A Few Images of Kanton

The Moray Eel are their favorite fish

Eric sews up a Kiribati courtesy flag

Hermit crabs feast on shark

Rooting around amongst the junk

A fire extinguisher from the 50s (?)

A tribute to the Samoan Clipper

Katua and Davis show off their afternoon catch

Tires are a common toy around here

Cutting up the cake tabacco

The daily slaughter - tonight we're eating Trevaly

Eric at the tiller of the USS President Taylor

A few of the bullet tips we collected on the beach

Fish drying in the sun

I've also added a few pictures to the blog posts from Kanton - look back in the blog to check them out.

Mass Amounts of Mass

Tiim's new house - and the location of Sunday Mass

After Sunday, us 'yachties' enjoyed a small glimmer of satisfaction, knowing we'd just attended our last mass! Church is a big part of the community here, and although important, it is a bit difficult to sit cross legged for
an hour or two, while listening to a foreign language! So, we weren't too upset when we thought we'd enjoyed our last mass.

As it turns out, the Catholic Priest for the outer islands showed up on the Teanoai (patrol boat) yesterday. So, we've been blessed with extra mass. One yesterday evening, after their arrival. Another service tonight. And yet another tomorrow morning, before we leave. Wow.

We're massed out.

But the cool part about tonight's mass is that we were able to witness the confirmation of Temwaniti and Enoki. The two eldest children in the village. Very cool to be part of something so special.

Thank You Kanton

Wow...After five weeks, we'll finally be moving on. Without a doubt, Kanton
has been the warmest place that we've been privileged to visit on this
voyage. The people have welcomed us into their homes and hearts. We've never
been without an interpreter, fish for dinner, some rusty relic to explore,
or a companion for tea. What an amazing place.

Tomorrow, we'll head to the beach one last time, to say goodbye to our new
friends. It won't be easy.

Takarei and her family

And most difficult of all...we'll also be saying goodbye to Eric, whom we've
been travelling with, on and off, for 5 months. In a few days he will also
weigh anchor, but his destination is south to Tonga. After spending every
day with him here, we're sad at the thought of parting ways.
We're already scheming about ways to return here in the future. Maybe our
next cruise? Maybe by air? There is talk of re-opening the massive runway.

A few of the vases we received

Next stop...Abemama. 900 miles to the north west - a downwind run. We expect
the passage to take 8-10 days. The island atoll is in the Gilberts - a group
of islands that also belong to the Republic of Kiribati. We hear that there
are two MP's on the island, therefore, it must have at least 1000 people. We
have an older cruising guide that says over 2000! Hurray. Do you know what
that means?? A STORE! We'll be able to re-stock on supplies. We've been
eating fish everyday, so most of our supplies are fine, but we are in
desperate need of eggs, flour and pringles.

Shell Collecting

Yesterday, when we went ashore, I found out that Temarive and Maria were
going shell collecting! HURRAY!! Eric and I quickly grabbed bicycles, and
went along. It was a full moon, so thus very low tides, and we found
ourselves wading on a shallow coral shelf looking for small (1 cm) white
shells that hid themselves in small nooks and crannies in the coral. It was
slow going at first, but we soon got the hang of it, and were pulling these
small, unsuspecting creatures from their happy homes, and depositing them
into our 4 gallon jug that I'd tied to my shorts. After an hour, I think I
had about an inch of shells in the bottom of my jug.

Today, Lucy and I went back and collected again!

Not at all in line with the yoga book I'm now reading that espouses
vegetarianism and the importance of karma. Yikes.

A Typical Sunday

Yesterday was our fourth Sunday here in Kanton. Wow. Over three weeks
already. Not sure where the time has gone, but we're still having an amazing
time.

So I thought I'd summarize a typical Sunday...

Today's church service was in Tiim's new house. They started the house
earlier in the week, and it is now mostly finished (building code is less
stringent here). We all assembled on mats of coconut fronds, and were able
to alternate between standing and sitting, which was a welcome relief from
the last few weeks with sitting room only. We're definitely not used to long
hours of sitting cross legged on the floor.
After the service, we relaxed with the parish, 13 people plus us 3, for tea
and chatting. Usually we get a bit of teasing about why we aren't singing
more. At least this week, we could sing one of the songs...it only had one
word - Hallelujah!

After tea, we quickly return to the boats to pick up our food, and I usually
change out of my church whites, into a more floor-coloured skirt. Then we
return with our food to the rusty warehouse, and settle in on the floor
where we chat for a few minutes while everyone assembles, or at least all
the men. John (not my John, rather, the teacher's husband) starts the
celebration with a welcome, the protestant priest provides a blessing, and
everyone claps three times to get started!

Us guests always eat first, as much as we've tried to delay! After we are
re-seated (with plate and spoon), the men attack the buffet table. The women
don't eat until all of the men are finished. This was a bit awkward at
first, but we're getting used to it. They also sit at the far end of the
warehouse, away from the circle formed by the men and guests, and seem to be
enjoying lots of laughs amongst themselves.

The buffet tables are heaped with food. All sorts of ramen. Who knew it was
possible to serve it in so many different ways? Here is a sample of this
week:
- fried ramen with corned beef and greens
- boiled ramen with chicken seasoning
- ramen with salted fish
- ramen with pumpkin

I know. Ramen Heaven.

This week, we brought along some of my chocolate chip cookies. They were
slow to move. At first. After all...they don't have cookies here. Not in the
stores. Ever. So...they are a definite foreign object. But Davis started by
tasting one. And then started telling everyone how terrible they were - not
very convincing when he had just stacked four more on his plate. Well, that
did it. Soon, all the men had cookies heaped on their plate. Sheesh. I was
worried that there wouldn't be enough left by the time the women and
children had their turn at the table. But it worked out well. Those who
wanted to, had a chance to try the cookies. And we laughed as we watch some
families hoard a few cookies and take them home. I guess we know what to
make for next week's feast!!

Because no one works on the Sabbath - Sunday is a relaxed day. We often
witness long naps. Or movie marathons, on the one TV in the village. But
this week, the men brought together the guitars, and they sang together for
hours. It was wonderful. Multi-part harmonies. They even wrote down a few
lyrics so we could join in. Can't wait for next week...

A School Visit

This afternoon, Eric and I visited the school. We were treated to three
lovely songs by the children. One was "Do Your Ears Hang Low"!! It was
awesome! We also spent some time crowded around a big world map, and
identifying where Kiribati and Kanton were, as well as Canada and America.
Then we took the kids across to Takarai's house, where we started up the
generator, and showed them a slideshow of images from Canada and USA,
including our families, our homes, and scenes from BC and WA including some
of the local wildlife! It was a great afternoon.

Kanton - lost in time

I don't really know where the days are going here. In fact, yesterday, I was
sure it was Thursday. But according to ABC news (Australia Broadcasting Corp
on the High Freq radio), it was definitely Friday. Great...another day lost.
I have no idea where.

How do you lose a day when you keep a daily journal? Sheesh.
Kiribati is on the same side of the date line as Australia and New Zealand.
The date line take a huge right turn to encompass the country, so although
north and south of us is Friday today, we're one day away from another day
of church and another feast.

This week has been pretty mellow. We had a few quiet days in the anchorage,
but lately the winds have been picking up again, and we're once again
dealing with intermittent squalls with winds in the 30+ knot range. Not
often, but a couple times a day. It has been great for collecting
water....we were getting low on washing water!

But...because school here takes place in an old warehouse with a leaky roof,
school was cancelled because of rain. Too bad. I was planning a school visit
with the kids. Oh well. Next week is exam week, so not sure if I'll be able
to visit without being too disruptive.

It's been a good week, though. We've done some exploring, lots of boat
projects, sewing, shelling, reading, snorkelling, playing dice, etc. The
boys have been out each afternoon to be sure we have fish on the table for
dinner. In fact, the last grouper they got was humongous!

Eggs Aboard

John and I left Samoa with 6 dozen eggs. But we eat a lot. Most mornings for
breakfast. Baking. Pancakes. Etc. We also had a HUGE stalk of bananas on
board...so lots of eggs were used for banana bread. The good news is that
they last a long time. But, you must remember to flip the cartons
regularly...so the yolks don't stick to the shell.

Shortly after arriving at Canton, Eric's eggs were on the verge of
sulphurizing. Yuck. So we quickly devised a plan to make quiche for the
Sunday village feast. No problem. He made the pastry. I mixed up his eggs
with some canned cream. I threw in some canned spinach and canned crab.
Presto. Yum.

The locals loved it and asked for more. Oh no. Renova's supply of eggs was
getting low, and we couldn't really fathom losing a dozen or so eggs in one
dish. So...we did what Tom Neale* would have done. We collected Tern eggs.
Here is the trick, learned from Neale. If you put the egg into a cup of
water (salt water is fine), the good eggs will sink to the bottom and lie on
their side. Yeah. The fertilized eggs will sit on the bottom, in an upright
position. Put it back. And the rotten ones will float. Run away.

Tern Eggs

Eric made Tern egg quiche again the following Sunday. John refused to eat
it.

*Tom Neale wrote the cruising classic, "An Island to Oneself", about his
time living along on Suwarrow in the Cook Islands.

Shelling Heaven

If there is a shelling heaven, I've reached it.

Yesterday, the matriarch of Kanton, Tekarai, invited me to do some shell art
with her. When we arrived, we were gifted with shell necklaces, and have
since received an ornate vase, in thanks for some epoxy and other supplies
that John provided.

But now, I would learn.

I arrived early in the day (10 am) to begin the adventure. Tekarai showed me
the basics of preparing the shells, and I immediately got busy with punching
two holes in each small shell. Also, I sorted the shells into the sizes that
I'd be using for my project, a bracelet. With help from Tekarai and her son,
Kabuta, I was shown the basics and was on my way! With a few minutes, Eric
stopped by the house, and also started to create shell magic. What a day. By
mid-day, I only had to add the crowning glory...a border of dark seeds and a
shell clasp that would finish my art! Now, I was ready for a more advanced
project - a vase!

It was interesting to learn that everyone here makes shell art...the men and
the women. They use these shell pieces for trade with passing boats, and
they return them to the other islands, where they are sold to the tourists.
What I've done so far is the easy part. During the full moon, the shells are
collected and laid out to dry, which may take up to two weeks. Then, the
shells are individually cleaned. Eric and I used hundreds of shells in our
projects, so we are now interested in helping them with the collection
process to replace the shells that we have used.

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!

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)