Air Power - Apr 3

The lastentry should have been dated 29 Mar. The Marquesas were named by a couple of Spanish explorers in the late 1500s. However, the name in the local dialect is Fenua Enata. "The Land of Men". Whoa. Don't tell Gloria Steinman. She'd have a cow. Speaking of cows, the islands are somewhat of a breadbasket. Everywhere you go, mango, banana, papaya trees. Goats and wild pigs roam the islands. Most folks grow all their own vegetables and have chickens. Considering the island population was decimated from an original 100,000 when first discovered by Europeans to a paltry 2500 inhabitants in the early 1900s, there is plenty of land to sustain the current population of around 12,000.During our visit to Nuku Hiva, the tourism board put on a barbeque sort of like a Lua. Plenty of roasted pig,. read more...

Air Power - Mar 16

As more of the ARC fleet arrived in the bay in Hiva Oa, it was time for us to make room for the other boats. It was a quick hello as they were anchoring, and we departed for the northern part of the island. Pifa, our tour guide pointed out a protected bay worth staying for a couple of days. It was then time to move north to Ua Huka. We decided to leave the anchorage at night, to arrive at our destination in daylight. Since the wind (and all the weather), came from the east, we knew we had to pass a a band of rain squalls. We figured we'd only put out the jib and motor sail until we passed through it. The squalls hit us pretty hard, so we double reefed the jib and still moved in excess of 10 knots. (Unfortunately, not in the direction we had hoped). That was probably the most lightening. read more...

Air Power - Mar 16

We been on the Island of Hiva Oa, Marquesas since Tuesday morning. There is one small town call Atuona which makes up the hub of this island. There are several small grocery stores whose stock is dependentupon the last supply ship. One came in yesterday, and most of the stores seemed well stocked. During the weekdays, everything seems to close between 11:00 & 2:00 pm. Except the few places to eat. Then at 2:00, then close until the next day, or maybe open for dinner at 6:00 pm. So, don't expect to sit down and drink some wine in the afternoon, unless you brought it yourself. There is a museum dedicated to Paul Gauguin and his burial site up on the hill. If you don't who he was, he was a starving artist who painted tropical island living. He died in 1903.We went on a fantastic tour. read more...

Air Power - Mar 10

We're about a little over 300 miles east of the Marquesas Islands. If I shot an arrow directly north, it would land somewhere in Juneau, Alaska. Even Hawaii is hundreds of miles west of our longitude. (we are 133 degrees W) Those degrees in the parenthesis mean that is how far west of 0 degrees (London Time), we are. Or, you could say we are 47 degrees east of the international dateline (180 degrees E/W of 0 degrees). Knowing this doesn't mean a whole lot unless you are delivering a pizza around the dateline. Go the wrong way, and you are either early or late.Speaking of food, we grilled our final two rib eye steaks we purchased in Panama. I think they came from the States because we paid for them in US dollars. Oh, of course, everything is Panama is paid for in US dollars. Only the. read more...

Air Power - Mar 3

Crossing 3000 miles of ocean is measured in weeks, not days like you are driving across the U.S. When we first started out from the Galapagos Islands, there was no wind, and we considered we might have to measure in months. The currents would have gotten us there eventually, sans alcohol, but plenty of canned beans. You would think a journey of this duration would bring on fits of boredom. Are you bored of taking naps? A well hydrated body produces approximately 30 cc (1 oz) of urine an hour. Imagine that 1 oz sloshing around in your bladder while trying to take a nap. It feels more like a quart. You get the picture, even naps are not sacred.When a new recruit first joins the US military, the first thing they learn, is to shine their boots. This keeps them busy before lights out in the. read more...