|32| Missives to Mumfy

French Polynesia: Marquesas & Tuamotus

April 2022 – May 2023
Written by Alene (ADR) in French Polynesia — June 2024

Who is Mumfy? That’s the name I created for my mother when I was six or seven, and that’s what I still call her. She’s 85 now, living with her marmalade cat in Ohio and happily in good health. 

I write to Mumfy frequently. During our time in French Polynesia, in addition to our regular correspondence, I sent mini photo updates (when we had a mobile signal) to keep her informed of our adventures. 

This update is a compilation of those missives.

says ADR

2,300 Nautical Miles Across the Pacific…

9 May 2022

Mornin’,

We departed Isla Clarion (the most westward of the Revillagigedos islands in Mexico) on Thursday April 28th with fine downwind sailing. We have said repeatedly, “Can we please sail like this the entire 2,300 miles?” The wind gods say no – you must pass through our gauntlet of trials: the ITCZ. The boat ahead of us by a few days had a squall 16 miles across with 50+knot winds. However, the real question will be whether we can avoid the lightning; that’s our worst fear.

When we departed Clarion there was a lot of whale activity: tail & fin slapping by at least 3 whales. We commented to each other that they must’ve been waving goodbye since we’ve seen no whales since.

Even after leaving Clarion 200 miles behind, we still had booby birds with us. They swoop around the boat all day, occasionally landing on the water for a rest. The flying fish that we chase up with our bows are an easy meal for them. There is no moon right now, so the stars are brilliant & the bioluminescence dazzling.

The waves have gotten much larger, but they are rolling under Migration from behind as we surf downwind, so they don’t concern us. We’ve been making good speed (6-7 knots) & we’ve been able to sit in the cockpit under the shade awning, as there’s no water coming on deck. I just love that we don’t heel. We can walk around the boat per normal, leave our dishes sitting around, & do projects. So nice!

Skies are getting cloudier which signals our approach to the ITCZ, now less than 2 days away. I have my poem to Poseidon ready for our 7th crossing of the equator.

We had a bunch of bananas that we bought green over 2 weeks ago & it looked like they would never ripen, but suddenly today we awoke to find they had turned yellow, so we had bananas on our cereal. I know that doesn’t sound like much, but it was such a pleasant surprise!

Today, we threw over a message in a bottle. We only send bottles in open ocean & haven’t been very far from shore since our sail to the Aleutians in 2017. Now we get to do it again!

With love,
says ADR

Landfall in the Marquesas…

18 May 2022

Kaoha,

We’ve arrived in Nuku Hiva!

We had some rambunctious days over the last week of sailing — the kind that don’t make one enamored of long-distance voyaging. However, there were a few perfect sailing days and nights thrown in so we wouldn’t get too discouraged. Once we found the west-flowing currents, it was much nicer knowing we were making good progress.

Passing Ua Huka in the early hours of the 14th of May, the bright moon allowed us to see the silhouette of the island about 12 miles to the south. Ahead of us, the moon set behind Nuku Hiva outlining it against the tradewind clouds. As the sun rose behind us, we approached the dramatic cliffs of our destination.

As soon as we dropped anchor in Taiohae Bay we were greeted by a woman in a kayak. We did not know her; friends on s/v Jacaranda who spent quite a few years in French Polynesia had asked her to welcome us & to deliver a fresh baguette as well as veggies & fruit — so thoughtful!

We were also warmly greeted by friends on s/v Paseo & s/v Ticket to Ride, again with gifts in hand … Such a different experience from our last time arriving here when we didn’t know anyone!

The weather is perfect, the mountainous island is beautiful, & it’s nice to have the boat tranquil after 16 days at sea.

With love,
Bruce & Alene

13 Years Later: Baie d’Anaho, Marquesas…

31 May 2022

Kaoha,

It was wonderful to revisit Baie d’Anaho on the north side of Nuku Hiva — one of our favorite places 13 years ago…

With love,
says ADR

Matava’a Festival in Fatu Hiva…

19 June 2022

Kaoha,

The start of the Matava’a festival was today & it was fantastic!

It began with an ouverture parade with all the participants walking from the wharf to the festival grounds in costumes made entirely of vegetation. The parade was led by the president of French Polynesia & other dignitaries. At the festival site, representatives from all the islands performed together — about 500 dancers, drummers, & singers. Then each island did a presentation dance welcoming everyone to the festival. Seeing all 6 groups dancing & drumming at the same time was really amazing, especially with those big drums placed all around the perimeter of the field. Some drums are more than 5’ tall! A very powerful performance.

There were artisans from all the islands displaying their wares, so whenever there was no dancing, we walked around talking to the artists. 

On the second & third day the performances were at night. Each night 2 dance groups performed. We especially liked the dancing from the island of Ua Huka. They did the ‘bird dance’ with 6 women in gorgeous exotic feathery costumes representing different birds from each of the 6 populated islands. The dance went on for over an hour with the women doing a lot of sensual movements & the men doing mostly haka warrior-type dancing. But they don’t dance as couples — the sexes are nearly always separate. At times the women moved to the front; at other times the men had their time in the spotlight. When the men are being featured, the women sit on the ground around them or stand behind singing or chanting. When the women are in the spotlight, the men kneel on one knee or stand in tough-looking poses. All the while the drums are drumming, the chorus is singing & the conch shells are being sounded. It’s a lot to take in, but all of it is fascinating. 

On the third day there was a traditional kaikai (meal). All 6 islands made individual ‘umus‘ (earth ovens) with enough food to feed everyone at the festival. The umus were dug the previous day & a huge wire box containing fish, goat, pork, beef, potatoes, yams, bananas, & manioc (tapioca) surrounded by leaves (to protect the food from burning), was lowered into the hole. The food was cooked overnight. They also served huge bowls of poisson cru (raw fish in coconut milk), mussels, salted fish & crab, coconut rice, etc. Plenty of food — it was nice to try so many traditional dishes.

We’re glad to’ve been here for this biannual event. It was really fun to see our local friends performing & get to know their families. We also made new friends from various islands. One night, I had my own personal interpreter sitting right behind me. An older lady from Tahiti who grew up on Fatu Hiva took it upon herself to explain to me in French what was being said in Marquesan so I could then translate for the other cruisers. She also described the meaning of the dances. Her grandson practically levitated when each of the beautiful bird dancers appeared. His enthusiasm was infectious!

Apa’e,
says ADR

The Band-Aid on Our Bow…

19 July 2022

Kaoha,

Along with the evening dance shows, there’s been a bit of drama in our anchorage. 

On the second day of the festival, things began to get really crowded with more & more boats arriving in the anchorage. This created a rather dicey situation because the gusts are still pretty fierce. A recently-arrived boat anchored too close to two other boats, then everyone aboard the new boat immediately departed for the festival. The two closest boats had asked him to move, but he refused. While they were gone, their boat swung into another boat and hit it despite the efforts of 3 dinghies trying to push it away. 

The following day we were hit by a boat that had dragged & was attempting to re-anchor. They were motoring around the anchorage & did not allow adequate space when passing in front of Migration, so when a 40-knot gust came through & their bow thruster failed, they smashed into our port bow. We’ve been in direct email communication with the owner. Fortunately, he’s a decent guy & said he would pay for the damage.

Here are some photos of Migration’s owie. The pics are mostly crooked cuz it’s such a difficult angle to photograph either from the narrow piece of foredeck or the bouncing dinghy.

Apa’e,
says ADR

To the Tuamotus! Takaroa Atoll…

4 August 2022

Kia Ora Koe,

Takaroa was our first stop after an easy 3-day sail southwest from the Marquesas. It has a very long pass (almost a mile!) with a dogleg at the end — quite challenging, but worth the effort.

We’ve met some wonderful people who are proud to share their life on this atoll with us. Robert, 89, was born on Takaroa but has lived all over the world with a variety of interesting careers. He’s chosen to spend his retirement years here.

Maina, 77, was an air hostess for many years & also a pro golfer. Fascinating people. They both speak English, but we speak in French also. We’re really enjoying spending time with them.

Ua here vau ia oe,
says ADR

Terrific Toau, Tuamotus…

16 August 2022

Kia Ora Koe,

We had an easy downwind overnight sail from Takaroa to Toau, adjusting our sail plan to time our arrival at Anse Amyot at sunrise. We caught two big yellowfin tuna as we passed the atoll of Takapoto & kept both fish so we could give some away. We’ve been enjoying tuna every day since.

We spent quite a bit of time with local friends Gaston & Valentine in Toau back in 2009. It was fun to see them again.

It is just beautiful here. We are on a mooring within a stone’s throw of a magnificent coral garden that is not only inspiring to look at from the surface but also provides fabulous snorkeling. It slopes up from the 35’ we are moored in to just 3’ & goes on at mostly shallow depths for half a mile. The colors are incredible. We weave through hills & valleys of pure white sand punctuated with groups of healthy coral rising nearly to the surface. There are lots of peepholes through the coral in which fish hide, but also plenty of fish just milling around, going about their fishy business. Blue-green chromis hover in groups, changing color as one passes by; adorable little black & white humbug dascyllus never stray far from their coral hideouts – the babies exact copies of the adults; picasso fish poke about in the sand, parrotfish of all sizes & many varieties peck at the rocky bits; pink starfish cleave to the sides of outcroppings … I could go on & on — so much to see.

We also have half a dozen big remoras living on our hulls. They are completely unafraid of us, sticking to the hull only a foot from where I am cleaning the bottom. When we throw food scraps overboard, there is a frenzy of many different types of fish fighting for the pieces. The remoras often win out as they are largest & very fast. Fun!

Ua here vau ia oe,
says ADR

We are happy to be seeing healthy reef mantas in these islands. Here are photos of our manta encounter in the middle of Toau atoll, where we saw our first mantas way back in 2008.

We also sailed around the outside of the atoll & through the pass to enter Toau’s lagoon…

Fabulous Fakarava, Tuamotus…

22 August 2022

Kia Ora Koe,

Fakarava is one of our favorite atolls, not just for the diving but also for the fun of sailing 30 miles the length of the atoll in flat, protected water. Migration’s hulls just hum along — feels like we’re on rails…

But getting into the atoll can be a bit more boisterous…

Manuia,
says ADR

Sharks! Diving in Fakarava, Tuamotus…

27 September 2022

Kia Ora Koe,

We did our first dive since the Revillagigedos (Mexico) at Tetamanu, the famous south pass of Fakarava. It did not disappoint. Lots of sharks! And there were plenty at 55′, so we didn’t have to dive deep which is always nice when we haven’t dived for a few months.

Apa’e,
says ADR

Taking Our Time in Tahanea, Tuamotus…

10 November 2022

Kura Ora,

We spent nearly a month at the atoll of Tahanea. There is no longer a village on the atoll, but there is great diving, snorkeling, exploring, & adventuring…

Manuia,
says ADR

We also did some night snorkeling because the underwater world looks very different at that time.

Halloween in Katiu, Tuamotus…

14 November 2022

Kura Ora,

Returning to Katiu after 13 years was really wonderful — seeing old friends & making new ones who welcomed us warmly.

We spent time in the village of Katiu as well as at the south end of the atoll where we were all alone.

We came back to the village earlier than planned because we had heard that there was going to be something happening for Halloween. Halloween?!

Celebrating what we thought was a very American holiday in a remote atoll in French Polynesia was a kick. We paddled ashore at 5:30pm with our treats: brownies & marshmallows. There were kids riding their bikes & running around in costume as we walked to the quay & there were lots of decorations! Proper Halloween decor: orange lights, fake spider webs, black & orange paper chains, plus some creative local touches such as spiders made from coconut shells & pipe cleaners & orange pearl buoys painted to look like jack-o-lanterns. The best decorations were jack-o-lanterns carved out of green coconuts with candles inside. Those were really cool.

At the quay we told Serina, the schoolteacher, that we were a mobile bon-bon station (’station’ is how she referred to the houses giving out candy). So just before we departed there was a rush for the brownie platter with one kid loading his plastic pumpkin bucket with at least 5 brownies. I hate to think what a mess that created! But most kids ate them there & then, & I made sure the adults got some too.

There were about 30 kids & the costumes were great. Among them was a dragon, a King Tut, a jester, a very good Dracula, a scary mask with LED lights, lots of witches, a couple of princesses… One little princess showed us that she had glow-in-the-dark stickers all over her arms — so cute.

At 7 sharp all the participants began walking together with a boom box in a baby stroller blasting dance music. The amounts of candy given out were astonishing! Huge handfuls were dumped into each plastic pumpkin — no holding back. We were offered candy also, but the best bon-bon was the homemade cake given out by the house with the coconut jack-o-lanterns.

It took about an hour to visit the houses along the route, with the kids yelling “bon-bon ou boucan” at every station (boucan means noise). At Lea’s magasin, she made the kids dance for their candy — that was fun.

Clearly, Halloween is now celebrated throughout French Polynesia & has been for several years. They have really embraced the holiday as we know it but have also made it their own. It was odd, but really fun!

Manuia,
says ADR

Octopus Sex – Raroia, Tuamotus…

8 December 2022

Kura Ora,

We had a nice easy 2-hour sail from the northern end of Rarioa to the middle of the western side of the atoll; we had to move because a weather system was headed our way & we wanted good protection. That made it a long dinghy ride to the village the following day (pop. about 200), nonetheless, it was kinda fun weaving through a bunch of reef areas that look like they’ll provide excellent snorkeling. Little did we know what was in store for us on those reefs…

Our reception at the quay was very welcoming. Three guys (with their 3 dogs) greeted us with fist bumps. Titi immediately offered us some of the fish he had in a bucket. He gave us directions to the shop, I gave him a plastic bag, & he said he’d clean & fillet the fish & give it to us when we returned to the wharf. Nice!

Gerard & Vaia at the store were also very talkative & helpful with interesting information about the atoll. We bought a few things, including a piece of Vaia’s homemade Nutella cake to eat as we walked to find Jean-Jacques who cultivates a veggie garden. The store’s ‘fresh’ items were scary-looking potatoes that resembled shrunken heads & very smelly onions.

En route to the garden, we met a trio of people (& again, a trio of dogs). We talked to them for some time before mentioning that we were looking for Jean-Jacques. The man said, C’est moi! So we accompanied him to his house where I cut & bagged lettuce while BB picked cucumbers, then Jean-Jacques gifted us a local variety of bok choi with instructions on how to cook it.

Once back at the boat, we were ready for some water time. As expected, the snorkeling was lovely. For months we’ve been lamenting to each other how frustrated we are at not seeing any octopuses. That was about to change. We had the most rewarding octopus encounter ever!

BB was the one to spot an octopus out in the open in only about 4’ of water as the octopus was moving onto a rock where he then became nearly invisible. (The only time we seem to be able to find them is when they are moving.) When I dove down a few feet for a photo, I saw another octopus just a couple feet from where I was holding the camera! Both seemed unperturbed by our presence & didn’t move while I took photos. After a few more minutes of admiring them at close range, they both shot quickly around to the edge of the reef & under an outcropping, changing color rapidly as they went. The male turned black with white spots with his papillae standing tall, then dark red, then flecked caramel color….

Then, as we continued watching, the two came together & I saw the male’s mating tentacle reach under the female. I can’t believe we got to see this! It was now clear to us why they didn’t care about us being there…. They were busy! It only lasted a minute, then they both dropped to the bottom, about 17’ below us, where the female sat outside her lair while the male moved around quite a bit, first going into one hole, then another, then a third, all the while changing colors & patterns. Sometimes he was completely black, sometimes peppery like granite, but more often exactly the color of whatever background he was on, making it difficult to find him again if we looked away.

Finally he settled into one hole & the female disappeared into her lair. We now have the coordinates for that spot, so we’ll go back to see if we can find them again. What an exciting snorkel! 

As I sit on deck writing about this on a starry, calm night, the air is fragrant with the scent of tiare flowers. We enjoyed our parrotfish dinner with a fresh salad (merci, Jean-Jacques!), & tomorrow we plan to move closer to the pass & do some diving. Reports from other cruisers have it that there are lots of sharks in this pass & there have been sightings of tiger sharks. More undersea adventures! Yay!

Manuia,
says ADR

Upwind to the Marquesas – Landfall Ua Pou…

15 December 2022

Kaoha,

Our 420-mile upwind sail back to the Marquesas was no picnic, so we’re glad it’s over. We’ll spend the months of cyclone season (November to April) in these tall islands that are north of the cyclone belt.

Manuia,
says ADR

Holidays in Nuku Hiva, Marquesas…

30 December 2022

Kaoha,

Our holiday celebrations were enhanced by a visit from our friends Ella & Charlie from New Zealand …

Hinenao,
says ADR

Touching the Spires: Ua Pou, Marquesas…

20 January 2023

Kaoha,

The hike to the top of Ua Pou is our favorite shore adventure in the Marquesas. It’s a 10-mile hike with more than 2,000’ of vertical up to one of the spires left over from the island’s volcanic origins. 

The hike is quite strenuous — sometimes nearly straight up & down requiring the assistance of ropes. The scenery changes from prehistoric-looking jungle to pandanus forest to slopes of ferns to pine-covered ridges on which one step sideways puts you irretrievably over the edge of a cliff.

As a bonus, there is a refreshing waterfall with an idyllic pool to swim in. The first time we did the hike we did not know how to locate the trail, so went to Manfred’s chocolate farm to ask & swam in the pool before the hike. The second time we went the other way around which meant we got to visit the waterfall at the end of the day. Much better!

Either direction, a stunning hike & an extremely satisfying adventure.

Mokai,
says ADR

Dolphin Rescue – Tahuata, Marquesas…

21 February 2023

Kaoha,

We had a very busy & quite amazing day today at the island of Tahuata. The bay in which we are anchored has a resident pod of spinner dolphins, but they haven’t been around all week. However, they showed up today.

They played on the bow of the dinghy this morning as we headed off for a really beautiful dive. They like to ride the bow wave as we speed along. When we returned, they were still in the bay so we swam out to snorkel with them. The water was really clear & groups of 20 or more would swim below us in close formation twisting and spinning to look up at us. Just gorgeous to see them & hear their squeaks & whistles.

BB & I both noticed a long thin line about 10′ below the surface. It appeared to be just floating, but laid out straight. I had a suspicion, so I went toward one end while BB started gathering the other end. It was a strange kind of fishing line — multicolored — not normal monofilament. BB carefully gathered in around 50 meters of line until he reached the end; however, I found a dolphin tangled at the other end.

BB swam to a nearby boat to borrow a knife while I continued to shorten the line to the dolphin while swimming along so the line didn’t become too taut. Although we don’t know how long he’d been tangled up, he was obviously exhausted & swimming pretty slowly. Other dolphins were near him, but staying clear of the line, thankfully.

When BB returned, the dolphin was hanging at about 10′. Whenever we pulled too hard on the line, the poor dolphin thrashed about so BB dove down and cut the trailing line, leaving only a small piece attached to the dolphin. I tried to send calming messages to the dolphin to tell him we were trying to help. We both worried that the dolphin would swim away once the line was cut, but he didn’t. He stayed just beneath us, twisting & turning about, so BB dived down to see if he could remove the line wrapped around his mouth, fins & tail. The dolphin floated up with him, & at the surface, BB hugged him with both arms while I continued clearing the line from his tail. There were 3 tight turns around the dolphin’s beak & behind both fins so that he was bound tightly in something like a horse’s bridle, but BB was able to successfully unwrap the line from the dolphin’s beak & fins once I got his tail free & created slack in the line. We were grateful there was no hook embedded in the dolphin.

And then the dolphin was free! Wow… What an incredible feeling to see him swim away. He didn’t depart quickly, so perhaps was a bit traumatized, but we’re pretty sure he’ll be okay.

BB’s fingers did get a bit sliced up from the line, but they’ll be fine in a couple of days. It means no getting in the water (& no diving) for a few days, but he considers that a small price to pay for the privilege of hugging a dolphin.

We both felt so lucky to’ve been in the right place at the right time & able to save a dolphin that otherwise might’ve starved to death since he was unable to open his mouth. What a gratifying experience.

Mokai,
says ADR

I didn’t get very good photos of the dolphin rescue because I got busy helping the dolphin, but here’s what I did capture…

Just Hanging Out – Tahuata, Marquesas…

26 February 2023

Kaoha,

We spent a lot of time at Tahuata — it’s one of our favorite Marquesan islands due to the friendly locals, the good diving, the resident dolphins, the sheer beauty & good protection of the anchorages…

Mokai,
says ADR

Return to the Atolls – Amanu, Tuamotus…

24 April 2023

Kura Ora,

Before departing the Marquesas, we visited Baie Hakatea on the island of Nuku Hiva where local friends have always been generous with their fruit. We wanted to take as much as we could to the atolls where they cannot grow fruit as easily as in the verdant mountainous islands of the Marquesas. Pamplemousse and bananas make great gifts in the Tuamotus!

That one-day visit paid off as we departed with 50 pamplemousse, 3 stalks of bananas, about 100 limes, a dozen starfruit, 5 coconuts, basil, ginger, lemongrass, lots of small spicy peppers — all gathered in the pouring rain. 

Now we are on our way to the Tuamotus. Sailing has been slow so far — we’re making 4 knots in 7.5 knots of wind on a peaceful sea — but the wind is supposed to pipe up to 20-something in a day or two. It’s currently quite warm: 30 degrees C with puffy white trade wind clouds in the bright blue sky all around us. We’ve had dolphins accompanying us several times & we just passed through a bunch of booby birds & frigate birds fishing from the surface while the fish jumped all around the boat. Very cool!

Our destination in the Tuamotus is Amanu, a small island with only about 200 residents. There is no airport; it can only be visited by boat. It was one of our favorite atolls when we first visited it in 2008. We’re really looking forward to re-connecting with the people in Amanu since we have lots of good photos of them from 15 years before.

Upon arrival, we discovered that it has hardly changed at all except that the kids we knew before have all grown up. The people are very friendly & welcoming; Francois, the mayor, invites every visitor to dine at his home with his family, & the kids run to the quay to accompany us walking around the village. They also love to come out to Migration to play!

Manuia,
says ADR

Alone in East Amanu, Tuamotus…

26 April 2023

Kura Ora,

As much as we enjoy being in the village at Amanu, we also love hanging out all by ourselves out in the remote corners of the atoll…

Manuia,
says ADR

Amanu Spectacle, Tuamotus…

5 May 2023

Kura Ora,

Spectacle is the French word for an event or show. When the National Geographic ship ‘Orion’ came to visit, the locals pulled out all the stops. There was live music & the guests were given flower leis as they arrived. Then there was a procession through the village to the pass where the kids danced while the adults sang & played. The visitors were also given woven palm-frond hats & taught to weave one themselves. An eventful morning that we were happy to be part of!

Manuia,
says ADR

When I traveled abroad with a backpack for two years in the late ‘80s, the only possible way of corresponding with my family was via letters and post cards. They patiently awaited word from me and were always happy to know I was okay, but they had no way of writing back.

In the early 2000’s when I began cruising, email was an established form of communication that allowed us to correspond with each other — a vast improvement. My parents made a concerted effort to learn this new technology and it has allowed us to stay in touch even from some of the most remote places in the world (a special thanks to Ham radio operators worldwide who provided a network for sending and receiving email over HF radios). For decades, Mumfy, despite being a two-finger typist, has always taken the time to respond to my emails. She is a thoughtful correspondent, always commenting, asking interesting questions, and making parallels with her own life.

Her interest inspires me to share our life and take the time to reflect on how amazing the world is and how lucky I am to experience it from the deck of a sailboat.

We visited only 15 islands during the first of our two years in French Polynesia. There are so many more and we’ll cover our travel to some of the least visited islands in Part Two of our time in French Polynesia. Until then,

Be safe. Have fun.
says ADR