Deja Vu

0800 Position 9-55S 139-06W. At anchor in Iwaiwa Iti Bay, Tahuata.

A full night's sleep did wonders for all of us. After a fried rice breakfast and some boat repairs we pulled up the anchor, hoisted the reefed mainsail, and headed off for Tahuata, forty miles to the northwest. We had a beautiful four hour sail in a twenty knot easterly breeze. We passed a couple of other boats headed in the other direction. They were pounding and heeling under shortened sail and did not appear to be having as good a time as we were. I kept telling the boys, guaranteeing the boys, that we would hook up as we rounded the southern tip of Tahuata. Thirty years ago we landed two huge ono there and I was confident the same spot would be a sure thing this time too.

As we rounded the point we could see the fish darting for our lures. All three lures, including Rob's cedar plug, were hit, but only Rob's hooked up. Unfortunately, the fish came off before I could get him to the boat. An inspection of the other two lures revealed that one was completely destroyed. It looked like the work of ono teeth. We made another pass by the same spot and lost another lure completely to a strike before heading down the coast to Hanamoenoa Bay. There we found seven boats, which was seven too many for us, so we turned around and went back to Iwaiwa Iti a half a mile to the south and anchored. It is a nice little bay with a white sand beach and we have it all to ourselves.

The water temperature is still 85.5 degrees and the swimming is wonderful. This is warmer than I ever recall the water being in Hawaii.

Longy and Mike tried to sleep in the cockpit again last night, but this time it rained. They both tried to tough it out thinking that the rain would stop, but it poured and by the time they gave up and came inside they were soaked.

This morning's topic of discussion over coffee in the cockpit was the wild animals we could see moving on the hillside above the anchorage. Out came the binoculars, which got passed around for each of us to have a look. First we decided they were horses. We've read in the cruising guides that most of the Marquesas have wild horses on them. A bit more looking and a bit more talking and we were convinced that they were dogs. Finally we decided they were very large and ugly goats. Goats. Too bad. Horses make a better story. As I write this the boys are still talking about them. They are being referred to as the "goat-horse things".

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