacific/20250122_155402.jpg?1738988587?1738988587" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal"><em>Chafing protection. Before and after...</em></p><p class="MsoNormal"><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Pacific/20250203_141526.jpg?1738988762" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1458" data-original-height="3000" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Pacific/20250203_141526.jpg?1738988762 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Pacific/20250203_141526.jpg?1738988762 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Pacific/20250203_141526.jpg?1738988762 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Pacific/20250203_141526.jpg?1738988762?1738988762" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Pacific/20250203_141925.jpg?1738988762" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1458" data-original-height="3000" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Pacific/20250203_141925.jpg?1738988762 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Pacific/20250203_141925.jpg?1738988762 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Pacific/20250203_141925.jpg?1738988762 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Pacific/20250203_141925.jpg?1738988762?1738988762" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p>
Thu, 06 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000
/blog/february-2025/pacific-crossing
/blog/february-2025/pacific-crossing
-
Galapagos
Malin
<p class="MsoNormal">The entire
Galapagos archipelago and its waters belong to Ecuador. The area is considered
the world's second largest marine reserve with its 133,000 km2 and is
classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a unique animal and plant life.
The archipelago consists of 19 larger islands, 4 of which are inhabited, plus a
further 110 uninhabited small islets and rocks. The islands are all volcanic
islands and lie at the intersection of three continental plates. The islands
belong to the northern part of the Nazca plate, on the border with the
so-called Cocos plate in the north. To the west, it borders the South American
continental plate. The Nazca plate is slowly drifting in a southeasterly
direction towards the South American continental plate at a speed of about 5 cm
per year. The movement causes new volcanoes to arise to the west and the most
recent eruption on the Galapagos took place in March 2024 on the westernmost
island of Fernandina. It is believed that the islands began to form five to ten
million years ago and the difference in age between the islands varies, with
the oldest, easternmost islands (San Cristóbal and Española) being several
million years older than the westernmost (Isabela and Fernandina). The islands
are believed to have been uninhabited until the first Spaniards from Panama
arrived there in the 16th century. When we spoke to residents of Santa Cruz,
many referred to the âPirate ageâ. It turned out to be a period in the 16th and
17th centuries when many pirate ships, who made plundering raids on the
mainland, were able to escape to the archipelago and, among other things, feed
on the large land tortoises that were on the islands. In fact, the name
Galapagos means tortoise.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Unfortunately,
the first visitors to the islands brought with them other animal species that
caused damage to the islands. Perhaps the worst was the rats, which multiplied
rapidly and fed on the animals that were already on the islands; baby turtles,
lizards, small iguanas, etc. The lack of mammals and larger predators meant
that the species that lived on the islands became easy prey as they were
completely fearless. To solve the rat problem, cats were eventually introduced,
but they found lizards, iguanas and fearless birds being easier prey than the cautious
rats. On several islands, entire species got extinguished because of this.
Goats and stray dogs have also been major problems. Dogs are now only kept as
pets and under control. Feral cats are still found on some islands. We
ourselves saw a small wild cat chasing a lizard when we walked to a beach on
Santa Cruz. In recent years, it has been possible to remove all foreign species
on some islands and several projects are underway to replant many of the
animals and plants that have disappeared. However, it is also known that
several species have unfortunately become completely extinct.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">During the
25 days we stayed in the Galapagos, we stayed anchored in Academy Bay near the
town of Puerto Ayora on the main island of Santa Cruz. It is also allowed to
sail to three more islands in the archipelago, but after just a few days, we
didn't think it was worth the trouble with the permits that we had to arrange
with our agent for each island. At each island you have to clear in and out and
pay a small national park fee in addition to the fees we had already paid to be
able to sail here at all. In addition, Puerto Ayora was the port with the best
facilities and where it was easiest to refuel the boat and be able to clear out
of the Galapagos when leaving. It is clear that the islanders focus on tourists
who come to the islands by plane to be able to service them when they ask for accommodations,
food, activities, etc. Leisure boat tourists, like us, requires more work with
checks of the boat and crew and less income for the islands. To get to and from
the island from the boat, we could call a taxi boat. It cost a dollar per
person and was well worth the small fee. You can use your own dinghy if you
want, but in reality, it is not possible as there is nowhere to dock on land.
In addition, the sea lions could quickly take possession of the boat for their
rest when they are not catching fish in the sea outside. When we stepped ashore
on Santa Cruz, it was amazing to see how fearless all the animals we
encountered were. Sea lions and iguanas lay calmly sunbathing in the middle of
the hustle and bustle of the city of Puerto Ayora and various birds sat
completely fearlessly in the middle of visitors and preened their feathers.
Tourism makes up more than 80% of the islands' economy and we quickly realized
that here, as in many other places we have visited, they do everything they can
to make a few pennies from visitors. The taxi boats were just one example. In
Puerto Ayora, the streets were full of small travel agencies offering tickets
for fast ferries between the islands, sightseeing tours on land as well as
diving or snorkeling trips. Drivers hailed from their white pickup taxis and
asked if we wanted a ride. There are very few areas on the islands where you
can roam freely in nature or snorkel on your own. Basically, all places require
you to have a guide with you. The lasting impression was like being in a
gigantic zoo. However, it must be admitted that the guided tours were well
organized and the guides were consistently very knowledgeable. We also made
sure that they were kept busy, as inquisitive as we areâŠđ. Nowadays, all guides and park rangers in the
Galapagos must be certified and continuously trained and also reside on one of
the islands. Everyone we met was also really professional and concerned that we
would have a good experience but also very clear about the rules that applied
so as not to harm animals or plants in any way.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The first
visit we made, was to the Charles Darwin Research Station. Here we were given a
brief overview of Darwin's visit to the islands in 1835 and how his studies of
life on the Galapagos played a role in his theory of natural selection. Among
other things, he was able to see with his own eyes how finches had adapted over
time on the different islands depending on what food they could mainly eat. The
shape of the beaks had changed and looked different depending on which island
the finches lived on. It was a somewhat reverent moment for us to visit places
that have become so important for our understanding of how species developed on
earth... The research center also breeds several of the 15 different species of
large tortoises found on the different islands. They wait until the tortoises
are 5 years old before they are released. Only then are the tortoises' shells
hard enough to prevent them from falling victim to rats. 5 years may seem like
a lot, but on the other hand, tortoises live around 150 years! The research
center is very active in various educational projects for both residents and
visitors. Scientists from all over the world come here to study animal and plant
life on land and in the sea. Many projects are focused on the conservation of
endangered species and restoration. Other projects aim to find more sustainable
energy alternatives on the islands and how to tackle the problem of the
enormous amount of plastic waste that flows ashore on the islands via ocean
currents. Illegal fishing in the seas outside is another major problem that is
being addressed, where unfortunately China stands out as being particularly
active. Since the fishing boats turn off their transponders, AIS, etc., they
become almost impossible to track for the few coast guard vessels that patrol
the entire reserve. We ourselves have been surprised when we have sailed at
night and suddenly seen lights from fishing boats appear just a few nautical
miles away that we have not been able to track via our plotter (AIS). When we
have sailed past them, they have turned off their lanterns again and thus made
themselves completely invisible again. Now we understand what could have been
the reasonâŠ</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We also
visited a reserve for land tortoises and saw them roaming around completely
freely. They like to graze together with the cows that are kept on the island
and the tortoises are so big that they sometimes force their way through the
cow enclosures so that the cows also come out â much to the farmersâ annoyance.
On the way there, we saw giant land tortoises crossing the roads in slow
motion, where traffic had to stop to let them pass. The taxi driver told us
that only park rangers are allowed to move tortoises that are on the road and
drivers can be fined the equivalent of several monthsâ wages and even jail time
if they hit a tortoise. Itâs simply a matter of being patientâŠ</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We also
booked a snorkeling trip to the small island of PinzĂłn to see more of the
underwater life. Unfortunately, the visibility was poor but we managed to film
some of it. In fact, where Anastacia was lying, there was also a lot of life,
both in and on the water. Reef sharks, large sea turtles and iguanas swam
around the boat. A lot of different seabirds, in addition to the more common
frigate birds and pelicans, visited us. We saw several Blue Footed Boobys which
have become a bit of a symbol of the Galapagos. Then we have a special
relationship with a Galapagos heron which often returned and almost settled on
the boat. We called the bird Sture but had no idea if it was a female or a
male. Sture seemed to think the boat was a perfect place to stand to watch for
fish. We also saw him catch a fish which turned out to be too big for him to
swallow. After several failed attempts Sture released the fish into our cockpit
and watched for more fish. The next day the fish was still there and had
probably been desperately squirming around before it finally died so we had to
clean up the entire cockpit. Christer threw the fish into the sea and Sture,
who was still sitting on the railing, looked at him angrily. Apparently, he
thought it was a shame to throw away the food he had spent so much energy
catching⊠We were also soon visited by a sea lion who parked on Anastaciaâs
small swimming platform. We had thought that the platform was too small for sea
lions, but this individual didnât think so and stayed there all night.
Unfortunately, the sea lion left a big business card behind on the platform
that smelled really bad and we had to spend a good while washing everything
off. After that, we placed two large ball fenders in the stern and avoided
further visits.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Christmas
was celebrated with traditional Christmas porridge made from plain rice and
other improvised food for our small Christmas table on the boat. Of course, we
had made sure to bring the obligatory Italian Panettone, bought in Panama,
which we enjoyed with our coffee. New Year's Eve, which was also Christer's
birthday, was first celebrated with breakfast on the boat with cream cake and a
little later in the day, homemade birthday panna cotta garnished with toasted,
candied coconut flakes was served, followed by gift-giving and beautiful
singing performed by the lady on the boat. In the evening, we had a delicious
sea-inspired dinner at a nice restaurant where we got a table on a balcony
overlooking the water. Then we celebrated the old year with thousands of other
Galapagos residents from both Santa Cruz and other islands + a lot of tourists
who strolled the streets and bought something from the street vendors who
crowded along the main street in Puerto Ayora. A small funfair with a train
track for the youngest visitors had been set up at one end of the street. To
our surprise, we saw that the staff, with young, enthusiastic helpers, were
helping to push the train with all the carriages around the track. The children
rode and screamed with delight and had fun and the parents watched. Just like
at any other funfair, although this one was operated by hand without motors or
electricity đ. The city had also arranged
entertainment throughout the evening and night in the square, with artists from
Colombia, among others. At midnight, the cheers broke out. No fireworks or
light shows but a thunderous roar from the stage and cheering people everywhere.
At two o'clock we took a boat taxi back to Anastacia and heard the music from
the harbor well into the morning. When we, on January 2nd, went ashore again to
buy some vegetables, we were surprised that so few shops were open. Now we
found out that the Ecuadorian president, Daniel Noboa, had declared a national
holiday from New Year's until after the Epiphany! We had to wait with the
vegetablesâŠ</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The only
disappointment during our visit was that we had a cold last week, which meant
we had to cancel a diving trip to the island Isla Seymour Norte, just north of
Santa Cruz. There we could have seen more species, including reef sharks and
hammerhead sharks! However, we hope to have that chance later on in our
sailing. Now we are preparing the boat for the longest crossing we will make.
We have just over 3000 nautical miles to sail to the island of Nuku Hiva, in
the Marquesas archipelago, French Polynesia. After a few administrative
procedures, we will set off tomorrow and expect to arrive in 25-30 days. We
also operate a postal service, albeit on a very small scale. On the way here,
we delivered a small oil pump that the agent here had ordered from Panama. We
will bring a package to Polynesia for a sailor who had to leave the Galapagos
before the package from his parents arrived here. To be safe, we check the
contents before we set off đ If we had visited the island of
Floreana here in the Galapagos, we could have visited Post Office Bay founded
in 1793 where former whalers could leave letters and at the same time see if
there were letters addressed to the destination they were sailing to... This
unofficial post office is said to still be used today by sailors.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Hela Galapagos-arkipelagen med
tillhörande vatten tillhör Ecuador. OmrÄdet rÀknas som vÀrldens nÀst största
marina reservat med sina 133,000 km2 och Àr klassat som ett UNESCO
vÀrldsarv med ett unikt djur- och vÀxtliv. Arkipelagen utgörs av 19 större
öar varav 4 Àr bebodda plus ytterligare ca 110 obebodda smÄ holmar och klippor.
Ăarna Ă€r alla vulkanöar och ligger i skĂ€rningspunkten mellan tre
kontinentalplattor. Ăarna hör till den norra delen av Nazca-plattan, pĂ„ grĂ€nsen
till den sÄ kallade Cocosplattan i norr. VÀsterut grÀnsar den till den
sydamerikanska kontinentalplattan. Nazcaplattan driver lÄngsamt i sydostlig
riktning mot den sydamerikanska kontinentalplattan med en hastighet av cirka 5
cm per Är. Rörelsen gör att nya vulkaner uppstÄr vÀsterut och det senaste
utbrottet pÄ Galapagos skedde i mars 2024 pÄ den vÀstligaste ön Fernandina. Man
tror att öarna började bildas fem till tio miljoner Är sedan och skillnaden i
Älder mellan öarna varierar, dÀr de Àldsta, östligaste öarna (San Cristóbal and
Española) Àr flera miljoner Är Àldre Àn de vÀstliga (Isabela och Fernandina).
Ăarna tros ha varit obebodda varit fram till att de första spanjorerna frĂ„n
Panama kom dit pÄ 1500-talet. NÀr vi talade med invÄnare pÄ Santa Cruz sÄ var
det mĂ„nga som hĂ€nvisade till âPirate ageâ. Det visade sig vara en period pĂ„
1500 och 1600-talet dÄ mÄnga piratbÄtar, som gjorde plundringsrÀder pÄ
fastlandet, kunde fly till ögruppen och bl a livnÀra sig pÄ de stora
landsköldpaddorna som fanns pÄ öarna. Namnet Galapagos betyder just sköldpadda.
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">De första besökarna till öarna
förde tyvÀrr med sig andra djurarter som stÀllt till skada pÄ öarna. VÀrst var
kanske rÄttorna som förökade sig snabbt och livnÀrde sig pÄ de djur som redan fanns
pÄ öarna; sköldpaddsungar, ödlor, smÄ leguaner etc. Avsaknaden av dÀggdjur och
större rovdjur gjorde att de arter som levde pÄ öarna blev lÀtta byten dÄ de
var helt orÀdda. För att lösa rÄttproblemet infördes sÄ smÄningom katter som
dock tyckte att ödlor, leguaner och orÀdda fÄglar var enklare byten Àn de
skygga rÄttorna. PÄ flera öar dog hela arter ut p g av detta. Getter och
lösspringande hundar har ocksÄ utgjort stora problem. Hundar hÄlls nu endast
som sÀllskapsdjur och under kontroll. Förvildade katter finns fortfarande pÄ
vissa öar. Vi sÄg sjÀlva en liten vildkatt jaga en ödla nÀr vi promenerade till
en strand pÄ Santa Cruz. PÄ senare Är har man kunnat fÄ bort alla frÀmmande
arter pÄ vissa öar och flera Äterplanteringsprojekt pÄgÄr för att kunna
Äterinplantera mÄnga av de djur och vÀxter som försvunnit. Dock vet man ocksÄ
att flera arter tyvÀrr dött ut helt.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Under de 25 dagar vi stannat pÄ
Galapagos sÄ har vi hela tiden legat för ankar i Academy Bay vid staden Puerto
Ayora pÄ huvudön Santa Cruz. Det Àr tillÄtet att ocksÄ segla till ytterligare
tre öar i arkipelagen men redan efter nÄgra dagars vistelse tyckte vi inte att
det var vÀrt besvÀret med de tillstÄnd som vi hade behövt ordna med vÄr agent för
respektive ö. Vid varje ö mÄste man nÀmligen klarera in respektive ut och
betala en liten nationalparksavgift förutom de avgifter vi redan betalat för
att över huvud taget fÄ segla hit. Dessutom var Puerto Ayora den hamn med bÀst
faciliteter och dÀr det enklast gick att fÄ tanka bÄten och kunna klarera ut ur
Galapagos vid avfÀrd. Det Àr tydligt att man fokuserar pÄ turister som kommer
via flyg till öarna och service till dem dÄ de efterfrÄgar
övernattningsmöjligheter, mat, aktiviteter o s v. FritidsbÄtturister, som vi,
innebÀr mer jobb med kontroller av bÄt och besÀttning och mindre intÀkter till
öarna.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">För att ta oss till och frÄn ön
frÄn bÄten kunde vi kalla pÄ en taxibÄt. Det kostade en dollar per person och
var vÀl vÀrt den lilla avgiften. Man fÄr anvÀnda den egna dingen om man vill
men i praktiken gÄr det inte dÄ det inte finns nÄgonstans att lÀgga till pÄ
land. Dessutom kunde sjölejonen snabbt ta gummibÄten i besittning för sina
vilopauser nÀr de inte fÄngar fisk i havet utanför.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">NÀr vi steg iland pÄ Santa Cruz
var det fantastiskt att se hur orÀdda alla djur var som vi stötte pÄ. Sjölejon
och leguaner lÄg lugnt och solade mitt i stadsvimlet i Puerto Ayora och olika
fÄglar satte sig helt orÀdda mitt bland besökare och putsade fjÀdrarna. Turismen
utgör mer Àn 80% av öarnas ekonomi och vi insÄg snabbt att hÀr, liksom pÄ mÄnga
andra stÀllen vi besökt, gör man allt för att kunna tjÀna nÄgra slantar av
besökarna. TaxibÄtarna var bara ett exempel. I Puerto Ayora var gatorna fulla
av smÄ resebyrÄer som erbjöd biljetter till snabbfÀrjor mellan öarna,
sightseeingturer pÄ land liksom dyk- eller snorkelturer. Chaufförer hojtade
frÄn sina vita pickup-taxis och frÄgade om vi ville ha skjuts. Det finns
vÀldigt fÄ omrÄden pÄ öarna dÀr man kan fÄ ströva fritt i naturen eller snorkla
pÄ egen hand. I princip alla stÀllen krÀver att man har med sig en guide. Det
bestÄende intrycket var som att befinna sig pÄ en gigantisk djurpark. Det mÄste
dock erkÀnnas att de guidade turerna var vÀlorganiserade och guiderna var
genomgÄende mycket kunniga. Vi sÄg ocksÄ till att de fick fullt upp att göra,
sĂ„ frĂ„gvisa som vi Ă€râŠđ. Numera skall alla guider och parkvakter pĂ„
Galapagos vara certifierade och vidareutbildas kontinuerligt och dessutom vara
bosatta pÄ nÄgon av öarna. Alla vi mötte var ocksÄ verkligen seriösa och mÄna
om att vi skulle fÄ en bra upplevelse men ocksÄ mycket tydliga med vilka regler
som gÀllde för att inte pÄ nÄgot sÀtt skada djur eller vÀxter. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Första besöket blev pÄ Charles
Darwin Research Station, HÀr fick vi en kort genomgÄng av Darwins besök pÄ
öarna 1835 och hur hans studier av livet Galapagos spelat en roll för hans
teori om det naturliga urvalet. Bl a kunde han med egna ögon se hur en finkar
med tiden hade anpassat sig pÄ de olika öarna beroende pÄ vilken föda de frÀmst
kunde Àta. NÀbbarnas form hade Àndrats och sÄg olika ut beroende pÄ vilken ö
finkarna levde pÄ. Det blev en lite andÀktig stund för oss att fÄ besöka
platser som fÄtt sÄdan betydelse för vÄr förstÄelse av hur arter uppkommit pÄ
jorden⊠PÄ forskningscentret bedrivs Àven uppfödning av flera av de totalt 15
olika arter av stora landsköldpaddor som finns pÄ de olika öarna. Man vÀntar
tills sköldpaddorna Àr 5 Är gamla innan de slÀpps ut. Först dÄ Àr
sköldpaddornas skal tillrÀckligt hÄrda för att de inte skall falla offer för bl
a rÄttor. 5 Är kan verka mycket men Ä andra sidan blir landsköldpaddor runt 150
Är gamla! Forskningscentret Àr vÀldigt aktivt bl a i olika utbildningsprojekt
för bÄde invÄnare och besökare. Forskare frÄn hela vÀrlden kommer hit för att studera
djur och vÀxtliv pÄ land och i havet. MÄnga projekt Àr inriktade pÄ bevarandet
av hotade arter och restaurering. Andra projekt syftar till att hitta mer
hÄllbara energialternativ pÄ öarna och hur man skall angripa problemet med den
enorma mÀngd plastskrÀp som via havsströmmar flyter i land pÄ öarna. Olovligt
fiske i haven utanför Àr ett annat stort problem man försöker adressera dÀr
tyvÀrr Kina sticker ut som sÀrskilt aktiva. Eftersom fiskebÄtarna stÀnger av
sina transpondrar, AIS etc. blir de nÀstan omöjliga att spÄra för de fÄ
kustbevakningsfartyg som patrullerar hela reservatet. Vi har sjÀlva varit
förvÄnade nÀr vi seglat nattetid och plötsligt sett ljus frÄn fiskebÄtar dyka
upp pÄ bara nÄgon sjömils avstÄnd som vi inte kunnat spÄra via vÄr plotter
(AIS). NÀr vi seglat förbi dem har de Äter slÀckt lanternorna och pÄ sÄ sÀtt
gjort sig helt osynliga igen. Nu förstĂ„r vi vad det kan ha berott pĂ„âŠ</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Vi besökte Àven ett reservat för
landsköldpaddor och fick se dem strosa runt helt fritt. De betar gÀrna
tillsammans med de kor som hÄlls pÄ ön och sködpaddorna Àr sÄ stora att de
ibland forcerar igenom inhĂ€gnaderna till korna sĂ„ Ă€ven korna kommer ut â till
böndernas förtret. PÄ vÀgen dit sÄg vi gigantiska landsköldpaddor korsa vÀgarna
i sakta mak, dÀr trafiken fick stanna för att lÄta dem passera. Taxichauffören berÀttade
att det bara Àr parkvakter som fÄr flytta sköldpaddor som ligger i vÀgen och
förare kan fÄ böter motsvarande flera mÄnadslöner och t o m fÀngelsestraff om de
skulle köra pĂ„ en sköldpadda. Det gĂ€ller helt enkelt att ha tĂ„lamodâŠ</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Vi bokade ocksÄ en snorkeltur
till den lilla ön Pinzón för att fÄ se mer av livet under vattnet. TyvÀrr var
sikten dÄlig men vi fick filmat en del. Faktum Àr att dÀr Anastacia lÄg vimlade
det ocksÄ av liv, bÄde i och pÄ vattnet. Revhajar, stora vattensköldpaddor och
leguaner simmade runt bÄten. En massa olika sjöfÄglar, förutom de mer vanliga
fregattfÄglarna och pelikanerna, besökte oss. Vi sÄg flera blÄfotade sulor
(Blue Footed Booby) som blivit lite av Galapagos symbol. Sedan har vi ett
sÀrskilt förhÄllande till en GalapagoshÀger som ofta Äterkom och nÀstan bosatte
sig pÄ bÄten. Vi kallade fÄgeln för Sture men hade egentligen ingen aning om
det var en hona eller hane. Sture verkade tycka bÄten var en perfekt plats att
stÄ pÄ för att spana pÄ fisk. Vi sÄg honom ocksÄ fÄnga en fisk som visade sig
vara för stor för honom att svÀlja. Efter flera misslyckade försök slÀppte
Sture fisken i vÄr sittbrunn och spanade efter fler fiskar. Dagen efter lÄg
fisken kvar och hade antagligen förtvivlat sprattlat runt innan den slutligen
dog sÄ vi fick sanera hela sittbrunnen. Christer kastade i fisken i havet och
Sture, som fortfarande satt pÄ relingen, tittade surt pÄ honom. Tydligen tyckte
han att det var synd att kasta maten som han lagt sÄ mycket energi pÄ att
fÄnga⊠Vi fick ocksÄ snart besök av ett sjölejon som parkerade pÄ Anastacias
lilla badplattform. Vi hade trott att plattformen var för liten för sjölejon
men det tyckte inte den hÀr individen som lÄg kvar en hel natt. TyvÀrr lÀmnade
sjölejonet ett rejÀlt visitkort efter sig pÄ badplattformen som luktade riktigt
illa och vi fick lÀgga en bra stund pÄ att tvÀtta bort allt. DÀrefter placerade
vi tvÄ stora kulfendrar i akterna och slapp vidare besök.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Julen firades med julgröt gjord
pÄ vanligt ris och annan improviserad mat till vÄrt lilla julbord pÄ bÄten.
SÄklart hade vi sett till att fÄ med den obligatoriska italienska Panettonen,
inköpt i Panama, som vi avnjöt till kaffet. NyÄr tillika Christers födelsedag
firades först med frukost pÄ bÄten med grÀddtÄrta och lite senare pÄ dagen
serverades hemgjord födelsedags-pannacotta garnerad med rostade, kanderade
kokosflarn följd av presentutdelning och skönsÄng framförd av frun pÄ bÄten. PÄ
kvÀllen Ät vi en god havsinspirerad middag pÄ en trevlig restaurang dÀr vi fick
ett bord pÄ en balkong med utsikt över vattnet. Sedan firade vi ut det gamla
Äret med tusentals andra Galapagosbor frÄn bÄde Santa Cruz och andra öar + en
massa turister som flanerade pÄ gatorna och köpte nÄgot frÄn gatuförsÀljarna
som trÀngdes lÀngs huvudgatan i Puerto Ayora. Ett litet tivoli med en tÄgbana
för de minsta besökarna hade satts upp vid ena Ànden av gatan. Till vÄr
förvÄning sÄg vi att personalen med unga, entusiastiska medhjÀlpare, hjÀlptes
Ät att putta tÄget med alla vagnarna runt pÄ banan. Barnen Äkte och skrek
förtjust och hade roligt och förÀldrarna tittade pÄ. Precis som pÄ vilket annat
tivoli som helst fast detta drevs för hand utan motorer eller elektricitet đ.
Staden hade ocksÄ ordnat med underhÄllning under hela kvÀllen och natten pÄ
torget, med artister frÄn bl a Colombia. Vid tolvslaget sÄ bröt jublet ut. Inga
fyrverkerier eller ljusshower men ett hejdundrande hÄlligÄng frÄn scenen och jublande
mÀnniskor överallt. Vid tvÄtiden tog vi en bÄttaxi tillbaks till Anastacia och
hörde musiken frÄn hamnen lÄngt in pÄ morgonen. NÀr vi, den 2:e januari, Äter
gick i land för att köpa lite grönsaker blev vi förvÄnade över att sÄ fÄ butiker
hade öppet. Nu fick vi reda pÄ att den ecuadorianske presidenten, Daniel Noboa,
hade utlyst nationell helg frÄn nyÄr till efter trettonhelgen! Vi fick vÀnta
med grönsakernaâŠ</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Enda smolket i glÀdjebÀgaren under
vÄrt besök var att vi sista veckan legat förkylda vilket gjort att vi fÄtt
avboka en dyktur till ön Isla Seymour Norte, strax norr om Santa Cruz. DÀr hade
vi kunnat fÄ se fler arter av bl a revhaj och hammarhaj! Vi hoppas dock kunna
fÄ den chansen senare pÄ vÄr seglats. Nu förbereder vi bÄten för den lÀngsta
överfarten vi kommer att göra. Vi har lite drygt 3000 sjömil att segla till ön
Nuku Hiva, i ögruppen Marquesas, franska Polynesien. Efter lite administrativa
procedurer, ger vi oss ivÀg imorgon och rÀknar med att vara framme om 25-30
dagar. Vi agerar dessutom postservice om Àn i mycket liten skala. PÄ vÀgen hit levererade
vi en liten oljepump som agenten hÀr hade bestÀllt frÄn Panama. Till Polynesien
kommer vi att ta med ett paket till en seglare som hann lÀmna Galapagos innan
paketet frÄn hans förÀldrar hann fram hit. För sÀkerhets skull kontrollerar vi
innehĂ„llet innan vi ger oss ivĂ€g đ Hade vi besökt ön Floreana hĂ€r pĂ„ Galapagos
hade vi kunnat besöka Post Office Bay, grundad 1793, dÀr tidigare valfÄngare
kunde lÀmna brev och samtidigt se om det finns brev som var adresserade till
den destination de skulle segla till⊠Detta inofficiella postkontor sÀgs anvÀndas
Ă€n idag av sjöfarare.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal"><em>A heartwarming Christmas carol performed to us by youngsters from the Molas club. Molas Club promotes ecological and biodiversity conservation projects for young people in Galapagos . The performance was part of a competition and we really hope these four won the competition! â€ïž</em></p><p class="MsoNormal"><iframe width="490" height="240" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7sN4DUsKg5M" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal"><em>Animal encounters at Puerto Ayora and the fish market in Santa Cruz</em></p><p class="MsoNormal"><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241221_121712.jpg?1736821098" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1458" data-original-height="3000" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241221_121712.jpg?1736821098 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241221_121712.jpg?1736821098 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241221_121712.jpg?1736821098 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241221_121712.jpg?1736821098?1736821098" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241223_105001.jpg?1736820950" loading="lazy" data-original-width="2250" data-original-height="3000" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241223_105001.jpg?1736820950 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241223_105001.jpg?1736820950 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241223_105001.jpg?1736820950 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241223_105001.jpg?1736820950 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241223_105001.jpg?1736820950 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241223_105001.jpg?1736820950?1736820950" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20250111_110415.jpg?1736821610" loading="lazy" data-original-width="2250" data-original-height="3000" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20250111_110415.jpg?1736821610 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20250111_110415.jpg?1736821610 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20250111_110415.jpg?1736821610 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20250111_110415.jpg?1736821610 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20250111_110415.jpg?1736821610 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20250111_110415.jpg?1736821610?1736821610" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241223_110302.jpg?1736820036" loading="lazy" data-original-width="2250" data-original-height="3000" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241223_110302.jpg?1736820036 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241223_110302.jpg?1736820036 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241223_110302.jpg?1736820036 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241223_110302.jpg?1736820036 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241223_110302.jpg?1736820036 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241223_110302.jpg?1736820036?1736820036" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241223_105335.jpg?1736820036" loading="lazy" data-original-width="2250" data-original-height="3000" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241223_105335.jpg?1736820036 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241223_105335.jpg?1736820036 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241223_105335.jpg?1736820036 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241223_105335.jpg?1736820036 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241223_105335.jpg?1736820036 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241223_105335.jpg?1736820036?1736820036" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241223_105708.jpg?1736820036" loading="lazy" data-original-width="2250" data-original-height="3000" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241223_105708.jpg?1736820036 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241223_105708.jpg?1736820036 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241223_105708.jpg?1736820036 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241223_105708.jpg?1736820036 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241223_105708.jpg?1736820036 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241223_105708.jpg?1736820036?1736820036" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal"><u>Giant Tortoises</u></p><p class="MsoNormal"><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241226_115049.jpg?1736820036" loading="lazy" data-original-width="2250" data-original-height="3000" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241226_115049.jpg?1736820036 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241226_115049.jpg?1736820036 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241226_115049.jpg?1736820036 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241226_115049.jpg?1736820036 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241226_115049.jpg?1736820036 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241226_115049.jpg?1736820036?1736820036" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241226_124424.jpg?1736820036" loading="lazy" data-original-width="2250" data-original-height="3000" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241226_124424.jpg?1736820036 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241226_124424.jpg?1736820036 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241226_124424.jpg?1736820036 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241226_124424.jpg?1736820036 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241226_124424.jpg?1736820036 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241226_124424.jpg?1736820036?1736820036" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241222_143102.jpg?1736821447" loading="lazy" data-original-width="1458" data-original-height="3000" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241222_143102.jpg?1736821447 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241222_143102.jpg?1736821447 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241222_143102.jpg?1736821447 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241222_143102.jpg?1736821447?1736821447" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"> <img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241222_143132.jpg?1736821447" loading="lazy" data-original-width="2250" data-original-height="3000" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241222_143132.jpg?1736821447 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241222_143132.jpg?1736821447 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241222_143132.jpg?1736821447 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241222_143132.jpg?1736821447 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241222_143132.jpg?1736821447 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241222_143132.jpg?1736821447?1736821447" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal">At the beach. Santa Cruz<iframe width="490" height="240" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WLQlL9-BFUc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p><p class="MsoNormal">Under water videos. Galapagos islands<iframe width="490" height="240" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uFhLVkZGBDc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p><p class="MsoNormal"><iframe width="490" height="240" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kWNwCqRPqzc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal"><em>At our boat</em></p><p class="MsoNormal"><img class="sbfancy" data-fancybox="gallery" rel="gallery" href="/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241227_221953.jpg?1736821447" loading="lazy" data-original-width="2250" data-original-height="3000" srcset="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_2100/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241227_221953.jpg?1736821447 2100w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_1500/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241227_221953.jpg?1736821447 1500w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241227_221953.jpg?1736821447 760w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_480/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241227_221953.jpg?1736821447 480w,https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_320/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241227_221953.jpg?1736821447 320w," src="https://www.skipperblogs.com/media/cache/resolve/content_th_760/content/b7bb0d43-7467-5cb2-9c84-56809f9e648f//userfiles/Galapagos/20241227_221953.jpg?1736821447?1736821447" width="250" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><iframe width="490" height="240" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nrCMGxZyFp4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p>
</div>
Tue, 14 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000
/blog/january-2025/galapagos
/blog/january-2025/galapagos