Tag Archives: bay of virgins

70 kilo Marlin

Catch of the Year: 70 Kilo Marlin

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As much as we loved the Bay of Virgins, we had to leave. It was time to start making our way toward Nuku Hiva.  Which is where we will pick up Shawn and Sharon and drop off Wayne.  We decided to make a slow trip north stopping at a few of our favorite places.  And of course, we were going to fish along the way.  Little did we know what was in store for us – a 70 kilo (150lb) marlin.

We left the Bay of Virgins and set course for Hanamoenoa Bay at Tahuata.  It is a 55nm sail so we left as soon as I returned from shore with bags of fruit, around 0800.  Under full sail (we had 1 reef in the main), with 3 lures out, we heard the zing.  We were about 20nm into our trip.  Lucky for us it was on one of the bigger poles and reels.  The fish was a fighter and spooled the entire reel.  We could see it jumping and twisting in the distance behind the boat.  It was not happy.  We slowed the boat down, pulled in our other lures and began the process of bringing her in.

It took Wayne about 90 minutes to slowly reel this beast in.  It did not do the in/out thing that the huge yellow fin tuna did with Matt, but it sure gave Wayne a work out.  Both boys struggled to bring her in.  She was heavy, huge, and armed with a pointy snout. 

70 kilo Marlin

70 kilo Marlin

Finally on the boat, now what?

It was a challenge to get this big fish on the boat as we did not want to puncture the boat with its sharp nose!  And it weighed 70 kilos (150lbs)

Getting her on the boat

Getting her on the boat

We filled both freezers and our fridge.  Man oh man we needed to share this wonderful bounty!

We filled the galley sink twice over.  Matt wore his trophy with pride.

Lots of marlin meat

Lots of marlin meat

Everyone was exhausted by the time we arrived to the anchorage.  Cold beers were enjoyed and then our friends on Flip Flops stopped by for some sun downers.  Of course, we promptly unloaded 25lbs of fish on them which left a whopping 125lbs in our freezers.

Proud fisherman

Proud fisherman

The next day, Flip Flops was going to follow us from Tahuata to Vaiehu, Ua Pou.  However, when we arrived to the bay it was really rolly and uncomfortable so we both decided to continue on to Nuku Hiva, Taihoe bay.

Arrived Taihoe Bay at 1130pm (left at 0530) little wind, motor sail.

Next morning played santa delivering pounds of the Marlin to Easy, Maple, Bella, Imani, Rhapsody, and Jolly Dogs.  So, basically or fish fed 8 boats (including Flip Flop and us) at least 5-6 meals each. 

We did not stay long as this was not our intended stop.  We headed a few miles west to Hakatea Bay otherwise known as Daniel’s Bay.

Twin Tikis and Sugar Shack

Bay of Virgins: In Search of a Virgin

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Surely at the Bay of Virgins you would find one or two?  This is a really small village filled with really nice people.  We walked through town which took about 7 minutes.  The magasin is small and stocked with the basics.  I met the owner who tried to convince me to trade a bottle of rum for some tapa.  I politely declined because we’ve been told by many, many people NOT to trade liquor.

New Year’s Eve

Meats have been really difficult, if not impossible, to find in French Polynesia.  We’ve been able to find chicken in bulk and a few small bags of wings. But we have not seen steak, pork chops or pork shoulder since Tahiti.  We have one more meal of pork chops and two small pork shoulders left.  Then it will be lots of chicken until we get back to Tahiti next summer.  So, it is a treat to eat pork.  For Christmas Matt made pork chops for us and for NYE he broke out a pork shoulder and made BBQ pulled pork sandwiches which were divine!  We followed it down with a lovely bottle of bubbly and tried our best to stay up.  However, at 2230, we decided it was midnight somewhere and called it a night.  Party animals that we are!

NEW YEAR

New Year’s Day was spent hiking to a waterfall with our friends on Maple. We decided that it would be a great way to start the year.  It was a relatively short hike 2.1 miles up on a paved road that turned into a dirt road.  The last 1/3 of the trail was a tad bit tricky but since it is summer here, it was dry.  I can imagine it would be more challenging during the winter when the trail is slippery and muddy.

Hike to waterfall

Hike to waterfall

A nice local marked the trail with rock formations on the last 1/3 of the trail (see bottom right photo).  It proved to be helpful keeping us on track.

The waterfall was super tall and very lovely.  The photos don’t do it justice, but trust me when I say how pretty it is.  I had to take two photos to get the top and the bottom.  A refreshing pool lay at the base of the waterfall and we all took a dip.  We enjoyed some snacks and beverages before heading back down the mountain.

Waterfall

Waterfall

Fatu Hiva is a really green island.  It is unusual because it is summer time and their dry season.  Most of the other islands are a little brown so it is amazing to see so much greenery here.   On the way down, we could clearly see the caldera which was stunning.  See bottom right photo.

View of Bay from Shore

View of Bay from Shore

A sweet female dog adopted a kitten.  It was the cutest thing to see this cat and dog together.  The kitten had no idea her mom was different than her, it just didn’t matter.

Mamma dog to a cat

Mamma dog to a cat

DAY TRIP WITH MAPLE

The main village of Fatu Hiva is called Omoa and is about 3nm away from Bay of Virgins.  It is a little too far to take the dinghy so we decided to take the big boat over for a day trip.  We invited Maple on board and made the short 1-hour motor to Omoa.

Not sure why they consider this the “main village” as it was no bigger than Hanavave.  It too had one magasin, post office, Le Mairie, church, and school.  It did have a small stadium for events and a museum.  We tried really hard to find someone to open the museum.  We asked at the post office, magasin, and stopped several locals. We found the proprietor’s home but she was not home so no luck seeing the museum.

The village is full of lots of fruit trees.  Bananas, papaya, mango, avocado, pumplemouse and more.  Beautiful twin tikis stood guard at the marina.

Twin Tikis and Sugar Shack

Twin Tikis and Sugar Shack

On the way back we saw this super cool cave formation that created a giant opening.  We took the dinghy to explore it closer because it was so pretty.  The top photo is of Bay of Virgins with Sugar Shack super small just before the jetty opening.

Cool cave formation in Bay of Virgins

Cool cave formation in Bay of Virgins

Bay of Virgins

Fatu Hiva: Bay of Virgins & Penises

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What?  How can a bay be both full of virgins and penises?  Well, let me tell you.  The original name for this bay is Baie de Penis because there are several towering rock formations that, well frankly, look like penises.  But when the missionaries came, they did not like the name and renamed it to “Baie des Vierges” which is translated to “Bay of Virgins.”  The Marquesan name for this bay is “Hanavave.”

Bay of Virgins

Bay of Virgins

So, how did we get here?  Let me start with the bad news — we lost the drone.  Yep, it is only 6-months old with less than 8 flights recorded and it was lost.  Matt was flying it while Wayne and I were on the boat.  He said it hit a tree, or limb, or wire and then went down in the tall, brown, grass.  Keep in mind that it is fancy and has sensors all around it that are supposed to beep and notify you when you are close to an obstacle.  He got no warnings.

Disaster Strikes

He searched for it on his own for an hour before coming to get Wayne and I.  The mountainside is dirt, rock, and tons of bushes with 1-2” stickers that stab you and stick to your skin and clothing.  Matt and I climbed up the mountain, hands and knees in some places, through the grass, over the rocks, hanging on trees and rummaging through the brush.  We had a general GPS location from the app, but it has a 15-20’ radius. 

After searching and searching and searching — nothing.  We finally gave up because it was getting dark and we were bloody, scratched, and worn out.  The last photo taken from drone shows the camera upside down, by a rock and in some grass.  The problem is that the entire mountain looks just like this shot.  The middle shot is the culprit that caused the fall and the top pic is the map we downloaded with wifi.

Lost Drone

Lost Drone

We found some internet and were able to download the map vs the generic terrain.  Using the LAT/LONG with the handheld Garmin GPS we were able to pin point a better location.

We had hoped to leave at 0500 the next morning for Fatu Hiva, but plans changed.  After much discussion, we decided to get up early and go look for it again.  Matt and I dressed in long pants (yes, we have some on the boat), and regular shoes.  We were armed with a machete and the handheld GPS with the LAT/LONG of the last known location.  This time we decided to go up a different section of the mountain.  BIG MISTAKE this was much harder.  The rocks we grabbed to pull ourselves up the mountain were falling away and would not hold our weight.  At one point, I was dangling from a tree root with no foot hold.  Ugh

Success – We Found It!

Our 6 hours of searching, paid off.  We got lucky and found our drone!  She was upside down and scratched up, but she is home.  I did not bring my phone as I needed my hands to climb up the mountain – so no photos.  Exhausted, hurt, and yet elated, we headed back to the boat, pulled up anchor and headed to Fatu Hiva. 

We think this twig was the culprit of taking down the drone.

We left Baie de Vaitahu around 0845 and arrived super-fast at around 1430.  Our friends on Maple left the same bay at 0600 and had arrived about 20 minutes before us.  It took us awhile to find a good anchor spot, but we finally stuck it good on the 5th try.

Passage Details:

  • Total miles: 4nm
  • Moving Time: 6:01
  • Max Speed: 6kt
  • Average Speed: 7.1kt

Fatu Hiva is famous for the Bay of Virgins simply because it is truly a stunning bay.  Bright, green valley’s lay between the huge penis pillars (that is so strange to write).  It has quickly become one of my favorite bays in French Polynesia.  Very peaceful, strong breezes, blue water, friendly people, and breathtaking views.

Bay of Virgins

Bay of Virgins

And it’s fun to say I stayed in the Bay of Penises even though Matt and Wayne say they stayed in the Bay of Virgins.

Bay of Virgins

Bay of Virgins

The village is called Hanavave and is the main village of Fatu Hiva.  It consists of a church, magasin, primary school, post office, Le Mairie (mayor’s office), and a gorgeous waterfall that flows into the river feeding the bay.

Several local women make tapa cloth which is a cultural tradition. They take bark from banian trees and beat and knead it for days until it becomes soft and supple like cotton.  It is used to make clothing, costumes and artwork.  They paint historical stories and Marquesan designs on the tapa.

INSERT PHOTO OF TAPA MAKING

Stay tuned for more adventures in Bay of Virgins…