Fatu Hiva, Hanna Vavau Bay (Bay of Virgins)

We arrived in the anchorage at Fatu Hova yesterday morning at daybreak. We were actually here a couple of hours before dawn but hove to until first light. There were 10 boats already here and with us and Toketie, that made 12. We are anchored in deep water (25-30 meters) and have over 100 meters of chain plus some anchor rode out. We are very comfortable. The anchorage is stunning! Steep sided, lush, with craggy rock pillars. We are taking lots of pictures and will post them to the web site when we can. Shortly after we arrived, a couple of guys from an American boat "Argonut" came by and said that they were organizing a dinner on shore, hosted by one of the local families. 25 USD per head. After some encouragement from Cathy we said OK. There were 6 boats in all with maybe 16 people in total there. The food was great. During the meal, the couple hosting the dinner pulled out a guitar and ukulele and played traditional Marquesan music for us. Little to no English is spoken here. The first language is Marquesan and everyone also speaks French. Despite being pretty tired after over 28 days at sea, we had a great time. The village itself is wonderful. The French Polynesian authorities have invested heavily in infrastructure and it shows. They have built a stone and concrete breakwater with a launch ramp for the local fishing boats. There is a medical clinic staffed 4 days a week, a church, school, power, telecommunications, water etc. The houses are small but tidy and the people we've met so far are very friendly. I can't help reflecting on how things have likely changed with the adventy of more and more boats making the jump across the Pacific. 10 years ago, maybe 20 boats in total would have made the trip in a given year. There are probably closer to a 100 this year!

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