Atuona

0800 Position 9-48S 139-02W. At anchor in Tahauku Bay, Hiva Oa.

We didn't have far to go yesterday, just eight miles, to the big town of Atuona to clear into French Polynesia. After completing some boat projects we hoisted a double reefed mainsail and motor sailed across the channel between Tahuata and HIva Oa. We found the harbor in Tahauku Bay completely full with about thirty cruising boats at anchor. This place is a hell hole. It is sheltered by hills so there is little wind here making it hot, Africa hot. The anchorage is rolly everywhere, but we are in a particularly bad spot outside the breakwater. Our plan quickly became to complete the formalities and get the heck out. Other than perhaps making a voyage repair I can't imagine staying for any other reason, so I'm not sure what the other boats are doing here.

If you've read the blogs from any of my previous voyages, you know that clearing customs in these third world countries is always an adventure. This time is proving to be no different. Rob gathered up our passports and went ashore at 1PM to do battle with the French after we got the boat tidied up. He returned two hours later after being told that the entire crew had to be present at the Gendarmarie to clear immigration. We all jumped in the dinghy, went into shore, and started walking. We had to walk around the end of the bay to get to Atuona, and a half hour after we started hiking we were standing on the hill looking down on Van Diemen from about 100 yards away. Another half hour of walking and we were at the Gendarmarie where we started the sign language game with the officials.

This is the primary port where yachts from the west coast clear into French Polynesia. Each year about 400 yachts enter here. Most of them are American. The French know this. Don't you think they would attempt to put employees with English language skills in the Gendarmarie here? Nope. None of the three officials who served us could speak English.

After ten minutes of gesturing it became clear that they wouldn't clear us in unless we had either an email confirmation of an airline ticket out of the country or proof of bond posted at the local bank. When Matt and I cleared into French Polynesia in 2014 this wasn't an issue. Now it is. It was almost 5PM, closing time at the Gendarmarie, so that hurdle would have to wait until tomorrow. Who knows how long it will take. Hmmm. Perhaps this is what all those other boats are doing here in the harbor.

Rob has a plan though. There is a local "agent" who is an expert at assisting yachts clear into French Polynesia. The plan is for him to meet the agent at the harbor breakwater at 9AM this morning. Stay tuned. This could get interesting.

So it was 5PM, we were in Atuona, a two mile walk from the boat. We decided to have a look around. There wasn't much there except the Gendarmarie, a bank, a post office, a couple of stores, restaurants, and a school. We bought some provisions in the store and were walking back to the boat when we bumped into some pals of Bill's who arrived here from San Diego a week ago on their thirty eight foot sloop. They had a tougher passage than we did breaking their steering, their generator, and their gooseneck. It is amazing how different the same ocean can be. We had dinner and a few Hinanos with them at pizza place and caught a cab back to the harbor.

It was pretty difficult sleeping last night with all the rolling, but it did cool off at about 2AM when the wind shifted to an offshore thermal and the breeze blew down from the hills. Longy was explaining to us this morning how he had to contort his body to keep from rolling out of bed and onto the floor of the cockpit. Good times.

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