June 14 - Beautiful sunny morning in Nuku Hiva harbor. Take dinghy into town; speak with Kevin Ellis, Tahiticrew rep. in Nuku Hiva; explore two fruit/veg markets at dinghy landing; walk to restaurant and have nice lunch (Muana Nui Pension Restaurant); go to larger market on way back to dinghy dock and buy groceries; retire to boat. We take a swim (water a very comfortable 83.1 degrees). When we came in around midnight on the 13th we anchored closer to shore than ideal because the anchorage was somewhat crowded and it was nighttime with limited visibility. There is a considerably more room in the anchorage now, but we elect not to move at this time. Around 7:30 this evening it appears pretty clear that our anchor is dragging and it becomes imperative to move and reset the anchor. We do so without incident. We were going to go out to eat but after resetting the anchor we’re all a bit “spent” and not so hungry after our nice lunch ashore so we “munch” dinner on the boat and go to bed.
June 15 - Well, even though we have been running the water maker sporadically for 2-3 hrs. a day (only 3.5-4 gal. an hour output) we finally run out of water. We switch to using only one water tank; add 5 gal. from out 10 gal. external supply; and run water maker/generator for 5.5 hrs. in the morning. Take another walk into town starting at about 1:30 and pretty much everything is closed. All the stores and all of the restaurants. Wind up at the hotel in the hills overlooking the harbor on the other side of the harbor from the dinghy dock for a beer. Great view. When we walk back at 4:30 to the dinghy the stores are open, but the restaurants are not, so we retire to the boat for dinner.
June 16 - The guys spend most of the day working like dogs pulling up the salon floor to access the fuel bladder and its controls to try to address the fact that there is inadequate fuel flow to the engine. As it turns out the baffling material that was put into the tank to reduce sloshing around of the fuel has deteriorated to the point where it is almost all “sludge” and it is just not possible to get it all out. We siphon fuel out of the tank in the process and in doing so we find that we have removed approx. 60 gal. of fuel and calculate that there is probably at least 30- 40 more gallons remaining. That seems to confirm information on the tank that suggests that it is a 190 gal. tank, which means that we have a lot more fuel on hand than we thought. Since the only way to get fuel is to anchor off of the fuel facility and then drift back to access a hose from the stern onto a high uninviting commercial dock, and since we will be able to get fuel in Papeete, we decide to fill a few of the 15 gal. fuel jugs that we bought in Shelter Bay and leave for Rangiroa without otherwise refueling (there does not appear to be any fuel dock in Rangiroa).
June 17 - We get up early to meet Tahiticrew rep Kevin Ellis to check in with Immigration, only to find that we have miscalculated actual time here and are an hour early. When Kevin does arrive check-in is very quick and easy. We talk to Tourist office about renting a truck on Wednesday the 19th to tour the Island (truck because we will be renting water jugs from Kevin to load fresh water from next valley over.) There is no potable water in Taiohae Bay, as we are told that it is all contaminated by feces from the large number of goats and other livestock living in the valley. The only way to get potable water is to fill jugs from faucets for that purpose available in other valleys where the water is potable. The guys take a walk in the afternoon up to the monument on the hill and I hang out at the boat doing some chores. We again plan to eat at the Chinese restaurant but the guys check in there and find that it is once again closed.
June 18 - Do some food shopping and generally just meander around town a bit and relax on the boat. Meet up with Burt’s friends from Charlottesville N.C. who are here on their trimaran, have drinks with them early evening and then finally make it by dinghy to the beach to the Chinese restaurant. Food is good, plentiful and not expensive. Was worth the extra effort to finally get there when it was open.
June 19 - We rent a small truck and drive around the island. Island is volcanic and is bisected by a very steep cordilla. The road is also very steep and narrow road requiring a lot of attention, but the drive is worth it. Eat lunch at a small restaurant opposite the beach at the end of a long bay on the other side of the island, then fill our rented water jugs from a tap on that side of the island where the water is potable, and fill three more 15 gal. diesel jugs. Busy tiring day, both enjoyable and we accomplish our mission of refueling water and diesel as well as seeing much of the island.
June 20 - Since we are leaving tomorrow for the next Bay over where there is no town to hike up to a waterfall and will leave from there for Rangiroa (4/5 day trip). we spend much of the day reprovisioning, picking up laundry done by Tahiticrew and getting the boat ready to move again.
June 21 - One hour of motoring takes us to “Daniel’s” Bay (technically Hakatea Bay). Burt then spends two hours trouble shooting an electrical problem with the switches behind the companionway ladder. It is called Daniel’s Bay after the name of fellow who settled there about 62 years ago they say. Anchorage is very picturesque and more out of the swells than Taiohae Bay. We dinghy to shore and after some difficulty find the trail to the waterfalls. It’s a rainy day and we are warned by a family that lives where the trail begins that it is unsafe to hike to the falls due to possible flooding from the rains. We start up the muddy, slippery trail, although not steep at all at this point in a drizzle. At a small stream ford I say I don’t want to go further. I’ve taken my Kindle in case I have to wait and I am afraid that if the stream swells with the rain that I might have to swim it endangering the Kindle. The guys continue on and I hike back to the beach and wait for them. When they come back they say they were able to see the falls in the distance in another valley but not get close to them. We dinghy back to the boat, clean up from all of the mud and get the boat ready for the trip to Rangiroa which begins the next morning.