I wish we were there already but it looks to be two more days till we make landfall, just tonight and tomorrow night…. Argh. I thought we should put up a blog posting with some info about the Marquesas so people learn some things too…

The first landfall we will make after our “puddle jump” will be the Marquesas Islands, part of French Polynesia. The Islands are strung out in a NW – SE orientation and lie between 8° S and 10°30’W at about 140°W. There are ten islands in the group however only six are inhabited. Originally known as ” Te Henua Enana” (The Land of Men), the islands once supported a population of 60 000. However due to disease from the first European contacts, it suffered huge loss of life during the 19th and 20th centuries. Now the islands are home to approx. 6000 permanent residents.

The islands were created by heavy volcanic activity and hence are steep, wild and rugged. Due to there geographic build-up, it is very hard to travel around the islands by foot and a boat is almost mandatory. Perfect for us…

Due to their isolated location, the Marquesas see very few tourists other than sailors. As a result the islands are supposed to be laid back, relaxed and easy going. All of the sights require one to hike, scramble and search to find overgrow ceremonial sights, the waterfalls and places of interest.

Interestingly, the three northern most islands of the chain are dry, dusty and barren. This is in direct contrast to the more southern islands. They are lush, green and covered with vegetation. This is apparently due to a colder ocean current that forces its way north and clockwise, hitting the northern islands but missing the southern group.

First “discovered” by Alvaro de Mendana in 1595 during an exploratory mission from Peru, the islands have always been a way point for sailors crossing the pacific.

We are very excited to soon be there and to be able to touch solid ground again. We are interested in seeing how the Marquesas has managed to deal with all the garbage brought to them by cruising sailors and yatchies. After 3 weeks at sea, the bags of garbage start to build and do not smell appetizing. Being a small island chain, all these boats with garbage must create an interesting situation in it’s disposal.

Hopefully we find a small wave to surf too…