Copra, Fish, Supply Ship, Noni Day

Friday 16 June 2006 We went to bed exhausted last night after a long, yet intensely fun, day with Gaston and Valentine and their family. It was supply ship day which happens every two weeks or so and several things needed to be done before meeting the ship. They bring copra (dried coconut) and fish to the ship for money, and get supplies for the island. The nearest store is on Fakarava which is 30nm of very rough seas away, and they would still have to order from the supply ship any way. However, the ship still does not come in to the little bay here but 16nm away on the other side of Toau atoll.

We were invited to help or just go see all the activity so we dove in, literally with both feet. First the dried copra had to be bagged up off of the drying shed into 100lb gunny sacks and weighed, then carried over to the larger of Gaston's two plywood/locally-built boats. This one has a larger covered bow and a Yamaha 150HP outboard for the long trip (with lots of gas for this thirsty beast). After the copra (at 7AM)it was time to get the fish out of the fish traps on the reef in front of the bay. The reef separates the bay to the ocean with the inner lagoon and it is full of fish of all kinds - angels, parrots, butterflies, groupers, perches, trumpets, puffers, tangs and many others I don't have a clue what kind they are. Gaston takes the smaller outboard over and gets the fish out by diving down and pushing the hundreds and hundreds of fish in to a wire basket and dumps them in to the open boat where they cover the floor flopping like mad and sending a huge plume of scales and seawater into the air (and on to me and Cindy who are watching).

They take the fish over to the dock and the concrete pad and scoop them out with an aluminum grain shovel where the sorting is done. Unfortunately not all the fish are edible so many just get thrown back in to the bay where the sharks and eels come and get them. The others are put on strings by type and size and then put in to the bigger boat for the ship. We have had the grouper and the parrotfish (perroquot in French) and they are excellent. We also put on empty propane tanks and more gasoline for the engine. Phillipe (Valentine's step-father) came with Gaston, Robert from the sailboat La Wur, and me for the long trip in the lagoon to the ship. We had to stand on top of all the fish covering the floor as they were somewhat covered with some cut off palm fronds. First though we had to cross the reef to the inner lagoon which took "local knowledge" of how to get through the maze of coral heads with the engine prop raised high to miss the rock. We bumped along for a good ways still but finally got through. Of course the wind was blowing about 20kts which pushed the boat around and kicked up big nasty waves we had to pound through. My butt is still sore!! Some of the time we were air-borne over the waves and the spray was so fierce it would push my hand and arm off my handhold violently. I was soaked going and coming since I was on the windward side of the boat both ways.

Gaston knew from many trips exactly where the coral heads are in the lagoon and we often passed just inches away at 25kts speed. It was somewhat exciting to say the least. But we made it early and saw the ship on the outside of the atoll steaming for the pass which was a mass of rolling, breaking water. We met the ship after they stopped along with one other boat and tied up. We handed up the fish which was put on ice in big freezer chests along with the copra and empty propane tanks. Then we loaded all kinds of goods - rolls of woven matting, a repaired weed-eater, long boards for building, a new boombox, a cooler full of ordered cold foods, cases of beer and lastly a 50 gallon (200L) drum of gasoline which sat on its side in the boat next to where I sat. Money was exchanged (which way I don't know) and entries in books made, then we were off. This was all done in rolling seas where you had to be careful where you put your hands and feet.

The trip back was easier since it was downwind, but still wet for me. We got back and unloaded the boat then had an excellent lunch with Gaston. Gaston unpacked the huge new boombox and discovered it had an AC plug on it that was really different and it would not fit his outlets. I went and got my electrical tools and cut off a 100VAC plug off of a powerstrip I wasn't using and spliced it on to the boombox cable after I cut off the end. We got a really nice lunch for all our efforts and sat around and told stories and laughed for several hours.

Then it was time for more work. Gaston got his weed-eater working and I went with Cindy and Valentine and Niki (from La Wur) to pick ripe noni berries from the trees scattered near the houses. I mentioned nonis earlier in the Marquisas but they are used for medicine and sold for use in the US as an anti-oxidant additive to herbal drinks. They also feed it to the pigs which evidently deworms them. And they drink it themselves mixed with grape juice. It is one foul tasting brew let me tell you.

At dark we were tired after a good day and headed back to the boat for a snack before bed. I had one of the best sleeps I have had in a long time even though, as usual, it blew real hard all night. Today we go in with our portable AC generator so La Wur can do some sewing on their mainsail with their US sewing machine and I will help Gaston run some new electrical wiring for his house.

Tomorrow is a pig-roast and party with the other family on the motu. There may be dancing at this one - we will have to see.

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