Well, Happy Birthday to Dennis today (Monday US time).
Had a pretty busy day today. Started off by sleeping in a little. We had adventures in movie watching last night. Our poor old home made computer has finally called it. As Josh said, it is the oldest computer on the boat and has been subjected to some pretty harsh conditions. It has served us well, just wish it would have held on another 5 months. Dennis and Josh finally rigged a system so we could attach the laptop to the TV, strung the sound wire across the salon - and voila - movie. By then it was close to 2130, but hey who would want to miss Expendables 2 with Russian subtitles? Love the humor, not a whole lot of plot, but lots of blowing things up too - what is not to love? That made bedtime pretty late - I was looking a little pumpkinish - and didn't wake up until 0800. We needed to be out the door (so to speak) by 0900. Our appointment with customs was at 1000.
Yesterday I made a big breakfast, did some laundry, did dishes, made water and generally putzed around in the morning. Josh did school and Dennis worked on the dinghy fuel pump. Although it is still on probation, the dinghy engine appears to off the injured reserve list. No promises, but so far so good. In the afternoon we went in and used internet. It is painfully slow, but the company was good and the beer ice cold - so no complaints.
Today we actually were able to check in with customs - no charge today - We will see what happens when we check out. Doug and I tackled that chore while Carla and Josh did internet. Dennis came back to the boat for awhile. After customs Doug and I were pretty productive. Found .80 cent eggs and evaporated milk -only took 5 stores. We also talked to Tobako (sounds like tobacco but the k is hard) about fuel. He will be able to get us some (200 liters each) and ferry it out to the boats in his panga in 30 liter jerry jugs - but not until Monday (7/15). Oh well, can't check out til then anyway, so we are just going to relax and go with the flow. After that we went back to the Ikari. It is the hotel with the "beach bar" and internet. I got what I absolutely had to get done - but was not able to upload pictures. Took Carla 30 minutes to download skype - and then when they finally placed their call - got the machine. It is possible to buy a sim card - next Monday when the govt offices reopen....... Good thing no one is desperate to phone home. Dennis had come back by then, gotten bored and gone for a walk. We were all done, and were just debating about a beer when he got back. So - we had a beer. Took the usual 30 minutes to find someone to pay, and then we were on our way back to the boat.
Spent the rest of the afternoon baking a German chocolate cake for Dennis - from scratch. Hence the need for eggs and evaporated milk. Dennis grated fresh coconut for the frosting - major yum. Then I made dough for pizza crust. Pretty sure that was more baking than I have done in the last 18 months. Whew!! I am tired. Moondance and HooRoo came over at 1630 for snacks, cake and drinks to help celebrate Dennis birthday. Was a very nice get together. Boy I do love cruisers. My pizza was okay - I am definitely out of practice - but I am the only game in town so nobody complained.
The wind has shifted again today, so the anchorage is kind of rolly. Not any worse than La Cruz in Mexico, but more motion than there has been. We are hoping it will shift back. The Kwai came in yesterday too. Our new friends Fred and Mike will be flying out tomorrow. Not sure how long the Kwai will be here.
We are thinking about taking the bus (i use that term loosely) to the "big box store" tomorrow. It is by the airport in the town of Banana. Did I mention we are anchored at London? The British were not too imaginative in naming places while they were here. We figured that since we are here, we should see what sites there are to see. Another reason we hope the sea settles - we would like to explore the lagoon in the dinghies.
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Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Christmas in July
Well, we are going to have a lot of Christmas celebrations in July. Dennis will have his birthday on Christmas - Tuesday US time. They will spend the whole week celebrating their independence here. The park is all set up with food stands etc. Supposedly gospel karaoke competition tonight. Can't hear it out here - bummer. (or not).
Spent several hours this morning trying to finish our check in. The customs lady never showed for our 1000 appt. Went by the police station and policeman Sam drove us around looking for her, but no luck. Maybe tomorrow. Sam is very nice and friendly - had the neighbor kids climb a coconut tree, kick us down 3 coconuts, husk them and bring them to us at the police station. A couple of bags of beef jerky (small) was a pretty good trade. Carla made cookies to bring to Sam tomorrow. He invited us to his house - if we can find it - Past the coil (fencing we think), left, past the primary school, second house. Sounds straightforward - I will let you know. Believe it or not - we saw men working on the telecommunications wiring - ON A SUNDAY! Phones are down as well as the internet, so I guess it is a big deal. we are hoping they got it all situated today so we can use the internet tomorrow. Cross your fingers for us. We were also surprised to see some of the stores open. Guess it is more like the real world than we expected. The dinghy ride to and from time was much drier than yesterday. Still not too fond of walking through the seaweed to get on and off the beach, but at least today I didn't squeal like a girl. Nasty though.
Had a couple of highs and lows on the boat front today. A high and low is that the dinghy engine is running. The low is that it only runs if you pump the bulb on the fuel line. Final diagnosis seems to be bad fuel pump. Dennis had a wishful thinking moment that it fixed itself and tried to go without pumping. We ended up flooding the engine - in the pass in an outgoing tide. Out came the oar - I paddled while Dennis cursed the engine. We did not float out to sea, and the engine eventually started. Lesson learned - carry the VHF. Not exactly sure what we are going to do about a fuel pump. Paul may be carrying boat parts to Fiji (be prepared buddy). The next high was a successful run of the generator - yay! hot water and power. So, remember the hot water heater pressure valve that broke and we capped off - well, the water pressure pump kept going off, so I went looking for where we could have a leak. Sure enough hot water flowing out of that connection. So, turned off the water pressure and waited for Dennis to get back from his excursion with Jim (from the catamaran HOOROO anchored next to us). He was able to fix it pretty easily, but gave me heartburn and used up a tank of water in the process. Boats - low maintenance, except when they are not.
Had happy hour on Hoo Roo this afternoon. Very Nice catamaran out of Australia. They are on their way to Vancouver. Tracy & Steve Dolling if you are reading this, would you email me (WDD7203@sailmail.com) the contact information for your marina? Their kids are in Alberta, so sounds like they will winter there (Brrrrrrr) and do the inside passage in the summer. Nice people. We shared books and software and they had lots of info about the cruising areas we are headed to. Now that is why we cruise - always nice interesting people to meet and share good times with.
Josh is back doing school- not too excited about that. He is reading sociology and psychology, has a biology course to do, does assigned writing and reading for me and geometry with Dennis. Is kind of tough getting into a pattern. He did learn though that he won't be doing schoolwork on the short passages - takes at least 3 days to get to the point where he is able to read without wanting to barf. Lots of different lessons to be learned in the cruising world.
So far, we are happy with our anchorage here south of the wharf (1 deg 59.468 N 157 deg 28.981 W), closer to the pass into the lagoon and subsequently town. We are able to dinghy into the lagoon, around the first red mark and then head into the beach to tie up. Puts you pretty much in the middle of town. Tomorrow when we go in we will (hopefully) finish our check in and then see about obtaining some fuel. We figure we need about 50 gal. (200l). So hopefully the government provider will be willing to sell to us during the holiday week. It is worth the 30 cent per liter difference to wait to get it from the main supplier. 1.30 per liter as opposed to 1.60 per liter. Pricey stuff. Not that we could leave here until we get out exit papers from immigration/customs. So I guess we will just have to be patient.
So ends another exciting day in the life of cruising.
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Spent several hours this morning trying to finish our check in. The customs lady never showed for our 1000 appt. Went by the police station and policeman Sam drove us around looking for her, but no luck. Maybe tomorrow. Sam is very nice and friendly - had the neighbor kids climb a coconut tree, kick us down 3 coconuts, husk them and bring them to us at the police station. A couple of bags of beef jerky (small) was a pretty good trade. Carla made cookies to bring to Sam tomorrow. He invited us to his house - if we can find it - Past the coil (fencing we think), left, past the primary school, second house. Sounds straightforward - I will let you know. Believe it or not - we saw men working on the telecommunications wiring - ON A SUNDAY! Phones are down as well as the internet, so I guess it is a big deal. we are hoping they got it all situated today so we can use the internet tomorrow. Cross your fingers for us. We were also surprised to see some of the stores open. Guess it is more like the real world than we expected. The dinghy ride to and from time was much drier than yesterday. Still not too fond of walking through the seaweed to get on and off the beach, but at least today I didn't squeal like a girl. Nasty though.
Had a couple of highs and lows on the boat front today. A high and low is that the dinghy engine is running. The low is that it only runs if you pump the bulb on the fuel line. Final diagnosis seems to be bad fuel pump. Dennis had a wishful thinking moment that it fixed itself and tried to go without pumping. We ended up flooding the engine - in the pass in an outgoing tide. Out came the oar - I paddled while Dennis cursed the engine. We did not float out to sea, and the engine eventually started. Lesson learned - carry the VHF. Not exactly sure what we are going to do about a fuel pump. Paul may be carrying boat parts to Fiji (be prepared buddy). The next high was a successful run of the generator - yay! hot water and power. So, remember the hot water heater pressure valve that broke and we capped off - well, the water pressure pump kept going off, so I went looking for where we could have a leak. Sure enough hot water flowing out of that connection. So, turned off the water pressure and waited for Dennis to get back from his excursion with Jim (from the catamaran HOOROO anchored next to us). He was able to fix it pretty easily, but gave me heartburn and used up a tank of water in the process. Boats - low maintenance, except when they are not.
Had happy hour on Hoo Roo this afternoon. Very Nice catamaran out of Australia. They are on their way to Vancouver. Tracy & Steve Dolling if you are reading this, would you email me (WDD7203@sailmail.com) the contact information for your marina? Their kids are in Alberta, so sounds like they will winter there (Brrrrrrr) and do the inside passage in the summer. Nice people. We shared books and software and they had lots of info about the cruising areas we are headed to. Now that is why we cruise - always nice interesting people to meet and share good times with.
Josh is back doing school- not too excited about that. He is reading sociology and psychology, has a biology course to do, does assigned writing and reading for me and geometry with Dennis. Is kind of tough getting into a pattern. He did learn though that he won't be doing schoolwork on the short passages - takes at least 3 days to get to the point where he is able to read without wanting to barf. Lots of different lessons to be learned in the cruising world.
So far, we are happy with our anchorage here south of the wharf (1 deg 59.468 N 157 deg 28.981 W), closer to the pass into the lagoon and subsequently town. We are able to dinghy into the lagoon, around the first red mark and then head into the beach to tie up. Puts you pretty much in the middle of town. Tomorrow when we go in we will (hopefully) finish our check in and then see about obtaining some fuel. We figure we need about 50 gal. (200l). So hopefully the government provider will be willing to sell to us during the holiday week. It is worth the 30 cent per liter difference to wait to get it from the main supplier. 1.30 per liter as opposed to 1.60 per liter. Pricey stuff. Not that we could leave here until we get out exit papers from immigration/customs. So I guess we will just have to be patient.
So ends another exciting day in the life of cruising.
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Christmas Island
Well, it is Christmas. Arrived last night in the dark - about 2200. Thanks to Doug and Carla for leaving the lights on for us. Not even a motel 6 would have looked so good! Managed to miss all the obstacles and set the anchor on the first try. Yay! was good to sleep in a still bed.
So, we slept in today. Got some intel from another cruising boat in the anchorage, so we moved closer to the pass. Little less swell and a shorter dinghy ride in to town. We made the ride in to town this afternoon. Seems we had a 1730 appt with customs that we didn't know about, but thanks to Doug and Carla, the immigration lady met us and got that piece of the check in over with. Overtime was pricey- luckily we got to share the bill between the two boats. So did I mention their Independence day is next Friday? Well, they get the whole bloody week off. So, getting checked in will continue to be an interesting process. The immigration lady is setting up our customs appt for tomorrow morning at 1000. Wonder how much that overtime is going to cost us??? Getting fuel may be an issue too. I keep you updated on that. There are 3 cruising boats that need fuel, so it may be worth their while to sell to us this week - definitely Island time.
We did a good bit of walking around this afternoon. Doug and Carla were our scouts, so they had found the beach bar. Pretty cool. Help yourself to beer from the fridge (cozy provided), write your name on the white board and keep track of how much you drink, pay at the end. Finding someone to pay was not straightforward, but we managed. Then we checked out all the little stores. Pretty much the same one to the next, but hey at least they a) had stores and b) the stores had things on their shelves. Vast improvement over Fanning. Oh and hey they have cars!! Driving on the wrong side of the road, but all the same- cars. In my ongoing saga re: eggs - they have them here, refrigerated, $1 dollar each, yep that is $12 per dozen. Ouch! Did find a tin of butter - $8.50. Found it a little cheaper down the street, but the damage was already done. The boys got ice cream, and Doug and Carla braved the roadside food stand for pork stew. I tried it, tasted good and lots of it for $3.
Did find several internet places, no place to buy wifi, will probably have to wait until Monday. In the meantime, we will get to see how the people of Christmas celebrate their Independence day. Beauty pageant on Wednesday, volley ball, soccer, music. People here are more open and actually speak more English than in Fanning. I think it is because it is a busy port. There are two container ships, three fishing boats and an oil tanker in the anchorage as well as the 4 cruising boats. Busy by Island standards. We saw some of the fishing boat crew in town, they were from Peru and El Salvador. Hey a foreign language I could understand!! Don't think Gilbertese is going to be an addition to my language repertoire. So,more to see and do here - sort of.
On a side note, I hope Heart Strings and Delphinia are doing well.
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So, we slept in today. Got some intel from another cruising boat in the anchorage, so we moved closer to the pass. Little less swell and a shorter dinghy ride in to town. We made the ride in to town this afternoon. Seems we had a 1730 appt with customs that we didn't know about, but thanks to Doug and Carla, the immigration lady met us and got that piece of the check in over with. Overtime was pricey- luckily we got to share the bill between the two boats. So did I mention their Independence day is next Friday? Well, they get the whole bloody week off. So, getting checked in will continue to be an interesting process. The immigration lady is setting up our customs appt for tomorrow morning at 1000. Wonder how much that overtime is going to cost us??? Getting fuel may be an issue too. I keep you updated on that. There are 3 cruising boats that need fuel, so it may be worth their while to sell to us this week - definitely Island time.
We did a good bit of walking around this afternoon. Doug and Carla were our scouts, so they had found the beach bar. Pretty cool. Help yourself to beer from the fridge (cozy provided), write your name on the white board and keep track of how much you drink, pay at the end. Finding someone to pay was not straightforward, but we managed. Then we checked out all the little stores. Pretty much the same one to the next, but hey at least they a) had stores and b) the stores had things on their shelves. Vast improvement over Fanning. Oh and hey they have cars!! Driving on the wrong side of the road, but all the same- cars. In my ongoing saga re: eggs - they have them here, refrigerated, $1 dollar each, yep that is $12 per dozen. Ouch! Did find a tin of butter - $8.50. Found it a little cheaper down the street, but the damage was already done. The boys got ice cream, and Doug and Carla braved the roadside food stand for pork stew. I tried it, tasted good and lots of it for $3.
Did find several internet places, no place to buy wifi, will probably have to wait until Monday. In the meantime, we will get to see how the people of Christmas celebrate their Independence day. Beauty pageant on Wednesday, volley ball, soccer, music. People here are more open and actually speak more English than in Fanning. I think it is because it is a busy port. There are two container ships, three fishing boats and an oil tanker in the anchorage as well as the 4 cruising boats. Busy by Island standards. We saw some of the fishing boat crew in town, they were from Peru and El Salvador. Hey a foreign language I could understand!! Don't think Gilbertese is going to be an addition to my language repertoire. So,more to see and do here - sort of.
On a side note, I hope Heart Strings and Delphinia are doing well.
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Friday, July 5, 2013
still enroute to Christmas
Yeah, you gotta love sailing. I mean really, or otherwise it will make you nuts. So, note to self and any other cruisers behind us. Christmas is SE of Fanning and the current is strong and the gribs lie. When you combine those three things, the 32 estimated hours for travel turn more into 40 which means an in dark arrival to the anchorage. The easterly winds forecast never showed, in fact we had 10-15 on the nose all night and all day today, so all motoring with no help (in fact only really hindrance) from the wind. Pretty much an uncomfortable bash. Our poor engine is going to need a vacation, and maybe some sort of engine peace offering - old Izzy is working hard.
Josh took his first wave into his room last night, good thing I was able to use our bed, or there might have been serious trouble around sleeping arrangements! It is all dried out now, but the boy cave needs a serious airing out.
Has been sunny though, a couple of short rain showers and actually a break from the sun is okay. Both Dennis and Josh have been feeling a little under the weather. Josh says the first two days of a crossing are a complete write off for him. I guess I will have to remember to feed them their meclizine the night before we leave so they are not playing catch up. I am doing okay, but the motion is not my favorite either.
Oh yeah, and we forgot about the whole day ahead thing (or at least I did), so it is Friday for them today, and next week is a holiday (independence week - I guess although the day is July 12). That leaves us wondering whether or not we will be able to clear into this Island or not. That would surely suck if no officials will clear us in. There is an airport, so you would think someone in customs/immigration is working, but it is not a given. Josh may mutiny if he doesn't get access to the internet pretty soon. He is looking forward to it - I am too for that matter. I have my pictures all ready to upload and everything.
One more thing today. Remember that if you are commenting on the blog or facebook, I don't see those. Remember no internet. So if you want you can reply to WDD7203@sailmail.com. Text only. I am feeling lonely as my child is getting more mail than I am :( (poor me..) Glad he is getting mail though - gives him something to look forward to every day.
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Josh took his first wave into his room last night, good thing I was able to use our bed, or there might have been serious trouble around sleeping arrangements! It is all dried out now, but the boy cave needs a serious airing out.
Has been sunny though, a couple of short rain showers and actually a break from the sun is okay. Both Dennis and Josh have been feeling a little under the weather. Josh says the first two days of a crossing are a complete write off for him. I guess I will have to remember to feed them their meclizine the night before we leave so they are not playing catch up. I am doing okay, but the motion is not my favorite either.
Oh yeah, and we forgot about the whole day ahead thing (or at least I did), so it is Friday for them today, and next week is a holiday (independence week - I guess although the day is July 12). That leaves us wondering whether or not we will be able to clear into this Island or not. That would surely suck if no officials will clear us in. There is an airport, so you would think someone in customs/immigration is working, but it is not a given. Josh may mutiny if he doesn't get access to the internet pretty soon. He is looking forward to it - I am too for that matter. I have my pictures all ready to upload and everything.
One more thing today. Remember that if you are commenting on the blog or facebook, I don't see those. Remember no internet. So if you want you can reply to WDD7203@sailmail.com. Text only. I am feeling lonely as my child is getting more mail than I am :( (poor me..) Glad he is getting mail though - gives him something to look forward to every day.
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Thursday, July 4, 2013
Fanning to Christmas
We are on route to Christmas Island. It has been an ITCZ kind of day. I set my alarm for 0530 this morning. Crap! it was still dark. Finally started getting light around 0600 and we were on our way out the pass by 0630 ish. Had lines out, but no fish wanted to join us on our trip to Christmas. As we made our turn to the south, we noticed a ginormous dark cloud in front of us. The wind was pretty good though, so no problems. About 0715 though I started battening down the hatches, cuz sure enough that big old cloud had our name all over it. The wind came around to our nose and the seas got bouncy. Josh and I hunkered down below (fancy name for going back to sleep). Dennis stayed pretty dry, and there was some scattered talk with Moondance about whether or not this weather was here for the duration. But finally, the sun came back out, we opened back up and have had a pretty nice day since. Josh and I did some house keeping after lunch and then settled in for the duration. The wind finally came back around a little east, so I put the staysail out around 1630. Helps a little bit - the current is not helping, so it is slow going - even with the engine chugging along.
Tried to make water this morning, but had to give up, the water maker was not interested in making water in rough seas. I restarted it at lunch time so it is doing its 6 gal an hour thing. lunch was fried rice, and then Dennis and Josh headed down for naps. Pretty quiet afternoon. Saw one fishing boat headed for Pusan wherever that is. But that was it. Moondance is about 5 miles ahead of us. Their engine is new, so they go faster. We have talked a little on the VHF, and will talk again in the morning for sure. Now its time for me to make dinner - spaghetti. Pretty much a crossing staple - comfort food for this crew. I am going to have to break down and bake bread soon. Not one of my stronger suits, but I guess practice makes perfect. Wouldn't mind ordering out a pizza about now. So, maybe to celebrate the 4th I will make pizza. We will see how I feel tomorrow and what the sea conditions are.
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Tried to make water this morning, but had to give up, the water maker was not interested in making water in rough seas. I restarted it at lunch time so it is doing its 6 gal an hour thing. lunch was fried rice, and then Dennis and Josh headed down for naps. Pretty quiet afternoon. Saw one fishing boat headed for Pusan wherever that is. But that was it. Moondance is about 5 miles ahead of us. Their engine is new, so they go faster. We have talked a little on the VHF, and will talk again in the morning for sure. Now its time for me to make dinner - spaghetti. Pretty much a crossing staple - comfort food for this crew. I am going to have to break down and bake bread soon. Not one of my stronger suits, but I guess practice makes perfect. Wouldn't mind ordering out a pizza about now. So, maybe to celebrate the 4th I will make pizza. We will see how I feel tomorrow and what the sea conditions are.
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Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Rest Day?
YAY!!! We all got to sleep in. Even Dennis slept until 0900. Granted we had a just before dawn mosquito feeding frenzy that required coil lighting, bug spray application and benedryl spray, but after that was settled, it was time to get on with sleeping in. Josh couldn't believe we let him sleep until 1045.
So yeah, couldn't leave the boat since we are checked out of Fanning, but did finish up prepping the boat. Josh did a miniscule amount of math with Dennis, but that was it for him. I made the barracuda with rice for lunch - turned out really good. I think we were all pleasantly surprised. Dennis (as usual) was pretty productive in the afternoon - worked on the dinghy motor some more. Still not working properly, may be a fuel pump after all. It is very quiet on shore now that the Kwai is gone - nothing to watch with my coffee this morning.
The boat is ready to go now though. The dinghy and motor are up, the sail cover is off and all the loose things are tied down. Plan to depart tomorrow at the butt crack of 0600 at slack tide. It is about 32 hours to Christmas Island, so we will leave early enough to get there by early to mid afternoon.
We will celebrate July 4th on Christmas - LOL. Literally Christmas in July. I crack my own self up. See that is what happens when you let me rest. I spent an hour or so in Josh's hammock this afternoon - very nice. Good boy for sharing with his mother.
Am making fish and chips for dinner. Another PITA in my life. A first for me making french fries the old fashioned way. I hope noone is in a hurry to eat. All for now.
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So yeah, couldn't leave the boat since we are checked out of Fanning, but did finish up prepping the boat. Josh did a miniscule amount of math with Dennis, but that was it for him. I made the barracuda with rice for lunch - turned out really good. I think we were all pleasantly surprised. Dennis (as usual) was pretty productive in the afternoon - worked on the dinghy motor some more. Still not working properly, may be a fuel pump after all. It is very quiet on shore now that the Kwai is gone - nothing to watch with my coffee this morning.
The boat is ready to go now though. The dinghy and motor are up, the sail cover is off and all the loose things are tied down. Plan to depart tomorrow at the butt crack of 0600 at slack tide. It is about 32 hours to Christmas Island, so we will leave early enough to get there by early to mid afternoon.
We will celebrate July 4th on Christmas - LOL. Literally Christmas in July. I crack my own self up. See that is what happens when you let me rest. I spent an hour or so in Josh's hammock this afternoon - very nice. Good boy for sharing with his mother.
Am making fish and chips for dinner. Another PITA in my life. A first for me making french fries the old fashioned way. I hope noone is in a hurry to eat. All for now.
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Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Work, work , work
Ai, yai , yai. You all just think you are jealous. Jeez Louise I am tired. So, yeah, this morning we thought we would be leaving tomorrow.. So lots to get done. Had major rain overnight, so my bucket for laundry had lots of water. My catchment system is a joyous feat of engineering thought up by Josh. Yeah an umbrella on its side facing the wind concave side draining into the bucket. I will have to take a picture cuz hey it works. And since Dennis had done a thorough cleaning of the dinghy, the water in it was fair game for laundry as well. I did linen in the dinghy, then 2 loads of clothes from the big bucket and it was so hot it was a warm water wash and rinse. Everything dried pretty well, even with the small second rinse from the rain this afternoon.
In between all that, Dennis changed the oil in the generator, and did routine maintenance on the main engine (gotta take care of her, she has been taking good care of us - she deserves some tlc). Josh filled the steering fluid, moved the dive tanks to a better position, helped me tie down the hard dinghy and retie the diesel jerry jugs up front. Oh yeah and he rigged a clothes line for me. Lots of little things to be done - stowing the snorkel masks securely in the deck box, putting away the folding chairs, re tying the weather cloth/pocket for stowage on the port aft deck rails, putting away the oil/antifreeze (twice), dishes, lunch, dishes.... folding laundry. Did I mention all that laundry is done by hand in buckets (or the dinghy)? Wringing that is a PITA and my hands and arms. Better watch out for my right hook.
We also had to go to shore to check out of the Island. First to immigration - hand fill out the form twice , one for them one for us. Who needs a copier? Interesting to note that immigration shares an office with the chief of police and the jail. The jail had two customers - locked in and handcuffed to the bars, on pallets on the floor. I am not sure what would have been a better picture - the face of the woman who I asked "Were you a bad girl?'' or Dennis' face when I asked her. He had been pointedly ignoring the two people in the cells, so I am pretty sure he was mortified when I not only spoke to them, but teased them as well. "Time out?" Hey the woman laughed. The skinny guy in the other cell, just kinda looked at me and the police chief laughed as well. During his conversation with the police chief, Dennis found out that there was someone who did hand crafted "knives" out of shark's teeth and fish bones. So, after customs the police chief went off on his motor bike to get the goods. They were pretty cool, so we bought one for Josh. Will be a good souvenir of Fanning. After all that we walked around a little bit - saw where the grow/harvest seaweed (something they export) and the ponds where the mosquitos propagate. Needs a good dose of DDT! No wonder they can find their way out to the boats.
After the check out run, it was back to the boat for lunch and more chores. The Kwai left today around 1800. But, they still put in a full day. One of the last things they off loaded was a huge generator - the kind that looks like a trailer. Good thing the barge is like a shore landing craft - the nose end fold down, so they just pulled it off. Was also interesting to watch the Kwai put itself back together. Definitely an order to things. We hadn't realized, but the aluminum fishing boat was/is theirs. They hoisted it on deck motor and all and covered it with a tarp. The very last thing was to bring on board their passengers and hoist up the inflatable dinghy. They are off to Washington Island about 90 miles NW of here, pretty sure they will come back here, pick up some passengers then head back to Christmas Island.
At the end of the day we decided to go with Doug and Carla to say good bye to Bruno and Tabita and the fishermen (Fred and Mike). It was threatening rain, so we had to close up - the boat is hot now. We were there longer than I expected, but they are all nice people and made the visit here enjoyable. On the way we decided to spend one more day here. We can't go ashore after 1130 as that is when we theoretically have to be gone by, but will be nice to have a rest day. Josh has started back with school, so we need to get that more situated as well. He is reading a WWII book about the war in the Pacific, and read some sociology. Dennis will work with him on geometry tomorrow and he will write for me. Hopefully I will have something of his to post to the blog.
So, another day in the glamorous life of cruising ends. Trying to dredge up enough energy to hose myself down - the humidity here is pretty over the top, and dang the water is still salty........
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In between all that, Dennis changed the oil in the generator, and did routine maintenance on the main engine (gotta take care of her, she has been taking good care of us - she deserves some tlc). Josh filled the steering fluid, moved the dive tanks to a better position, helped me tie down the hard dinghy and retie the diesel jerry jugs up front. Oh yeah and he rigged a clothes line for me. Lots of little things to be done - stowing the snorkel masks securely in the deck box, putting away the folding chairs, re tying the weather cloth/pocket for stowage on the port aft deck rails, putting away the oil/antifreeze (twice), dishes, lunch, dishes.... folding laundry. Did I mention all that laundry is done by hand in buckets (or the dinghy)? Wringing that is a PITA and my hands and arms. Better watch out for my right hook.
We also had to go to shore to check out of the Island. First to immigration - hand fill out the form twice , one for them one for us. Who needs a copier? Interesting to note that immigration shares an office with the chief of police and the jail. The jail had two customers - locked in and handcuffed to the bars, on pallets on the floor. I am not sure what would have been a better picture - the face of the woman who I asked "Were you a bad girl?'' or Dennis' face when I asked her. He had been pointedly ignoring the two people in the cells, so I am pretty sure he was mortified when I not only spoke to them, but teased them as well. "Time out?" Hey the woman laughed. The skinny guy in the other cell, just kinda looked at me and the police chief laughed as well. During his conversation with the police chief, Dennis found out that there was someone who did hand crafted "knives" out of shark's teeth and fish bones. So, after customs the police chief went off on his motor bike to get the goods. They were pretty cool, so we bought one for Josh. Will be a good souvenir of Fanning. After all that we walked around a little bit - saw where the grow/harvest seaweed (something they export) and the ponds where the mosquitos propagate. Needs a good dose of DDT! No wonder they can find their way out to the boats.
After the check out run, it was back to the boat for lunch and more chores. The Kwai left today around 1800. But, they still put in a full day. One of the last things they off loaded was a huge generator - the kind that looks like a trailer. Good thing the barge is like a shore landing craft - the nose end fold down, so they just pulled it off. Was also interesting to watch the Kwai put itself back together. Definitely an order to things. We hadn't realized, but the aluminum fishing boat was/is theirs. They hoisted it on deck motor and all and covered it with a tarp. The very last thing was to bring on board their passengers and hoist up the inflatable dinghy. They are off to Washington Island about 90 miles NW of here, pretty sure they will come back here, pick up some passengers then head back to Christmas Island.
At the end of the day we decided to go with Doug and Carla to say good bye to Bruno and Tabita and the fishermen (Fred and Mike). It was threatening rain, so we had to close up - the boat is hot now. We were there longer than I expected, but they are all nice people and made the visit here enjoyable. On the way we decided to spend one more day here. We can't go ashore after 1130 as that is when we theoretically have to be gone by, but will be nice to have a rest day. Josh has started back with school, so we need to get that more situated as well. He is reading a WWII book about the war in the Pacific, and read some sociology. Dennis will work with him on geometry tomorrow and he will write for me. Hopefully I will have something of his to post to the blog.
So, another day in the glamorous life of cruising ends. Trying to dredge up enough energy to hose myself down - the humidity here is pretty over the top, and dang the water is still salty........
----------
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