s/v Nine of Cups
Easter Island
Return to Home Page
May - June 2004
The voyage from Isabela, Galapagos to Easter Island took 19 days.  The return trip to Ecuador took a total of 29 days at sea, our longest voyage to date.
The Rapanuian flag features a reimiro, an ancient decorative chestplate.
Easter Island lies about 2,300 miles west of Chile in the South Pacific.  Governed by Chile since 1888, Easter Island is the world's most isolated inhabited island and the farthest point east in Polynesia.  Its Spanish name is Isla de Pascua and its Polynesian name is Rapa Nui.  The original inhabitants called their land: Te Pito o Te Henua, 'the navel of the world'. 
Land area: Only 47 sq. miles
Population: 3,800
Language: Spanish and Rapanui
Capital: Hanga Roa (this is also the designated
        anchorage area on approach)
Currency: Chilean peso (600 = $1 US)
Jacob Roggeveen, a Dutch explorer, was the first European to visit on Easter Sunday 1722. Archeological evidence indicates discovery by Polynesians about 400AD.
Ahu Tahai
A path along the shore led through a grassy meadow and up a knoll to the 5 moai we had seen from the boat on approach. This area called Tahai, represents the best restored archeological center near the city of Hanga Roa. You can barely see Nine of Cups peeking through the two moai furthest to the right.
Ahu Nau Nau
This ahu was restored in 1980 by a Rapanuian archeologist, Sergio Rapu Haoa. It is one of the best preserved ahus since it was discovered totally buried in the sand. Five of the seven moai have pukaos, reddish topknots which sit atop their heads. The complete ones are about 20 feet high and each looks unique.
"Cups" loved the calm anchorage at Anakena as much as we did. She deserved a rest after the strain of a 2,000 mile passage from the Galapagos. After a fresh rainshower wash down, stainless cleaning and some varnishing, she was standing proud and resting peacefully as we, along with lots of tourists, photographed her from the shore.
Marcie admires a lone moai at the entrance to the Tongariki site near the Hutu Iti anchorage.
Rano Raraku is called the moai nursery, the quarry in which the moai were carved "in situ". The view of all the moai on the hillside was magical. We wandered a well worn footpath midst half-carved moai and toppled parts. There were about 300 moai in different stages of development.
After being the only sailboat at Easter for over a week, the Armada notified us one afternoon to expect company in the anchorage: the Chilean Submarino Simpson.
We were invited aboard the Simpson. They picked us up in the Armada launch, gave us an extensive tour of the sub, let us play with their periscope and gave us two bottles of fine red Chilean wine as a gift.
They provided us with a disk copy of the periscope view of Nine of Cups. They were carrying 3 torpedoes we were told, but none were aimed at us. Whew!
While making a trip to the Port Captain's office, we ran into the Rapa Nui warriors who had provided the welcome dance aboard the Simpson. Marcie lost no time in making their acquaintance.
See John Santic's website about our trip to Galapagos and Easter Island.
Return to Home Page