Sunday - Wednesday 28-31 May 2023
Had a stressful time on first approach to Anaho Bay, on NE of Nuku Hiva island, after having had a couple of 20 kt squalls earlier, and then forced to head back out to sea on seeing strong weather over Anaho Bay that I was about to enter to anchor - finally came in after squall had died down but had me very worried!
Lovely welcome on Sunday by couple of boats I know from La Cruz, Mexico - they dinghied over to welcome me and congratulate me on making landfall - a 25-day passage from Mexico. They also organised filling my water tank with lovely fresh drinking water - all very kind and helpful! So I had a lovely shower and did laundry! (No good drinking water here in Taiohae Bay from any taps).
Came around to Taiohae Bay Tuesday to clear in - eventually managed that today (Wednesday). Check in was easy - very friendly, helpful young woman gendarme.
So far, four (!) different sets of boaters have given me dinghy lifts inshore. Have yet to inflate dinghy and see if it and outboard are working OK - fingers crossed! (Job for tomorrow)
As well as instrument problems, confirmed this evening that the tricolour at mast top is not lighting up, although anchor light from same fitting is working fine - seems two wires of mast top fitting have perhaps become disconnected.
Last night was pizza night onshore with a group of boaters and I've had several visits to 'Nereida' over the day and evening from cruisers I last met in Mexico.
Solar input is not so very good - quite a few clouds, plus shading - but getting good wind generator input at times and genset is working fine to make up shortfall when needed.
Spent a lot of time today, emptying fuel from jerry cans into main fuel tank, ready for fetching diesel from onshore supply sometime soon to replace diesel used while on passage.
31st May 2023, Taiohae Bay, Nuku Hiva, FP