The Eastern Pacific - Pacific Crossing Notes: A Sailor's Guide to the Coconut Milk Run - page 231

The wind only faltered on the last four days of our passage, a mere Force 3 that wafted us
gently forward. The Parasailor helped eke out the last few miles, but boats behind us fell
into a windless void. Some inched in to port after a total of thirty-five days underway. A
few even came non-stop from Panama, a trip of over fifty days! When the lush, craggy
cliffs of Hiva Oa came into view, we were thrilled, but also sad to end this lovely passage.
One of the most peaceful, magical times our family has ever enjoyed was coming to a
close. It was entirely unlike our Atlantic crossing a few years before, which had been a
more erratic, trying passage with conditions ranging from dead calms to ugly squalls.
Now we arrived fresh and eager for more sailing. And a good thing, too, since inter-island
passages within the Marquesas have more in common with open ocean sailing than
coastal cruising.
By lunchtime on April 30, Namani was anchored in the tight quarters of Traitor's Bay,
with one anchor ahead and another astern to keep her oriented into the light swell along
with twenty-odd other boats. One of our radio net buddies kindly dinghied up with a wel-
come basket for us: huge, succulent pamplemousse (grapefruit the size of bowling balls),
crisp green lettuce, and, of course, a fresh baguette. With misty mountains all around, we
immediately fell in love with the Marquesas. Namani had covered 3,300 miles in twenty-
eight days. The big one - the longest single passage of our three-year cruise - was behind
us, and will forever remain a sailing highlight.