Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Home Stretch
The radio nets also hosted discussions on the feasibility of making an illicit stopover in
Fatu Hiva before officially clearing into French Polynesia on Hiva Oa, forty-five miles
farther downwind. It was a tempting prospect, indeed, to avoid a long windward run. The
gorgeous Bay of Virgins on Fatu Hiva ranks as one of most beautiful anchorages of the
South Pacific, and nobody wanted to pass it by. Radioing ahead to crews who had already
made landfall brought a halt to all this speculation, however, once a report came through of
regular patrols threatening hefty fines for illegal stopovers (whether or not these fines were
ever collected was an unresolved question). In a way, this is a good thing, as the windward
passage weeds out much of the fleet and leaves Fatu Hiva in relative peace, a true reward
for those willing to tough it out for a day.
Land ho in the Marquesas
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