Bay Jumping

As planned, we raised anchor yesterday just before noon and sailed out of Atiheu Bay, one mile east, and then turned right again, sailing another mile or so back into the lovely Anaho Bay. Quite simply, it’s a feast for the eyes: cliffs, peaks and mountains surround the Bay and a long golden beach lines the south and west corner – with countless palm trees of course. It’s quiet, and very comfortable. The layout of this long, deep bay makes it calm, but a cut in the mountainside to the east allows the trades to blow through, guaranteeing good ventilation on board and lots of spinning and energy-creating by Charley (If I never mentioned it, Charley is the name for our AeroGen wind generator. As long as the wind blows, Charley quietly make free, green, energy, putting it dutifully and constantly into our battery bank. Thanks Charley!). Some of the guides will tell you that this is likely to be the least rolly anchorage in all of the Marquesas, and we are certainly thankful for that. It’s also a place that doesn’t get a lot of yachtie traffic, especially now that it’s off season. There is one other boat anchored here, a French flagged steel sloop, but other than that, we have the place to ourselves.

Ok, not entirely to ourselves… In the afternoon, we were taking in a movie and enjoying the calm conditions, still eager to relax and shake off the adrenaline and discomfort of the long-ish windward passage we made from the Tuamotus. The movie choice was “The Perfect Storm”, as Lara had just finished reading Sebastain Junger’s excellent book. Somewhere in the middle, I got up and went to the bow, just to check the anchor situation, and see that the snubber line was ok. It’s a habit you get into after arriving in a new anchorage. Anyway, after I realized the anchor was fine, I almost turned to back to the film when I saw something in the water…. There were three large somethings swimming near the surface, breaking the surface occasionally with black tipped pointy appendages. Sharks? Nope. Manta Rays! Three of them. They were swimming off the bow of the boat, not 20 yards away, taking their time roving back and forth to my left and my right. I couldn’t believe it. I’d never seen Mantas like that, swimming at the top of the water, mouths open, apparently having a feast of krill or some other tiny waterborne creature that is their diet. And they are HUGE. I would have to guess that they were about 10 feet across. I called to Lara and Danny and we spent the better part of an hour huddled up at the bow – just watching them swim back and forth, eating (or sunbathing?), in no big hurry and certainly not shy about our ‘oohs, ahhs, and Man, look how big they are!’. Lara had to have more and so we put Danny’s Kayak in the water, she grabbed her mask and snorkel, and paddled over to where the Mantas were. Danny and I grabbed our cameras. But my Baby Cakes apparently got too close her own comfort – when se saw just how large they were, she decided she wouldn’t swim with them after all. If we see them again today, I’m definitely getting out the snorkel gear and diving with them. Such size and grace. Wow.

Topping off the end of this luxurious day was a spectacular moon-rise over the jagged ridges to the east. The moon is full now, or seems to be, and the bay bathed in Marquesan moonlight was too much, too relaxing… I went to bed early. 🙂

Today we’ll likely go ashore for some exploring and we’ll also get started on our small list of to-do’s, including some more mainsail repair on the batten pockets… More news when we’ve got it. Oh, and there is no internet here either, so the pics will have to wait. Sorry gang.

MM