Fatu Hiva is the most windward of all the islands in The Marquesas, so from a sailing perspective, it would be the obvious first choice as a place to make landfall. However, there is no Gendarmerie on Fatu Hiva, and it is not an official port of entry. So, to be legal a boat must first go to Hiva Oa and then bash a bit to windward to get to Fatu Hiva. Such is the Fatu Hiva Dilemma. Do you do what makes the most sense from a cruising perspective or do you follow the rules?
Needless to say, since we had no idea of what the risk would be to NOT follow the rules, we followed the rules, and had a somewhat unpleasant overnight bash down from Hiva Oa to Fatu Hiva. OK, this was mostly me, Tim TOTALLY would have just gone to Fatu Hiva. And in this specific instance, he was right.
We met several other boats while we were there who made landfall in Fatu Hiva. The ones we noticed flew their yellow “Q” flag and some checked in with the local municipal police, and then they did their official clear in when they got to Hiva Oa. There were no repercussions as far as we could tell, and at least in some cases, the clocks didn’t start on their 3-month visa until their official clear in, so they essentially got extra time in French Polynesia by NOT following the rules.
Oh well. Now we know.
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Gresham Family Exodus 