Kanton - A tour of the warship

The patrol boat arrived on Wednesday. It is Kiribati's only patrol boat. 32
meters. And we got a grand tour. I don't know when the last time that you
got to tour your country's largest/smallest/best war ship, but that is what
happened. The X.O. gave us a tour, and we chatted for a while in the mess
about the ship, the patrol, and the country. He gave us lots of good info on
islands that have a pass into the lagoon and/or good anchorages.

As with all visitors, the community held a feast for the crew. A fabulous
meal was served to thank these men for coming to the island and bringing a
few supplies for them. They will return again, on their way back from
Kirimati (Christmas) Island, and they will stay a few days in order to do
some fishing before their return to Tarawa. Perhaps we will see them again!

Kanton - A bouncy anchorage

We've had consistent squally weather since arriving here at Kanton Island.
Our passage was fast with fresh winds, and the winds have continued while we
have been here. Some days we prefer to stay on the boat to be sure that she
doesn't move from her holding. Or simply because a rough and wet dinghy ride
doesn't sound like fun. We've had a few days where the winds have blown over
30 knots and our two boats are bouncing up and down over the swells that
have built up in the lagoon.

Here we are, setting a second anchor

We have set a second anchor, and haven't moved, so we're feeling pretty
confident in the setup. To be sure, Eric dove on both of our anchors to
inspect the connections, and be sure they were well set. Our primary anchor
was buried so deep in the sand, it was almost invisible. At least we now
feel very secure.
Now that we feel better about our anchor, we're contemplating a bit of
windsurfing. Wow.

Kanton - Snorkelling

Well, we've had amazing snorkelling on this trip, but I think this place
tops the charts for abundance and size of fish. John, Eric and I snorkelled
near the pass and were amazed by the variety, size, and courageous these
fish were. They had no fear of us, or of the boys' spear guns. Eric was
having a good day with his spear, and shot two parrotfish, plenty for
dinner.

One of the many dinner fish caught by John and Eric

Unfortunately, during dinner, Eric felt a bit of numbness on his lips. A
symptom of the toxin ciguatera found in some tropical lagoons. Although
Davis assured us that there is no ciguatera in the lagoon, we decided to eat
more pelagic fish in the coming days. No problem. Tuna, barracuda,
wahoo....these are all delightful too!!

Feasting at Kanton

Kanton welcomed us with a few songs!

Our first day in Kanton was spent chatting with the locals as they prepared
for a funeral feast in honour of Owen's grandmother. Throughout the day, we
watched them bring in a boat load of tuna and eel, some of which were salted
to dry, and others were prepared to be fried for tonight's feast. We also
watched as they brought a pig to the water's edge, where it was killed and
cleaned by Owen and two other men. It took most of the late morning and
early afternoon for the ladies to butcher the pig and prepare it for dinner.

A police boat is expected to come sometime this week, so the families are
all very busy drying various fish to be sent home to their families on the
main island of Tarawa. We're told that fish is difficult to come by at the
busy capital, and can be very expensive to buy. On drying racks throughout
the small community we saw tuna, eel, shark, octopus and wahoo. They told us
that the fish will keep for up to one year when prepared this way.
The evening feast was held in an old, rickety warehouse, whose tin walls
vibrated with the winds, and long strips of roofing threatened to fall at
any moment. This was also used as the schoolhouse, when they are living at
the wharf, instead of their usual village. After short speech giving tribute
to Owen and his grandmother, guests were invited to eat first, along with
the men. After the men had finished eating, the women and children
approached the banquet table.
A long, low, table held dishes prepared by the entire village. The pig was
presented in several ways, as ribs, steaks and other bits and pieces. Many
fish were also prepared - fried in garlic salt, salted, etc. Also the Moray
Eel was available as salted or fresh. I tried the salted, and it was very
delicious! I didn't get to the fresh eel - there were only HUGE pieces, and
our plates were overflowing. Of course, rice, ramen noodles, bread, pumpkin,
and other delights accompanied the meal. Everyone ate meals from simple
plastic plates, with a spoon and our fingers, while sitting on locally made
woven mats.
On Sunday, we arrived in our best outfits for church. Even in this small
village, we had a choice of a Protestant service (in the warehouse) or a
Catholic service (in the teacher's house). After the service, our welcome
feast began. Again, the table was heaped with dishes provided from the
community. John, who seems to be the local leader, and husband of the head
teacher, gave a short welcome speech, and we were gifted with ornate shell
necklaces, made here on the island. Again, we were invited to dine first,
followed by the men, then the women and children. After a meal, which
featured many of the previous day's delights, plus lobster, we had an
opportunity to express our thanks to the villagers, and present a few of the
small gifts we had brought for them. We had bananas, onions, oranges,
eggplant, bic lighters, fabric, fishing hooks and innertube repair kits,
which they seemed pleased to receive, and quickly divided into 7 equal piles
- one for each family. The villagers were also very pleased with the soccer
ball, frisbees, and heaps of movies that Eric provided. After the
formalities, the men quickly dragged the tv, dvd player, and generator over
to the warehouse, and the entire village crowded around to watch Sin City!

Dom's Photos

Dom has posted his photos online from his recent visit to us. You can check
them out here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/underwaterwanderer/sets/72157627237726076/

Arrived in Kanton

We arrived yesterday at 2:30 pm local time at the island of Kanton
(sometimes spelled Canton, but the locals prefer the "K"). As we approached,
a local fishing boat spotted us and guided us through the pass an to the
anchorage.

John has been talking about this island as long as I've known him, and it
truly is a dream come true to be here. Surreal.

After the fisherman guided us to our anchorage, they returned to shore,
where one of them changed into his police uniform, and they returned to our
boat, to check us into the Republic of Kiribati (pronounced Kiribas). We had
a great with Davis, and he gave us a run down of the local community, who
had all moved from their usual village near the old airport, to small shacks
adjacent to the anchorage at the old ship's pier. They had heard that we
were coming, and all were very keen to be here to welcome us. They have only
seen 4 sailboats here since September.

While dropping the anchor, we also dropped the camera into the drink. A sad
day. After the official business of checking in, the police officer returned
with his mask and snorkel and friend, and they helped us to retrieve the
camera from it's 38 foot resting place in the sand. Unfortunately, although
it is supposed to be waterproof, it didn't survive the swim. That's our
second camera disaster in as many months. Sad for a photo-holic such as
myself.

We were exhausted, so after the swim, we ate a quick dinner, and quickly
fell asleep. Winds picked up throughout the evening, and we stood an anchor
watch to be sure we didn't drag all the way to the beach. It is a very open
anchorage, exposed to the winds, but apparently, these conditions are
unusually strong. We hope. We will now put down a second anchor to give us a
good night's sleep.

Today, which is actually Saturday the 23rd, since we have crossed the date
line up here, we greeted Eric (SV Secret Agent Man) with pancakes as he
arrived from his 'knarly' passage. After breakfast, we went ashore and had a
lovely day meeting some of the 26 local people. Each family here has one
member who is an employee of the Kiribati government - there is a medical
officer, two teachers, a police officer, two priests, a post master/radio
operator, and a Weather man. Each employee bring his family, and is required
to stay for a minimum of two years. They all live in the village that was
once an American military base and missile tracking station. The island was
also used as a NASA space communication centre, and the British also had a
flying boat base here. Later, this was a stopping point for Pan Am and a few
other airlines. More history to come in future blog posts, and as we explore
the island.

This evening, we've been invited to attend a funeral celebration for Owen's
grandmother, who recently passed away on one of the other islands (Fanning).
Tomorrow evening, the community will host a welcome feast for us. But first,
we must nap and catch up on lost sleep...

Labels: Kiribati, Kanton, cruisers

Day 5 to Canton - Slowing Down

We're at day five already. Wind isn't as strong as our first two days, but
we're still keeping up a 5.5 knot average, and the motion is a bit easier.
If we keep this up we'll arrive tomorrow (Thursday) late afternoon. If the
wind dies, like it did last night, we'll have to slow the boat down for a
Friday morning arrival.

We've been listening in to the evening radio 'net' where Eric is reporting
his position. Last night, he was about 28 miles behind us, and making up
time. There is still time for him to catch us. We've got the fishing lines
down, and we're hoping for fish for dinner.

Two days ago, after I uploaded the last blog post, we did indeed get closer
to a small island of Tokelau. Winds were too brisk to allow us to get close
and anchor, but we stalled the boat (hove to) in the lee of the island, and
had two hours of a break from the swell, enabling us to cook up lunch
(ramen), and prep the evening's dinner (chicken stew).

All is well. We're getting lots of sleep, keeping our food down, and looking
forward to our arrival.

At 1300 Samoa Time, our position is:
05 08.2S
171 35.4W
Our ave speed is 5.5.
138 miles to go.

Day Three - En Route to Canton

Our third day at sea. Winds are brisk - 20 knots or so. Seas are two meters
or more. Once in a while a big wave slams the boat, and she (and we) shudder
loudly in return. But all is well aboard. We move as little as possible in
these rolling conditions...spend at least 22 hours of each day in a
horizontal position. We rise up to look around for other boats.
Speaking of other boats, Eric has decided to join us en route to Canton. We
agreed to race and to have a fish derby en route. We pulled ahead on day one
and haven't seen him since. Can't hail him on the radio. But, without our
lines in the water, we're definitely not going to win the derby. But neither
of us can fathom cooking fish in these conditions, let alone filleting one.
But we need a bit of help for this race. Can any of you racers out there
tell us what our handicap is?? I think the waterline of our 1980 Cape Dory
36 would even out the odds of the sleeker fin keel of his 1969 Cal 33.
Anyway - if any of you happen to have a sense of which of our boats have to
give up some time (and how much), it would sure add to our excitement out
here! Feel free to post in the comments, or send us an email.
As I write this we are abeam of a small island in Tokelau. The island does
not offer a protected anchorage, except in the mildest conditions. But we're
still going to get in a little closer and see...perhaps we can stop for a
moments rest to cook up a proper lunch (i.e. Ramen noodles).
We're almost 1/2 way to Canton. If you're looking for it, it is in the
northern Phoenix Group of Kiribati.

Currently, it is 1130 Samoan Time (-11UTC) on July 18.
Our position is 09 22.57S and 171 18.66W.
Our heading is 356 (well, except for this little side trip looking for a
lunch spot).
Our average speed is a smoking fast 5.6 knots.
John just caught a huge wave, right in the face. Gotta go. :O)

Good bye Beautiful Samoa

We're leaving Samoa. 

"It's easy to say hello, but hard to say goodbye". That is what our cab driving friend Tiali told me today. How right he is. We've had a great time here. We've met incredible people. We've seen stunning natural features and landscapes. It is an incredible country. 

But, our pocket books, calendars, and livers are all screaming for a break...so tomorrow, we head for Canton Island, in the Phoenix Group of Kiribati.

We will not have internet again for many months. Please hold off on emailing us with your photos for a while. We will continue to update our blog via the satellite phone. Unfortunately, I won't have enough time to update the blog with all our Samoan adventures, but here's a few images of Samoa.

Dancers at the Fia Fia

Dancers at the Fia Fia

Daniel cruising down at the Sliding Rocks (photo by Michelle)

Renova disappearing in the swell (photo by Eric)

Here is Renova and Evangeline bobbing about as we left the harbour during the Tsunami warning. (Photo by Eric)

A few of the interesting items at the fish market (photo by Dom)

Fire dancing (photo by Dom)

The sunset dinghy derby. FISH ON.

Earlier this week, I've added a few other posts of our time in Samoa...but you'll have to scroll down to see them...they are backdated. 

Naomi is a Samoan Name

I've taken to introducing myself as Nah-omi. As opposed to my usual NAY-omi. Rhymes with FA-omi...as in the musical note FA. It is a common Samoan name, and that is the proper pronunciation in Japanese too. So it isn't a stretch. And the local people love it. They always tell me that their wife, cousin, sister, etc is Naomi! Or the ferry. Or Ruth's sister. Cool.