Captain's log. In Quintero, Saturday, November 11, 2023.
Our stay in Quintero has been quite interesting. We talked about the importance of dreaming and being able to transform those dreams into projects to some enthusiastic students in two local schools, we were invited to share our project and its objectives with personnel of our Air Force, we met to talk about challenges and other interesting things with local authorities and with sailing brothers from Quintero.
We had the privilege of visiting Father Sama in the facilities of the "Pequeño Cotolengo" and we were able to appreciate the wonderful work a group of exceptional human beings do to alleviate the immense silent pain of other usually lone and abandoned human beings.
At the Yacht Club we have been treated like kings. There, we have been able to meet very valuable people with whom we will keep in touch, thank you very much for your attentions and patience my friends.
Thanks to ASIMAR S.A., our hosts in Quintero and valuable sponsor of the "Moana Nui A Kiva" project, we have had a stay as pleasant as profitable. The team of ASIMAR S.A. has at all times been concerned about moving the project forward, allowing us to leave value in this beautiful town and ensuring the Beau Geste and its crew are perfectly well. It will be a privilege and also a great pleasure to continue sailing together.
On the day the departure was scheduled, a ceremony was held at 11:00 a.m. at the ASIMAR dock. The weather was perfect, A clear, sunny day with a gentle breeze.
Mario Carabelli, ASIMAR S.A. General Manager and his distinguished wife Mrs. Margarita del Nido hosted a beautiful ceremony. The attendance of important local authorities and the presence of the Director of Safety and Maritime Operations of the Navy, Admiral Carlos Fredes, the SEREMI of the Environment mister Hernán Ramírez, the SEREMI of Cultures, Arts and Heritage Mrs. Patricia Mix and the Mayor of Quintero mister Mauricio Carrasco Pardo, as well as family and very dear and old friends, contributed to making the ceremony a moment as special as it was solemn and relaxed.
Marga Marga Orchestra Foundation together with a vocalist who sang like the angels deserves a separate mention, it was the interpretation at a high level, of a perfect repertoire for the occasion.
Once the ceremony was over, we went to moor to a nearby dispatch buoy. It was in that maneuver that we detected a failure in the engine, which forced us to return to the buoy of the Quintero Yacht Club to carry out an assessment.
Once the failure was defined, it was determined that its solution would require three days. This did not affect our plans to arrive on Rapa Nui on December 5. However, at that time we received a warm invitation from Lynn Rapu Tuki to participate in the Taputapuatea festival, which would be held for the first time on Rapa Nui on December 17. It was then decided to delay the departure in order to arrive on the island on December 16 and accompany our Rapa Nui brothers in this important festivity. We also concluded that, given the new program, we would have enough time to carry out major maintenance and leave Quintero, a little poorer but with a virtual "new engine".
According to the new schedule, we would be arriving on the island a few days later, just when the Polynesian festival "Taputapuatea" begins, an event that takes place every four years and that, this time, for the first time is held on Rapa Nui.
The Taputapuatea festival, if not the most important in Polynesia, is definitely one of the most significant. It speaks of nostalgia for those left behind, of the memory of the roots and the recovery of the brotherhood of a deeply spiritual people, and of the trail left behind by the brave ancestors of the Rapa Nui people, who long ago ventured into the Pacific Ocean in search of a better place to live.
Its main objective is to recall the history of the Polynesian migrations through different artistic manifestations, which account for the common origin of the sister peoples of Polynesia and their strong link with the sacred island of Hawaiki, today Raiatea. On this island it is located Taputapuatea, the center of the "Polynesian Triangle", which has New Zealand, Hawaii and Rapa Nui as vertices.
Also known as "The tentacles of the octopus gliding over the ocean", this festival traces the history of the migration of the Polynesians represented by the body of the octopus, while its tentacles reflect the migratory flows traced through different sea routes used.
If you allow me to use the figure of the octopus, our journey will take us along the tentacle that extends to Rapa Nui, to the very heart of the octopus. We will sail in the wake once left by our ancestors and carry the message of our Rapa Nui brothers to the marae of Taputapuatea in Raiatea.
I would like to highlight the importance of staying positive in the face of adversity and seeing the opportunities that often come with forced changes. Resilience and perseverance are essential in an environment like the sea, where we deal with forces that are much more powerful than us. Life is often not much different. It is common for valuable opportunities to arise as a result or consequence of an apparently negative event... The challenge is to be able to see them and adapt to the new conditions.
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