TAHUATA
On the third day on Fatu Hiva I wanted to hike to Ouia, one of the valleys where Thor Heyerdahl lived with his wife by himself for part of his stay on this remote island. An 8-hour hike across the mountains on a small single track is the only way to get there. Although it was eighty years ago, I feel the same excitement he must have felt. It is a beautiful hike through the forest and over steep mountain ridges to this pristine green valley that is still uninhabited. I did the hike barefoot / in cheap sandals, for which I paid the price with some blisters and sore muscles the next day when I leave Fatu Hiva and cross to Tahuata. I am sent off by many of the local friends I had made during the last 3 days. They look on with a combination of fear and excitement as I paddle off along the steep cliffs of Fatu Hiva. A couple of hours later, when I reach the northern point of the island, I rig my sail in the water and start the crossing to Fatu Hiva. I had picked a good day, as the previous days were dominated by very strong wind conditions, which makes everything a little harder. Today was perfect, 15 knots and from a good angle. After 12 hours I get to the island just before dark, but I still had a good two-hour paddle to the bay where I wanted to set up my tent.
I thought that windsurfing would be easier than the paddling. Let the wind and sail do its work you would think. But the reality is a little different. Rigging at sea is quite easy as long as you keep everything together and don’t lose any parts. Windsurfing a heavy packed board like this is different though. There is not much space for your feet, and because of the weight there is a lot of pull, so I mostly windsurf without using the harness. The swell also makes most reaches hard to be hooked in for. Especially downwind, when the board starts to surf down a wave while you constantly have to adjust the rig. The hardest thing, because you go only in one direction for many hours in the day, is that your neck hurts. So paddling is easier, but windsurfing is faster. On the longer crossings this makes a good difference in time. But it all costs a lot of energy and mostly when I get to the next island I am totally spent, tired and hungry.
So far no dolphins, whales or sharks are close by, only the occasional bird that checks me out. Making a few circles around me and leaving again, flying effortlessly between the waves.
At one point a Portugese man o’ war got between my toes and stung me many times before I got rid of him. I found a beautiful sandy beach with only some coconut trees on Tahuata. The following day I just relax and paddle over to the main village, the next bay over, to buy some food and do some sightseeing.