Raising our Chilean courtesy flag after officially checking into the country
Easter Island is not physically large – it’s more or less an 8 x 8 x 12 nm triangle – and it’s permanent population is only about 2500 people. Nearly all of them live in Hanga Roa, the largest, and only, town on the island.
While walking through town we were surprised to find a sign reminding us of just how far we have sailed from home
Despite it’s small size, there’s a bustling atmosphere. The main street is lined with restaurants, small guest houses and hotels, and shops. A sports field in the center of town is used almost every evening for football (soccer), rugby, or field hockey matches. And the small harbor tucked behind a breakwater has 20 or so pangas that fish the local waters or take tourists on short excursions.
Enjoying breakfast in Hanga Roa
While the population is too small for the island to support a large supermarket, the streets are dotted with a surprising number of small grocery stores. Reprovisioning Madrone after the two week passage from the Galapagos has been easier than we expected.
The little harbor where we tie up our dinghy even has its own moai
We’ve found friendly folks everywhere we’ve gone. After walking to the gas station to refill our two jerry jugs with diesel, the guy in the next car in line waved us over and offered to drive us back to the harbor. There’s a charter sailboat moored in the anchorage – one of the crew dinghied over to invite us for beers as soon as we arrived. And after the owner of the local laundry place found out we sailed to the island, he gave us a DVD with some local history.
Dinner with new friends- Jacques, Gunnar and Willy
0nly 30 boats or so visit Easter Island each year (we were told there were only 18 all of last year), so we were very surprised to find two other cruising sailboats in the Hanga Roa anchorage when we arrived. Moana is a German boat with Jacques and his friend Gunnar on board, and Pazzo is home to Willy and Cindy Stiggelbout, with Willy’s brother John on board as crew. Both boats had recently arrived after exploring Patagonia, so we were happy to receive an invitation to dinner as soon as we arrived. Friends again!
