Location: Nuka Hiva
My day started at 3:30 this morning, and usually wed all be pretty low energy, but today the energy was super high because we were finally making it to Nuku Hiva after 18 days of passage. This was the big passage of the trip that everyone had been talking about since the start, so it was bittersweet that it was over. We were all so excited to finally get to land, but that also meant that the trip was wrapping up soon. We were a little ahead of schedule and didnt want to anchor in the dark, so our 4-8 watch consisted of some jibing to slow down and wait until first light. The sun started to come up, and we could see the island, which was such an incredible feeling. Everyone started coming up to watch the sunrise and see the mountains as we were pulling in, and it was so beautiful. Maya Ws birthday was also today, so we sang her a little happy birthday when she woke up. Cant really think of a better way to spend your birthday, honestly. The coastline was so insane I took so many photos, but as cheesy as it sounds, they really just dont do it justice. We anchored and got settled, making some calls back home before boat appreciation began. A deep clean was quite necessary after this long passage, so the morale for BA was very high. I was put on deck crew, which started with a deck wash, so we blasted the music and got to scrubbing. While we were on deck, there were people clearing out fridges/pantries, shop vaccing bilges, scrubbing floors, cleaning topsides, and basically everything else you could think of. This doesnt sound glamorous, but honestly, boat appreciation is so much fun when everyone is working together and making the most of it.
Meanwhile, Emma took Graham and Caro to provision, which I hear was quite the task on this little island, and they had to go to like five grocery stores to get enough food. Did we wipe out the food supply for the entire island of Nuku Hiva? Possibly, but they said everyone was so friendly and happy to help. We took a little break to have lunch, and they brought back some cold apples and oranges from the store, which completely rocked everyones world, considering we hadnt had any fresh or cold foods in a longgggg time. We took a much-needed swim, and Ive never been more excited to get in the water. The back flips and ocean showers are back! We were greeted by manta rays swimming right by the boa,t which was such a cool way to be welcomed into French Polynesia. They circled around the boat for a little bit, and as the day went on, we realized that these mantas are everywhere in this anchorage, and we can see them swimming on the surface frequently. BA resumed, and everyone got back to work. It was a long day of hard work, so come dinner time, we were able to go ashore and get a nice dinner. We all took a long-awaited ocean shower and quickly got ready for dinner. Everyone was so excited to actually get ready and go out for dinner to celebrate our completing passage. A taxi picked us up and took us to this super nice restaurant, and we all had some amazing food. Cold drinks were much appreciated and dinner was amazing I think everyone was very happy. To celebrate Maya Ws birthday, we thought what better way than to order six desserts for our table, so thats exactly what we did. It was all so good, but the coconut crme brle and the chocolate lava cake definitely stood out as the winners. It was a long but amazing day, and we are so happy to finally be in French Polynesia and enjoy these last couple of weeks together exploring all the different islands.