Timeless Tuomotu Scene

Paddling a canoe must come natually to Polynesians, and, despite use of all the latest technology, and a sports bottle of water on the afterdeck, this is a timeless scene.
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

White Hot Tuomotu Sunshine

Under the white hot sun of the Toumotus, motorscooters go good with swimsuits, for a common mode of transportation.
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

Rangiroa Surf

On Rangiroa, we walked across the narrow, windswept motu and gazed out over the coral beach, past the surf, onto the blue Pacific ocean, and we wondered who might be sailing out there, over the horizon.
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

Tradewinds over theCemetary

Steady Tradewind breeze blows cocoanut palms but it is still hot work mowing the lawn at the cemetary on Rangiroa, in the Tuomotus
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

Anchored in the lagoon

Inside Rangiroa's 40 mile wide lagoon, we felt like we were still in the open ocean.
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

Dangerous Iles, the Tuomotus

The low Tuomotus (Dangerous Islands) are hard to see until you are very close, in this photo, less than 3 miles.
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

Daniel's Bay

Daniels Bay, the Marquesas
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

Teenagers in Paradise

Teenager's in paradise.
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

Anchored off the wharf in Ua Pou, in the Marquesas, we found ourselves in the middle of life in a small town. Kids, adults, & teenagers, like these two girls, would wander down on the wharf near our boat and studiously ignore us as they discussed...well, whatever teenage girls discuss.

Ua Pou

We finally caught a glimpse of the spires of Ua Pou after several days of waiting for the rain clouds to clear away.
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

Seattle Star

Doug and Jill, friends of ours from Seattle, aboard their Morgan yacht Seattle Star, met us on Ua Pou
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

Kids on the Wharf

Polynesian kids on the wharf
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

Ua Pou Coast

Typical of the mist shrouded islands of French Polynesia, Ua Pou's rough coastline looks forbidding to our approach.
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

City Center, Atuona

City Center, Atuona, Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

School Sports in Polynesia

Polynesian canoe racers practice in the Marquesas, with coaches along side in speedboats. This is not the third world.
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

Paul Gauguin

A sweaty climb up a steep hillside brings you to the moss covered stone which marks the grave of Paul Gauguin, the painter who left his wife and family in France to paint in the South Pacific, often nude Polynesian women and young girls.
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

Hiva Oa

This chalett is not Swiss, it is on Hiva Oa Island, in the Marquesas, French Polynesia
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

Gloomy Atuona

Dark streets of Atuona with overhanging jungle follage, heavy, rain filled clouds, and a damp roadway; this is Atuona
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

Atuona Harbor

Atuona-Hiva Oa-Marquesas. Cruising yachts anchored in the tight harbor. No room here for us, we had to anchor in the open roadstead.
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold