A Week Aboard S/V Sabado: 6/02/2024 – 6/09/2024

Hello and Happy Sunday! Have you seen our latest YouTube video? 🙂 

Last Sunday, we were in the home stretch of our passage from Nuku Hiva to the Tuamotus. Most of our trip had been rough, and this day was no different. We motor sailed into the wind, regretting not fully filling our fuel tanks before we left. As the sun fell below the horizon, we were surrounded by squalls. 

Unfortunately, they didn’t come with enough wind to turn our engine off. We motor sailed through the night while the rain poured in the moonless darkness. Ray woke me up during his shift- he had gone to drop the mainsail and noticed a broken lazy jack, allowing the sail to spill out onto one side of the boat. This isn’t the first time we have dealt with this issue, but it was the first time it had happened in the dark. Thankfully, there wasn’t much wind- hence why he was dropping the sail- so we brought the sail back up, and Ray was able to stand by the boom in the pouring rain and pull it into place while I eased the halyard from the helm. Once the sail was down, we began to troubleshoot. Daylight was still hours away, and although the squalls had been tame so far if the wind picked up, we wanted to be able to sail/reef when needed. So, with raindrops pelting into my eyes and a headlamp strapped to my forehead, I sent Ray up the mast. He clung to it with every wave that rocked the boat, loudly and clearly communicating his needs to me as I controlled the winch. He got to the spreader, re-threaded the lazy jack, and returned to safety. He secured the lazy jack back at the sail bag; we high-fived, grabbed some dry clothes, and stayed up together, chatting for a bit, decompressing from the adrenaline rush. After all that effort, we didn’t even need the sail the rest of the night. However, we did sleep better knowing it was usable! 

We arrived at our destination in the dark, turned off the engine, and turned on all our lights to drift until daylight. To get to our anchorage, we needed to navigate through a narrow pass and dodge numerous coral heads called bommies that sat just below the surface as we made our way to the other side of the atoll. 

Sunrise came and went, but the visibility was poor, and the wind had picked up to ~25kn. These are the exact opposite conditions we were hoping for. We waited a few more hours until slack tide, which gave us the best chance of maintaining control of our vessel through the pass. We motored forward, pointing our bows in to weigh the risk. We decided to proceed. Using both engines, Ray maneuvered us through the pass. I stood on the bow, getting blasted with salt water as the boat bashed into the waves, pointing out any bommies that may not appear on the satellite images. The wind picked up, but we powered through! We safely anchored in crystal clear water by several beautiful, sandy, palm tree-sprinkled islands. 

Only two other boats were nearby, and one was our friends Bryan and Jen. We got the boat out of passage mode, grabbed a few bottles of gin that we’d transported from civilization for them, and headed over. The four of us caught up and shared stories for a few hours before Ray and I finally decided it was time for a good night’s sleep. 

The next day, the sun came out, and the reality of where we were hit us… the Marquesas were beautiful, but this was what we’d been dreaming of! 

We dropped the dinghy in the water and zipped around, scoping out the best snorkel spots and potential dinghy landing zones. Then, we got to food prepping. We hosted friends for sushi using the yellowfin we’d caught on the way over, so we prepped the sides and sushi rice before they arrived. The four of us spent the rest of the day hanging out, eating, and drinking! 

We’ve spent the rest of the week waiting for the wind to die so we could go for a nice, long snorkel. But, the universe seemed to have other plans for us… 

So instead, we ran the generator, made water, did laundry, and completed a small homemade kitchen restock, since we’re far from a grocery store. We made a batch of yogurt, granola, and some garlic infused olive oil we used for sourdough focaccia (recipes linked!). We’re finally feeling relaxed on anchor for the first time since we arrived in French Polynesia. We’re looking forward to exploring more when the weather improves, but we’re thoroughly enjoying this downtime, too! 

I hope you had a great week. ❤️