An overnight passage of 20 hours brought us to the capital of the Marquesas, Taiohae. Two and a half thousand people live on Nuka-Hiva and the French infrastructure of hospital, gendarmerie and post office plus delicious French bread make it a very welcome stopover. At the Blue Water Rally party there were garlands of flowers, (leis) dramatic native war dances and a Polynesian buffet with goat in coconut sauce, breadfruit, freshly caught fish and mangoes. The party gave us all a chance to compare notes on the crossing; many boats had experienced difficulties with both technical and rigging problems and it was inspiring to listen to their resourcefulness and the cheerfulness with which they faced these daunting challenges.