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| Seabbatical and Miss Behaving in Fatu Hiva. |
We arrived at Tahuata and zoomed off to the beach in the dinghy. Amelie IV, Seabbatical, and Miss Behaving were either there, or almost there. There were teeny tiny waves when we got to the beach the first day, but a few days later there were waves six or seven feet tall. Soon the waves got so big that we had to put our boards up on the beach and diving into the big ones. On one of our last days in Tahuata we did a potluck. On our last day I got stung by a jellyfish tentacle. I hadn't been stung by a jellyfish for more than a year so my skin blistered almost immediately. It hurt so badly I had to be picked up by the dinghy.
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| There are big, six foot waves at Tahuata. |
After an eight hour sail from Fatu Hiva to Hiva Oa we
wanted to get off the boat. After the calm bay at Fatu Hiva it felt like we
were at sea the whole time, but I didn't mind. Getting into the dingy included
lots of waves rebounding from the breakwater and almost falling into the water.
Getting to shore wasn't so good but we got to say hi to some other kid boats
named Seabbatical, Miss Behaving, and Amelie IV. We met Miss Behaving and
Seabbatical at Fatu Hiva. At Hiva Oa we were introduced to south Pacific
baguettes. Note: I did NOT like the mile and 1/2 walk into town.
Fatu Hiva (The Marquesas)
After the long, 20 day passage we got to the island called
Fatu Hiva in the Marquesas. It was very rainy there because of some really big
mountains. In French, grapefruit is pamplemousse. There were giant and very
yummy grapefruits there. We went to have a late lunch once and then, mysteriously that night I got food
poisoning. The next day I did not eat anything until dinner so that made me so
weak that I felt dizzy when I sat up.
20 days at sea = boring
We left from Isabela (The Galapagos) to the Marquesas. It
was 20 days at sea non-stop. On day 3 Mark and I were going crazy. Every day we
would start wrestling at least once every day. Near the end of the trip, we
caught a blue marlin, probably 5 feet long.
I also dissected
flying fish that were washed onto the deck over night to see what they were
eating because I want to be a marine biologist.The next thing we knew, we were going for adventures with a rope. Every day I would set up a swing and we would swing all day long. But finally, after 20 long and hard days, we made it to Fatu Hiva, dying for land.
Mrs. Isabela (The Galapagos)
Isabela was really cool and we sailed 8 hours to get there. We saw lots of rays jumping out of the water when we came into the anchorage. "It's like they are trying to fly." Mark said. We saw penguins in the anchorage!
A few days into the stay at Isabela we went for a tour. The tour was fun because we saw the craters of volcanoes and got to feel a fumarole. ( You could roast bacon in there.) The hike to the first crater was a few miles so we got to ride on horses. For the second crater we got off the horses and walked a few miles. The second crater was the coolest because we saw giant fumaroles ( not active) and even crystals! The horses were fun because when you say the word "vamos" ( that means" let's go" in Spanish) and they would walk.
The first part about riding on the horses backs is that they lean like they are going to fall over. This is me: "HELP MY HORSE IS GONNA FALL OVER! HELP! HELP! GET ME OFF!" After that I was fine. The horses would go off the trail sometimes and grab a mouthful of grass and then keep going but sometimes you would have to say vamos. The Galapagos is awesome!
Slimy pollywogs or trusty shellbacks?
On Tuesday, March 10, I became a trusty shellback! I was very excited. We will get a surprise. I don't know what the surprise is yet, but I will find out soon. (I wrote this minutes after the ceremony.) Ok, let's get to the part with the ceremony:" I, Conrad TenEick, ask permission of King Neptune, ruler of the seas, permission to cross the equator, and sail the southern seas. We offer you food and drink." And then I was a trusty shellback, no longer a slimy pollywog! And then Mark did his ceremony. (Mom And Dad had already done their ceremonies.)
Your blog was wonderful, long and very interesting. I loved every bit of it. Your writing is gertting almost as good as your mom's.
ReplyDeleteDo you know what kind of jelly fish stung you? Maybe it was a sea wasp because their sting really hurts. That's why I try to wear a "skin" because the stingers can't go through the nylon material.
The horse back ride and going through those big waves sounds like a lot of fun. You're a lucky boy to be doing all those things.
Tell Mark he should also write a blog so we would know what he's doing.
Goodd share
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