We did it!! We crossed an Ocean. We arrived safely in Hiva Oa on Friday, March 27,
after 17 days at sea. The crossing was uncomfortable at times, while cooking in the galley Judith acquired some bruises, and not everyone liked the squalls. However, we also had some very pleasant days and even managed to do 8 days of school. We only had to motor twice for 8 hours
when there were a mere 0.8 knots of wind. The rest of the time we had good winds. It was absolutely great to have Gerbrand, as our extra crew member. Nightwatch schedule was Ewout 8 - 12, Gerbrand 12-4, Judith 4 - 8am. Judith would always see the sunrise! The children
did well. They were lethargic for 6 days, which was longer than we expected but then they perked up. Apart from doing school we read lots of books and played lots of games.
After arrival, it has been so lovely to sleep whole nights! It was also great to go ashore and explore the island. The first time we were on land, it felt as if the land was moving!!We are practicing our rusty French with the locals, quite fun. It is really hot and humid here,
anything you do and you are drenched in sweat. So we love it when a tropical downpour cools us of. We are eating delicious baguettes and all sorts of exotic fruits like pamplemousse, breadfruit, mangoes and papayas. They pick it straight off the trees for us.
Today we took a tour of the island. The island is very lush and green, we saw at least 17 different shades of green with plenty of yellow, pink, red, orange and white mixed in. The flowers are magnifique!! Tomorrow one more trip to town to load up on baguettes, tomatoes and some veggies and then we're off to Tahuata; an island ~10 miles from here.
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