4/5/10
Log of Furthur,
As we arrived in Altuana at the start of the Easter holiday we have to wait until Tuesday to clear customs. They are very accommodating and we had no restrictions on going ashore. Saturday we spent re cooping from the long passage and we went out to eat with the crews of two other boats. As I said earlier, we are the only Yanks in the harbor; it is an international anchorage for sure.
Easter Sunday we attended the 8 AM mass at the local church. This was a wonderful experience and we were welcomed with open arms. The choir singing was an amazing combination of gospel and Polynesian—i so wish I could have recorded the sound, truly angelic. We had a potluck aboard Furthur with some of our neighbors that night, we also had three young Marquesian girls pay us a visit. With French books in hand we had a great conversation—they were “cute as bug’s ears” as the saying goes. thier visit was a treasure.
Today I took a long hike up a jungle valley in search of a swimming hole. The foliage became denser and lusher as I reached the valley origin. After a few miles I found my spot and enjoyed a cool soak in a tropical pool under the shade palm trees and jungle plants—sublime!
We will clear customs and restock the provisions tomorrow. Prices are high here so only what we really need. I look forward to some of the local fruit. Our next stop is a small island, Tahuato, which was recommended by a local as not being so populated—note Altuana has only a few hundred residents.
__________________________________________________________________________
Furthur in the Marquesas
The first crossing of a major ocean by a Selene is complete!!
After 17 days and 7 hours, 416 engine hours and 2719 miles we dropped the hook in Altuana on Hiva Oa in the Marquesas Islands early on the afternoon of 4/3. It was a long wonderful largely uneventful crossing. We only saw two other vessels, one large one small after we left the coastal traffic of Mexico. We did not have winds over 20 knots and had mostly large following seas. The boat performed flawlessly, the engine purred unchanged for the entire trip at 920 rpm. I landed just over 1/3 tanks so my fuel usage was as anticipated, about 900 usg.
There are 9 boats in the anchorage and we are the only Yanks. We have already made new friends and just enjoyed a magnificent meal with the crews from two boats. We are in the land of French cooking!
The Marquesas are more beautiful than I imagined, a total treasure. I have looked forward to this day for many years and it was all I had hoped for, I am full of gratitude.
______________________________________________________________________
almost there. 60 miles to go! 0100 (still on PV time) 4/3. 9’02″s 138’01″w. we will land in Hiva Oa this morning. ya hoo!_______________________________________________________________________
0100 4/2 7’14″s 136’12″W. 20 KNOTS EAST WIND, 10-12′ BEAM SEAS, LITTLE LUMPY. ONLY 231 MILES TO GO!! WILL ARRIVE IN HIVA OA SAT. AM. ALL IS WELL. BEEN A FANTASTIC CROSSING. BRIAN AND CREW OF FURTHUR
———————————————————————————————————–
April 1st, day 17, 1250
05’21N, 134’14W
On what will be our next to last over nighter on this amazing voyage I sit in the pilot house, under a bright moon with 16 knots and 10-12 foot beam seas. The last two nights have been the roughest of the trip, but still not uncomfortable. Since crossing the equator we picked up from .5 to 1 knot of favorable current so our SOG is averaging near 7 knots—welcome boost at the end of the trip.
The weather is warm accented by the balmy southern trade winds. We are under partly cloudy skies, stars and the glowing moon. This crossing has been all I expected and more, dramatic skies, long sunny days, and plenty of time just to sit and soak it all in. truly the trip of a life time, that being said, we are all anxious to see and touch land. I look forward to my first swim under a tropical water fall, fresh bread and fruit and seeing some other cruisers.
We will be in Atuana mid day Saturday with plenty of time to drop anchor go ashore and check in with the officials if the current keeps pushing us.
———————————————————————————————————
3/29/10 0305 PDT day 13, under the watchful eye of Selene shining in the full moon, Furthur crossed the equator. With cameras poised the crew waited as the latitude countdown began. I have dreamed about taking this picture for years, Lat. 00.00.00 and we entered the southern hemisphere for my first time. One of life’s great treasures for sure.
Liz had researched the rituals and ceremonies and came prepared with a list of things to do, some we passed on—like shaving our heads, some we observed. As my watch was the one just before we crossed I busily scavenged for costume material. When I woke the crew two miles before the crossing, I had the appropriate props ready. Bob is our resident Shellback so he got the honors of being Kink Neptune, a tin foil crown made the distinction. The Pollywogs, by tradition, do a sex role reversal. Liz donned a white beard (made from an old t shirt) and I a long wig-(same t shirt) and a breast augmentation the likes of which are only seen at Florida boat shows. We toasted with non alcoholic Champaign and gave our thanks to Neptune for our safe passage. We were now all Shellbacks. Liz had prepared certificates which King Neptune signed indicating hers and mine transition into this elite group.
Once again I am reminded of how small a group we now belong. The league of pleasure boat owners who have made this passage is very small and those that have done it in trawlers is smaller yet. We are all very proud to be in this league.
While ocean passage making is not for everyone, I can assure you that it is one of the greatest joys a boater can have. We are in clear skies, light winds and fair seas. The last thirteen days have gone by very fast yet each has a special memory.
We now have a great following current adding over one knot to our speed and we expect to be in Hiva Oa by Saturday. Although we have all enjoyed the passage, the sound of “land ho” will be welcome.
_______________________________________________________________________
Tomorrow we will leave Banderis Bay and embark on the first Selene crossing of a major ocean. The 2850 mile 18 day passage will take us from Mexico to the majestic Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia. We have been busy preparing, provisioning and planning for the passage,
With the trip to Mexico under my belt, i have totally fallen in love with the cruising life. With support of JTM and the Selene dealers, i am now changing my plans to make the first World Circumnavigation for Selene. We will be visiting many of the Selene dealers on our way and hope to see many of the owners on our stops.
The boat has performed flawlessly for the past 3000 miles and i am confident that it will make the passage with easy. That being said we are fully prepared for almost any possible calamity and carry a huge inventory of spares and safety gear.
I will post our position regularly on http;/furthur.talkspot.com and hope all of you follow our progress.
Happy Boating
Capt Brian Calvert
MV Furthur, Selene 4823
Log of Furthur,
As we arrived in Altuana at the start of the Easter holiday we have to wait until Tuesday to clear customs. They are very accommodating and we had no restrictions on going ashore. Saturday we spent re cooping from the long passage and we went out to eat with the crews of two other boats. As I said earlier, we are the only Yanks in the harbor; it is an international anchorage for sure.
Easter Sunday we attended the 8 AM mass at the local church. This was a wonderful experience and we were welcomed with open arms. The choir singing was an amazing combination of gospel and Polynesian—i so wish I could have recorded the sound, truly angelic. We had a potluck aboard Furthur with some of our neighbors that night, we also had three young Marquesian girls pay us a visit. With French books in hand we had a great conversation—they were “cute as bug’s ears” as the saying goes. thier visit was a treasure.
Today I took a long hike up a jungle valley in search of a swimming hole. The foliage became denser and lusher as I reached the valley origin. After a few miles I found my spot and enjoyed a cool soak in a tropical pool under the shade palm trees and jungle plants—sublime!
We will clear customs and restock the provisions tomorrow. Prices are high here so only what we really need. I look forward to some of the local fruit. Our next stop is a small island, Tahuato, which was recommended by a local as not being so populated—note Altuana has only a few hundred residents.
__________________________________________________________________________
Furthur in the Marquesas
The first crossing of a major ocean by a Selene is complete!!
After 17 days and 7 hours, 416 engine hours and 2719 miles we dropped the hook in Altuana on Hiva Oa in the Marquesas Islands early on the afternoon of 4/3. It was a long wonderful largely uneventful crossing. We only saw two other vessels, one large one small after we left the coastal traffic of Mexico. We did not have winds over 20 knots and had mostly large following seas. The boat performed flawlessly, the engine purred unchanged for the entire trip at 920 rpm. I landed just over 1/3 tanks so my fuel usage was as anticipated, about 900 usg.
There are 9 boats in the anchorage and we are the only Yanks. We have already made new friends and just enjoyed a magnificent meal with the crews from two boats. We are in the land of French cooking!
The Marquesas are more beautiful than I imagined, a total treasure. I have looked forward to this day for many years and it was all I had hoped for, I am full of gratitude.
______________________________________________________________________
almost there. 60 miles to go! 0100 (still on PV time) 4/3. 9’02″s 138’01″w. we will land in Hiva Oa this morning. ya hoo!_______________________________________________________________________
0100 4/2 7’14″s 136’12″W. 20 KNOTS EAST WIND, 10-12′ BEAM SEAS, LITTLE LUMPY. ONLY 231 MILES TO GO!! WILL ARRIVE IN HIVA OA SAT. AM. ALL IS WELL. BEEN A FANTASTIC CROSSING. BRIAN AND CREW OF FURTHUR
———————————————————————————————————–
April 1st, day 17, 1250
05’21N, 134’14W
On what will be our next to last over nighter on this amazing voyage I sit in the pilot house, under a bright moon with 16 knots and 10-12 foot beam seas. The last two nights have been the roughest of the trip, but still not uncomfortable. Since crossing the equator we picked up from .5 to 1 knot of favorable current so our SOG is averaging near 7 knots—welcome boost at the end of the trip.
The weather is warm accented by the balmy southern trade winds. We are under partly cloudy skies, stars and the glowing moon. This crossing has been all I expected and more, dramatic skies, long sunny days, and plenty of time just to sit and soak it all in. truly the trip of a life time, that being said, we are all anxious to see and touch land. I look forward to my first swim under a tropical water fall, fresh bread and fruit and seeing some other cruisers.
We will be in Atuana mid day Saturday with plenty of time to drop anchor go ashore and check in with the officials if the current keeps pushing us.
———————————————————————————————————
3/29/10 0305 PDT day 13, under the watchful eye of Selene shining in the full moon, Furthur crossed the equator. With cameras poised the crew waited as the latitude countdown began. I have dreamed about taking this picture for years, Lat. 00.00.00 and we entered the southern hemisphere for my first time. One of life’s great treasures for sure.
Liz had researched the rituals and ceremonies and came prepared with a list of things to do, some we passed on—like shaving our heads, some we observed. As my watch was the one just before we crossed I busily scavenged for costume material. When I woke the crew two miles before the crossing, I had the appropriate props ready. Bob is our resident Shellback so he got the honors of being Kink Neptune, a tin foil crown made the distinction. The Pollywogs, by tradition, do a sex role reversal. Liz donned a white beard (made from an old t shirt) and I a long wig-(same t shirt) and a breast augmentation the likes of which are only seen at Florida boat shows. We toasted with non alcoholic Champaign and gave our thanks to Neptune for our safe passage. We were now all Shellbacks. Liz had prepared certificates which King Neptune signed indicating hers and mine transition into this elite group.
Once again I am reminded of how small a group we now belong. The league of pleasure boat owners who have made this passage is very small and those that have done it in trawlers is smaller yet. We are all very proud to be in this league.
While ocean passage making is not for everyone, I can assure you that it is one of the greatest joys a boater can have. We are in clear skies, light winds and fair seas. The last thirteen days have gone by very fast yet each has a special memory.
We now have a great following current adding over one knot to our speed and we expect to be in Hiva Oa by Saturday. Although we have all enjoyed the passage, the sound of “land ho” will be welcome.
_______________________________________________________________________
Tomorrow we will leave Banderis Bay and embark on the first Selene crossing of a major ocean. The 2850 mile 18 day passage will take us from Mexico to the majestic Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia. We have been busy preparing, provisioning and planning for the passage,
With the trip to Mexico under my belt, i have totally fallen in love with the cruising life. With support of JTM and the Selene dealers, i am now changing my plans to make the first World Circumnavigation for Selene. We will be visiting many of the Selene dealers on our way and hope to see many of the owners on our stops.
The boat has performed flawlessly for the past 3000 miles and i am confident that it will make the passage with easy. That being said we are fully prepared for almost any possible calamity and carry a huge inventory of spares and safety gear.
I will post our position regularly on http;/furthur.talkspot.com and hope all of you follow our progress.
Happy Boating
Capt Brian Calvert
MV Furthur, Selene 4823
Hello Brian.
I’m a long time follower of your blog. We now own a Selene 47 that I’m presently adding active stabilizers. The plan is to cruise down the west coast to Mexico in 2019. We have also talked about crossing the Pacific to the Marquesas. In reading your blog, I didn’t find anything about how you carried extra fuel — did you have a fuel bladder? If yes, where did you locate it and how many gallon/size would you recommend?
Best wishes!
OMG…. Brian, now I am really envious ! I sure wish I had been on this adventure with all of you. Yes, A trip of a life time for sure. I am very happy for you that all went as planed and I look forward to your post on the blog.
WOW!!!!!!
Brian We are following your adventure and loving every minute. The Pacific crossing – the whole story is mind blowing and wonderful!
Keep writing. Fair Winds and the best wishes.
Carol & Patti