A Week Aboard S/V Sabado: 2/24/2025-3/2/2025

Hello friends! Have you seen our latest video? It’s loads of fun, check it out! 

Sorry, we’ve been MIA online lately; truthfully, we’ve had nothing to share. It’s cyclone season here in the South Pacific, so our cruising grounds are temporarily limited. We are just passing the time until we can set off on our next adventure! We checked out a couple of different anchorages in Nuku Hiva, the largest of the Marquesas Islands, before taking a weather window to Hiva Oa. It was an easy overnight sail, though the wind speed and direction were not what was forecasted (we’re getting used to that here). We spent the first few hours tacking back and forth in choppy seas before settling into a more favorable heading for the night. 

Using our main and jib, we were able to sail past sunrise, only turning on an engine to complete our approach when the staggering mountains of Hiva Oa blocked our wind. We reminisced on our arrival to this very island after our 27-day sail from Panama… We were eager to explore what is advertised as the creme de la creme of cruising; we had no idea how many challenges we’d face to see this sliver of paradise. That was nearly 10 months ago! It’s no secret we had a stressful season full of bad weather, poor anchorages, and expensive repairs. We had hoped to depart before our insurance limitations for storm season took effect, but we are still here. Perhaps that’s a factor in our lack of social media presence: we are making the best of it, but we’re still a smidge bummed. The stunning scenery and frequent manta ray sightings sure do help, though. 😉 

We dropped our anchor near Atuona and spent the following days reprovisioning and cleaning in preparation for visitors. Having guests aboard always reignites our passion for this lifestyle. Seeing someone’s reactions to our everyday routines reminds us just how lucky we are! I revived my towel animal tradition and made a manta ray for the guest cabin:  

My parents arrived Friday morning to an exceptionally rolly anchorage. Most of the anchorages in the Marquesas are rolly, but their first night aboard was (of course) the worst we’ve had- take a Dramamine level of rolly. We left the next morning, making a quick 2-hour sail to Tahuata. Thankfully, the most popular anchorage was nearly empty! We got a sweet spot near the picturesque beach, inflated our SunChill, and jumped in the bright blue water. 

We spent the rest of the week anchored right there. Many books have been read, board games played, and sharks spotted. I cleaned the bottom of the boat and cracked open a fresh bottle of stainless polish my parents had brought from the States, and Ray installed a new battery charger for the generator we had them pack in their luggage for us.

My mom has helped me cook all our meals from scratch, but we heard the restaurant at the resort in Nuku Hiva recently reopened, so we look forward to paying them a visit this week! The plan is to leave Tahuata tonight to return to Nuku Hiva, where my parents fly out in a few days. We’ll hang out there a while longer, then start heading West. Thank you all for sticking with us! I hope you had a great week. ❤️