May 18, 2010

We are still in the Marquesas on the Island of Nuku Hiva. It is one of the largest of the Islands with more people, grocery stores,
bakery (translation, baguettes), a laundry service. I have been doing our laundry by hand in a bucket with a plunger since Galapagos
so this is wonderful! The charge is reasonable for the Islands, $7US per washed load, I hang up on boat to dry. Not so easy as
anchorage is rolly so I make sure ladder is down just in case I go swimming. Ha! Have had some close calls.
We rented a car with Emily Grace and toured the Island. Stopped for a picnic lunch overlooking a valley; gorgeous. Cold up in the
mountains but was a nice change. Stopped and picked some bananas and mangoes growing wild alongside the road. Emily Grace (46' Nordhaven)
left yesterday afternoon for the Toamotus. We will meet up with them again in Tahiti.
When we arrived into the Marquesas we were told to check-in with the gendarmie (police) in Hiva Oa and we did. On the form you have to
declare how much wine, cigarettes, beer, guns and cartridges on board. Stu really did not know so put 2 dz btls. of wine and 24 btls. of
beer as we had already been told that the gendarmie did not come out to the anchorage and do a physical check. Wellllll, a week later
we were at Fatu Hiva, another Island, sitting one morning having our coffee when we noticed a large military looking boat steaming very
fast towards the anchorage. As he got closer we saw the red slash down the side and in VERY LARGE LETTERING, Douanes Frances which means
I'm sure you guessed it, French Customs. They came in and anchored, put their large orange dingy in the water and 3 of them started checking
boats. There were 28 boats in the anchorage and only 3 of us had checked in and we 3 were feeling rather smug thinking the other 25 were in
deep doo doo because they had not. WRONG!!!! The customs officials could care less if you checked in or not; they were more interested
in what we had on board as far as contraband so we 3 were in deeper doo than the new arrivals as we had already declared. So on Imagine we
were a little nervous as we had a bit more than Stu had nonchalantly declared to the gendarmie. The orange dingy comes to the side of our
boat and asks permission to board, of course, we grant it. 2 of the officials come on board wearing their black uniforms and leather gloves.
One goes downstairs with Stuart and the other stays in the cockpit with me. I hear him asking Stuart to show him the bottles of wine and
beer. Luckily, we had drank most of the beer so the wine figured in the final count. Whew!! Every time I heard a floorboard closed the
customs official said, "Have you shown me everything". Stu remembered, under my bottom drawer there are bottles of spirits he had forgotten
about. He shows them, Customs says something in French to the official upstairs with me and the guy turns to me and says, He didn't declare the
spirits. I said, he must have forgotten them as they have been there since we left Panama. Finally, they are finished with the search.
Tell's us everything is ok and leaves. 2 other boats in anchorage not so lucky. One fined, $200US, for having many more bottles of wine than declared
and the other made to bond all but a few bottles of wine. By bonding they had to drill holes in compartments under their table in cockpit (catamaran)
and customs threaded a yellow piece of line thru it and secured it. Told them it better still be secure when they reach Tahiti which is the
checkout point for the Marquesas. We were amazed that, with all the people we know who have transitted these Islands, no one mentioned that the
Customs officials have their own boat. Ha! Anyway, next morning they weigh anchor and leave as we are pulling up our anchor. As we looked back
to the anchorage we noted that out of the 28 boats there yesterday, only 8 were still at anchor. Boy, can French Customs clean out an anchorage!
Got to go; the crepe lady is on dock and Stu wants crepes! Later, 'goat fest' and Stu's birthday!