SABBATICAL III ON THE MOVE
Sabbatical III left Hakahetau Bay on the island of Ua Pou,
Marquesas today at 0720 local time headed for the small atoll of
Taou in the Toumotu archipeligo. The trip is charted at about
450 nautical miles. Our route takes us on a heading of 211
degrees magnetic until a point SSE of Takaroa. From there we
will bisect the broad channel define by Kuehi and Fakarava on
the south and Takaroa and Apataki to the nortth. Our final
destination is Anse Amyot on the northwest corner of Taou. We
expect to arrive before dark on Monday. If we arrive late, we
will spend the night at sea and enter after dawn. If we cannot
anchor in Anse Amyot, Taou for any reason, our backup is to
enter the lagoon of Fakarava via Passed Garu. Fakarava lies
only 12 nm. south of Taou. The position of Toua is S 16
degrees 00 minutes, West 146 degrees 00 minutes.
Sabbatical III left Ua Pou well provisioned with 675 liters
of diesel and 650 liter of water. She also is burdened with 50
large pomeloes, 30 mangoes, 100 limes, 120 bananas, and one
large breadfruit. There is nothing but fruit everywhere you
look down below. Scurvy is not an issue. The Tuomotan family
that will host us in Taou has no access to fruit, so some of
this cornucopia is intended for them.
It is now 1020 local time, three hours after departure, and
we are making excellent progress. We are doing 8.8 knots with
single reefs in the genoa, main, and mizzen sails. The wind has
abated somewhat and is now from the east at 22 knots. Seas are
7 to 9 feet in closely spaced swells out of the ESE. The
forecast calls for diminishing waves and wind over the next 3
days — a truly excellent forecast for what can be a difficult
passasge if the weather gets out of hand. Skies are partly
cloudy after a morning squall. Little squall activity is
forecast for the next three days.
We will try to undate our progress daily. We loved the
Marquesas, with the visit of Hannah and Mia being the highlight,
but now feel it is time to get on the road again as our 90 day
visa clock in French Polynesia is running down.
Current position (1038 local time) is S 9 degrees 39.55
minutes West 140 degrees 22.87 minutes.
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M.