May 30

30 May 2012  First thing in the morning, I change the oil in our diesel engine.  We are trying to do the most ecologically sound thing.  Our agent told us to put the used oil in the trash and it would be burned at the dump.  We had no idea what would happen to trash at the smaller villages we will be visiting later.  We leave SUNRISE at 0745 to be at the Mobil station when it opens at 0800 to get the first 10 gallons of diesel.  SUNRISE has used up a lot of fuel motoring part of the way from California and running the engine to charge batteries and running the compressor for the frig and freezer.  Lynne wants to get dropped off at the dinghy dock and she will carry the two empty diesel jugs to the Mobil station.  On the way to the station, Lynne drops the gallon jug of used oil in the trash can by the dinghy dock.  I take the dinghy past the station to the launch ramp, get out and pull the dinghy up onto the ramp.  While walking back to the Mobil station, VOILA!  There is a big tank for collecting used oil.  Too late now.  While we wait, we use the limited amount of French that we know trying to figure out which pump to use - the vert (green) pump dispensing "SANS PLOMB" (lead-free) or the jaune (yellow) pump dispensing "GAZOLE".  Eventually, we figure out they call diesel fuel "gazole".  The station eventually opens at 9:10.  That is when we find out that they have no gazole.  "Maybe when the next supply ship comes at the end of the week."  DOUBLE DANG!!  That is when we find out that the supply ship in the harbor when we arrived two days ago would have sold us a minimum of 50 gallons directly from the ship.  That would have filled our tanks to the top.  No ferrying two 5-gallon jugs from SUNRISE to the Mobil station and back in the dinghy and pouring the fuel from the jugs into our filler ports.  Repeat five times, assuming that they had gazole and would sell us 50 gallons.  DANG, DANG, DANG, DANG, DANG.  We  return to SUNRISE at 0945 with no gazole.

We spend the rest of the morning finishing our chores, get the dinghy on deck, and prepare SUNRISE for sea.  Man, do we miss the "dry heat" we are used to in Ridgecrest.  Here, we use up a lot of paper towels wiping up the perspiration dripping off us.  It is hard to drink enough water to pee several times a day.  On the other hand, we don't have any problems with dry, cracking, lizard skin anymore.  No need for hand cream here!
We are now in "fuel conservation" mode.  We give up on going to Fatu Hiva.  There are a number of volcanic plugs surrounding a bay there and it is supposed to be spectacular.  The locals originally called it the Bay of Penises.  When the Roman Catholic priests first arrived, they did not like that name and changed a letter or two in the French word, turning it into the "Bay of Virgins".  Instead, we decide to go to Tahuata, the next island close-by to the south.  The guide book says that the wind howls through the channel between Tahuata and Hiva Oa.  We head out with a double-reefed mainsail and no headsail.  In the channel, we never see more than 14 knots, eventually shaking out one reef and having a leisurely sail to the west side of Tahuata to be in the lee of that island.  This was the light-wind day to beat upwind back to Fatu Hiva.  (The simplest thing would be to go to Fatu Hiva first and then the other islands down wind of Fatu Hiva.  The problem is that Fatu Hava is not a "Port of Entry", so you are not allowed to go there first.)

At Tahuata, the first two coves are packed with boats, so we drop anchor in the third cove and are by ourselves.  No herd instinct on this boat.  In contrast to Atuona, the water is pretty clear here.  I get out my swim suit and snorkeling gear and swim over the anchor to see how well it is set.  Looks pretty good.  The bottom of SUNRISE has remarkably little growth.  I will scrub off what is there tomorrow and replace some zinc anodes that are nearly used up.  No longer being confined in a small bay surrounded by mountains and tightly packed with other boats, we now lie on just a bow anchor.  SUNRISE can point into the refreshing breeze and the inside of the boat cools off nicely.  About time!  Life is good.