Fatu Hiva in The Marquesas (#7)
Carl Strange Oct 10, 2019
21 June – Fatu Hiva, Marquesas 10° 27S / 138°29W
Yesterday, we awoke to find the dinghy upside down with our small, 2HP motor in the water. The wind gusts coming down from the mountains are not to be believed. Five dinghies were flipped. Lots of flushing of outboards going on yesterday. Happily we noticed ours quickly and didn’t have any damage from saltwater. We didn’t go to shore in the morning because we simply would not have made it against the winds and chop. It was amazing. In the afternoon, the winds slacked enough that we could go to shore to pick up the bread we had ordered.
The “bakery” is a small wooden shack next to a small house. Flour and other ingredients are mixed in long wooden troughs and the lumpy, round loaves are baked in an ancient looking stone oven. Order a day in advance and pick it up the next afternoon. Unfortunately, the lady had forgotten to write down our order the day before so no bread for us.
We did have a nice time wandering around the small town and visiting with the locals. I carried a nice supply of Chiclets gum and had a great time surprising kids with a small gift. These types of treats are not generally available, word spread quickly through the town and I was constantly approached by shy, smiling children. In a few cases the parents also were delighted by the gum.
I had taken photos on our previous visit and gave a few prints to people we especially enjoyed. Several cruisers have digital cameras and color printers these days and you see prints proudly displayed on walls in houses.
Woodcarvings and tapa cloth prints are much higher priced than in years passed. Cruisers, and tourists in Tahiti, have bid up the prices over the years. We passed on the $150 carved tikis and the $180 manta rays since they looked like something you could buy at Pier One Imports. However we did get hooked on tapa art. Tapa is made by stripping tender young pieces of bark from trees – banyan and mulberry are popular. The pieces are laid on stone and pounded with a wooden mallet to form a thin, fabric looking rectangle. A black ink, made from a local plant, is used to draw very intricate art. Only a small number of ladies create this laborious art these days and now only on a couple of the Marquesan islands. We asked ladies on the street, chased rumors, approached several houses with our best Marquesan “kaoha” and finally found a lady with nice art and very reasonable prices. We bought a couple of her pieces and are delighted with our finds.
22 June – Tahuata, Marquesas 9° 55 S / 139°06 W
The winds died overnight and we were anxious to escape the windy anchorage so we sailed the few miles to Tahuata. It as tempting to anchor in Resolution Bay, named after Captain James Cook’s second ship, but our guide book showed a more protected bay a few miles further north. We joined a few other boats at Hana Moe Noa (Long Sleep).
Our two day stay was spent harvesting coconuts and limes from an abandoned grove, an evening fire on the pristine sand beach and diving on the boat bottom to scrape a few goose barnacles picked up crossing the Pacific.
Breadfruit
Our new culinary treats are breadfruit and pamplemousse. Breadfruit is supposed to be treated like a potato. We made thin, salted fried chips from ours. It was interesting but I would hate to live off the stuff. Pamplemousse on the other hand is wonderful. This is a very large, sweet grapefruit growing all over the Marquesas. Delightful!
A few Recipes from the Enchanté Galley
Breadfruit Omelet
- 1 c ground meat, ham, or sausage 1/2 c green onion, chopped
- 2 c breadfruit, cooked and cubed 1 tomato, chopped
- 2 eggs salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
Pamelo also known as pamplemousse
Cream of Taro or Breadfruit Soup
- 1T margarine 3/4 c cream
- 1 T flour 1/2 t salt
- 1/2 t onion, minced 1/16 t pepper
- 3/4 c taro, cooked and mashed 11/2 c water
- 1/2 c celery, chopped fine
Saute onion in butter. Blend in flour and add water while stirring constantly. Cook over medium heat until thick. Add taro and mix well. Cook for 5 minutes. Pour cream into the mixture and season. Serve hot. Can substitute breadfruit for taro.
