Memorable Music

Currently, I am listening to what may be a favorite Majuro memory.  We’re sitting here at the Tidetable (a restaurant at the Robert Reimers Hotel) and three Marshallese guys are singing and playing their ukeleles.  They harmonize beautifully.  So, even though we’re not in the outer islands, there are still things to enjoy here.  

Boat Boredom? Never!

Several people have asked me, “Do you get bored?”  Not at all, and for several reasons.

First, I had kind of observed this on earlier boat trips over the past four years, but after having been on the boat for 24 straight days, I am now fully appreciating the reality: there is always some project to be done on the boat.  Furthermore, these projects may need to be done in the middle of the night, early in the morning, or while the sun is at its brightest/hottest. 

For example, two nights ago, it started pouring.  I mean POURING.  TC got up and realized that we had left one of the hatches in the main open, so some of the seat cushions had gotten a little wet.  Since it was raining so hard, TC decided to take advantage of the overabundance of water; he removed all the seat cushion covers to give them a good washing.   So he was up from 4:30 to 5:30 AM doing laundry.  (Notice that I didn’t mention myself; that was because I fell back asleep.  Sorry, TC.) 

I mentioned the projects we got done the other day.  Yesterday, we started out the day hanging up a clothesline, so we could hang up our cushion covers.  It was super sunny and HOT.  Later, Paul started about trying to put the hammocks back up (there are some grommet and fraying issues that had to be dealt with), while TC and I went about installing new LED lighting in our starboard ama.  

After and hour or so on our various projects, we realized that it was about to pour yet again, as well as get very windy.  We scurried about the deck – bringing in the cushion covers, moving solar panels that looked likely to blow away, closing hatches, and getting buckets and pots out to catch the water.  (Catching water is a very important part of life on a boat, and is often a late night/early morning activity of TC’s.)

The rest of the day, it rained, so the hammock project was stalled, the cushion covers did not finish drying, and we didn’t get much juice from the solar panels.  Good news, though, we did get the lighting installed! 

There are several more enjoyable reasons why I do not get bored. 

1)  We have tons of books on board.  Okay, maybe not 2,000 pounds worth, but we have a decent supply of books.  I love to read.  Normally during the year, I do not get to read as much as I’d like because school takes up a big chunk of life, and the rest is filled with marathon training or trying to catch up on sleep or that type of thing. 

2)  If I get sleepy while reading, I take a nap.  That may be one of my other favorite things about being on the boat (especially at anchor).  It is perfectly acceptable to sleep in the middle of the day!

3)  I can respond to e-mails or write more for the blog.  Now I am under no illusion that tons of people are going to read this blog.  This blog is probably more for me than anyone else.  I want to record my first forays into cruising – the highs and the lows.  If anyone had told me 10 years ago or even 5 years ago that I’d be setting sail for an extended period, I would have thought they were crazy.  I probably would have said, “Who does that?”

Now, if we could only set sail and reach someplace other than Majuro!

Endorphin Efforts

Today, the Cherokee Crew accomplished a couple boat projects.  (Note:  There is always a project to be done on the boat.)

TC went about removing the starter, so that he could make sure he ordered the right one.  We found an awesome after-market vendor.  Two starters have been ordered!   Although, the two times we started the boat today, there was no delay at all.  Seriously, you’d have thought there was nothing wrong with the starter. That’s how it works though, right?  Better to be safe than sorry.

TC also worked on the drip/anti-finger-smashing bars for our sliding hatches that cover the port and starboard companionway entrances. 

It's good not to smash one's fingers.

While TC was doing this, Paul and I worked to remove all the forward hatches – port, two in the main, and the starboard.  They were all leaking slightly and the one in TC’s and my starboard side was worthless.  While Jer was here, I think that he thought he smelled musty, but come to find out it was the salt water soaked carpet.  Sorry about that Jer.  We found out that the original caulk we used seemed to be totally bad – after we removed the bolts from the hatches, we could easily pop them out. 

Yay for teamwork!  And the best part is that they no longer leak!

This afternoon, we went to the matinee showing of Salt.  We were the only ones in the theater, just like when we saw Eclipse.  This time, though, I didn’t have to explain the whole movie to Paul.  Poor guy, he had no idea what was going on in Eclipse.  Although, perhaps it is TC who should be pitied more since he has also seen the first two in that teen vampire series.

In an effort to get my daily dose of endorphins, I ran back from the theater.  TC’s knee is acting up again, so I ran on my own.  As I ran, I was on the look out for the mean dogs.  I only got two dogs that noticed me and barked, but thankfully there was no chase.  I also got my shower started early as it started to pour about 5 minutes into my 20 minute jog.  I think perhaps I should have brought my GPS watch.  I have no idea of distances here nor my pace, so I really have no idea how far I am running.  Maybe that’s good, though.  Sometimes it’s just nice to run.

Running by a softball game - I am so speedy, I am a blur!

TC and Paul were waiting out the rain at the dock when I arrived.  

I started my shower early.  Note my horribly matched outfit: orange and brown checkered shirt with different pattern gray and pink checkered pants with green checkered socks and a teal headband.

TC and I did a little bit of yoga and some weights when we got back to Cherokee.  That is definitely one of the advantages of having such a spacious deck. 

Like TC's weights?  It's the handle from our old (now topless cooler) and a weight belt set up with dive weights.  He told me that he'll set me up with my my own personal weight set too. 

We just marinated our tuna (a citrus-mustard marinade).  While we’re waiting for the flavors to soak in, we’re going to break out the guitar.  TC is going to teach me, or at least attempt to do so.  And maybe we'll sing a couple of songs (the neighbors are far enough away).  

More Parts Please!

The past two nights, I have SO enjoyed sleeping through the night.  That is definitely my favorite benefit of not going to Fiji. 

Yesterday, Paul got all of us checked back into Majuro.  After traveling over 1000 miles, I now have two stamps in my brand new passport, which has my best passport picture of all time thanks to photographer extraordinaire Rob Clayton.  One stamp is for departing Majuro and the other is for re-entry into the Majuro seaport.

TC and I spent all day (5 hours anyway) slowly ordering drinks and snacks at a little restaurant as we plugged away on the internet.  Well, I mostly surfed the internet and replied to e-mails, while he worked on finding parts and what the possible issues are with our SSB and all that fun stuff.  The people were so nice and did not kick us out.

Late in the afternoon, TC and Paul decided to take the dinghy to go investigate possible surf.  They had to go across the lagoon and under a bridge. 

I decided to enjoy the alone time and sat on the deck and read and watched what was going on around us.  I observed:

Kids shrieking with laughter as they swam in the water off their houses.

One neighbor doing his laundry

One of our other neighbors has the cutest dinghy.  He is a single-hander, which means he is traveling all by himself.  He went down the West Coast of the US to Mexico and then did a 7-week passage to Hawaii.  I don’t think I could handle that.  He did say he was talking to his food toward the end of his trip. 

Now take a look at the close up of his dinghy below

It's Mini Me!

This neighbor has a lovely dinghy cover that matches the colors of the boat.

This is the boat that took Jer and me to Enamanet. She was built by the owner in 1975.

As the sun started to set, TC and Paul returned.  New problem, the dinghy engine prop is starting to spin and not in a good way.  I don’t know all the technical details, but I know this, we have to replace the prop.  I guess it is a good thing we returned to Majuro.  It’d have been a lot of work rowing our dinghy to shore and back.  It’s a BIG dinghy. 

TC and I decided to go for a run.  Things are different here.  It is not appropriate for me to go for a run in my running shorts and sports bra.  I needed to be covered up.  This is a HOT and SWEATY running outfit. 

Maybe I should submit this outfit to Runner's World as a new style of active wear.

Not only is my attire different, but the way TC and I run “together” here is much different than when TC and I run on Kwaj.  There, TC is usually on foot and I am on rollerblades OR he’ll run ahead and then run back.  Here in Majuro, it was getting dark and there are tons of dogs around.  Some dogs just lie there and couldn’t care less if you passed them or probably even stepped on them.  However, some dogs are mean and bark and start chasing – this scares me.  So, TC and I really did run together.  Poor guy had to go at my snail’s pace.  The run was good and bad.  Bad because I haven’t run in forever and so what was probably a 20 or 30 minute run felt like an hour.  However, it was good because we got to meet new people.  Kids would join us and run along side us (for 30 seconds or so), asking us, “What is your name?” or yell out, “Good bye,” or “Good night,” or “See you later, alligator.” Or one group of kids set themselves up in a line, so they could all high five us.  Now that is why I like sailing to different places.  

Even as we are away from our friends and family, we’re thinking of you as we use the different gifts that you’ve given us over the years.  Last night, TC and I made a coconut-curry cream sauce from scratch with guidance from a cookbook that Janet gave us, Fresh Catch of the Day . . . from the Fishwife.  While making it, we ended up using the PB2 (it’s powdered peanut butter!) that Micah gave us as a gift the day before we sailed out.  And we blended the curry in the Magic Bullet that my aunt gave me over 4 years ago when I moved out to Kwaj.  Thanks for thinking of us!

The PB2 goes into the Magic Bullet cup to make our curry paste!

The Magic Bullet continues to come in handy even when we don't have ice to make smoothies.  Plus, we're going to use the Fishwife cookbook again tonight for more yummy yellowfin!

Forget Fiji

When Paul, TC, and I decided to turn around and head back here to Majuro, it basically meant we were pulling the plug on the Fiji portion of our trip.  We were already going to be doing a lot of sailing (3 to 4 weeks there and 3 to 4 weeks back) and we’d have had only a few weeks to actually enjoy Fiji.  AFter returning to Majuro, it'd mean the same amount of sailing with only 2 weeks or so in Fiji.  That is not worth it in my book.  I mean I really don’t enjoy the sailing aspect of sailing off to visit new places.  It’s not that I hate sailing, but it is simply “a means to an end” as TC says. 

I absolutely love the anchoring off some island and snorkeling around, exploring onshore, and meeting new people.  And sailing there is a fairly inexpensive way to do so (well, after you get the cost of the boat and all the repairs out of the way).  So, after a serious cost-benefit analysis, I definitely think that setting sail is totally worth it. 

Our new plan (oh, how dangerous to say "plan") is to sail around the Marshalls and possibly Kiribati.  The bright sides to this are that I’ve only been to 4 of the 29 atolls (plus 5 stand-alone islands) in the Marshalls, so I would be seeing new places.  For the past few years, I’ve been making my students and myself memorize all the atolls and the islands.  It’ll be fun to go back and be able to show them picture of the different atolls.

Plus, the best part of our changing our plans is that the passages will be much shorter – measured in days instead of weeks. 

I am sad that friends and family will not be able to visit us in Fiji, but they are still welcome to come and visit us here in the Marshalls or Kiribati.  We have no set departure date or schedule yet.  We’re currently sitting in a restaurant with wi-fi access ordering parts.  We have to get those parts delivered and installed before we even think about leaving. 

Plus, I’d really love to have the SSB radio working, so we could send out updates from our different locations.   We’re even a little more concerned about it since it was drawing 3 amps even when it was shut off.  To get it to stop, we had to unplug it.  Not so good.

So we’ll see, this is a good experience for me as I am learning to “go with the flow,” which is TC’s preferred method of travel. 

Oh, and for you AFN watchers, I am also totally bummed that I will not be making the transition from pollywog to shellback.  (For you non-AFN watchers, you become a shellback when you cross the Equator on a boat.)  

Proverbs 19:21

Why a Bible verse for a blog title?  Because the verse states: “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”  That could be the theme of our trip.   Of course, others on this particular crew might exchange “Lord’s purpose” for “the winds.”  Whatever you prefer, remember what I said before about sailing and having a plan?  I suppose it is totally fine to plan, but you just can’t get your heart totally set on getting somewhere in particular when sailing.

We didn’t plan to stay in Majuro for ten days when we set out from Kwaj.  Our goal was to sail to Likiep, then drop off Jer and Uli at Majuro, re-provision, and head south to Fiji, hopefully hitting a Marshalls atoll and Wallis on the way.  This was not to be.

Saturday, August 21, 2010 – Delighted To Depart Majuro

It all started well and good.  Of course, we realized too late (it was the weekend) that we probably needed to refill with propane.  Karen was so kind and shuttled TC up and down Majuro looking for a place to refill and when that didn’t pan out, she drove him to the hardware store to buy a little butane stove and a few canisters of butane.  As TC was waiting for me to pick him up at the dock, he ran into Jim from Fandango (another boat), who offered to trade propane tanks with us since had just filled his.  Yay!  We’d be able to use the stove and oven for at least three weeks.  TC gave the rusty little tank some TLC, and I finished up my easy task (though it took me way longer than it would have Paul or TC) of installing the new regulator. 

TC putting a little ospho on our "new" rusty tank.  It has propane in it, though, that's what we needed for what we thought would be a 3 week long trip.

Yes, my project is finished.  Doesn't that regulator look pretty?  And more importantly, it works!

Anyway, as I said, it started out well enough.  The engine turned over quickly, we picked up our mooring lines, and set off.  I remembered to get a new group shot of the Cherokee crew.  We were all excited to be heading off on the next stop of our adventure. 

The Cherokee Crew for passage number 2.

We said goodbye to the little dock where we’d been stashing our dinghy when we went on land. 

Indies Trader 1 can be seen at the dock (the big blue/white boat).

We waved at the crew on the huge fishing boats. 

These things are massive!

We were sailing downwind and had the sails out, but on different sides.  The sun was starting to set.

We don't often sail like this (sails on opposite sides).

We had a yummy ramen concoction created by Paul for dinner.  Unfortunately for me, as soon as we were out of Calalin Pass, I got terribly seasick.  Oh well.  I’ve been sick before. 

Sunday, August 22, 2010 – The Day the Starter Stopped

I woke up for my lovely midnight to 0400 shift.  I ate some of my favorite sailing snacks, Original Pringles.  I don’t know why, but I just love plain salty chips while underway.  Unfortunately, soon after I got seasick again.  Now, I don’t understand why I was getting so sick this time when on the last passage (which was rougher), I felt much better.  Oh well, my shift finally ended and I was happy to slip back into unconsciousness.

After about 2.5 hours, Paul awoke TC and I to tell us the engine wouldn’t turn over and it was making a very worrying high-pitch whirring noise – even after turned the key off.  Hmm . . . not good.  Luckily, TC had installed this shut off switch for the starter (I think), so instead of it continuing to try and start and possibly catch fire, we were able to stop it.  Anyway, TC figured it was the solenoid in the starter and that a little arm was not functioning properly, so he did what I assume all engine mechanics do and took a rubber mallet and hit it a few times.  We were able to get it to turn over, which was good because there was NO wind.

This got everyone to thinking, “How the heck are we going to cross the Equator without an engine?”  In case you don’t know, the low latitudes around the Equator are usually hot and steamy and windless.  Oh well, we figured we’d give it another day.  Maybe the starter would cooperate tomorrow. 

I saw a Matson type ship cross our path, but it was pretty far in front of us.  I should have gotten a picture, but at this point, I was too seasick.

Monday, August 23, 2010 – Seasick, Sore Throat, and Feverish

I got the lucky 0400 to 0800 shift so I could watch the sunrise.  Unfortunately for me, the morning also included sea sickness.  At one point, as I was leaning over the side of the boat, I thought, “I’m literally tossing my cookies.”  Isnt’t some sort of saying?  I thought so, and it made me laugh to myself as I have tears streaming down my face.  Don’t get me wrong, though, I was not crying.  I think my eyes just automatically tear up while vomiting. 

When my shift finally ended at 0800, I now had a painfully sore throat.  It was kind of sore before, but then I don’t think the throwing up helped.  And later, I got a fever.  Not good.  I felt awful all day.  I am pretty sure getting soaked in a serious rainstorm did little to help whatever it was my body was fighting.  One cool (and slightly anxiety-inducing) moment during the storm was when a ship crossed our path and pretty closely.  It was probably only two hundred yards in front of us.  Later, I took some ibuprofen and drank some Emergen-C.  The only thing I felt like eating was fruit.

Then during the day, there was no wind again for a couple of hours.  When there is no wind, we don’t use our autopilot.  it is too taxing for it to try and keep us on course when we’re going less than 2 knots, which means it also sucks battery juice.  So TC and I tried to turn on the engine.  No such luck.  It kept doing that weird whirring noise.  So, I went back to sleep (again, I pretty much slept this day away), and TC and Paul completely removed the solenoid/starter and tried to repair it. 

It still didn’t work. So, then we had to figure out what do we do?   We knew we needed to the engine to help us motor eastwards and to help us move at all when there was no wind.  If not, we would not reach Fiji.  So, what were our options?  We wanted a place where we could order/buy parts for the engine (new starter/solenoid) and where we could fix our SSB radio or  buy a new one, if absolutely necessary.

1.  Betio (an island in Kiribati) was close enough we could go to, but TC and Paul had been there previously and said the anchorage is not a nice one.  If westerly winds blew in, then we’d need to move the boat in a hurry and the engine would be a necessity. 

2.  Kwajalein – this would probably be our cheapest option, but Paul doesn’t have many 480 days left.  Plus, it’d mean going downwind and losing ground, and I think we all preferred doing as little upwind sailing as possible. 

3.  Majuro – We have access to fast internet and can get the parts here reasonably quickly.  Possibly faster than Kwaj. 

As we are trying to figure this all out, I am still feeling like a zombie with the seasickness, fever, and sore throat.  I didn’t want to eat or drink anything.  Finally, at around 1700, TC came and put a seasickness patch behind my ear, which helped a ton. I was able to eat his yummy enchilada casserole and keep it down.

We also discovered that a bird decided to hitch a ride with us.  He stayed with us pretty much all night.  This was after he (or she) unsuccessfully tried to court our wind generator. 

The bird doesn't look that big, but his wings were pretty wide.  We were afraid he was going to mess up our wind indicators as he kept spreading his wings and turning in circles.

Around 1900, Paul turned to look at his fishing lines, as he did this one of the reels started spinning!  It was a big one.  He reeled in a big old yellowfin.  He and TC approximated 60 pounds at least.  Our new cooler came in handy.  Although, we still have no gaff, so TC lassoed the tail to get it in the cooler.  I like to think of TC as my own personal MacGuyver. 

We had yellowfin for lunch today.  We'll have yellowfin for lunch and dinner tomorrow and the next day and the next day.

I had the 2000 to midnight shift.  In an effort to stay awake, I just do squats, lunges, dips, sit ups, leg lifts.  If I stop moving for more than 10 minutes, I get super sleepy.  It helped that it was raining some, the cool sprinkle helps keep me awake. 

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

We were still motor sailing because at this point, we weren’t sure if the engine would turn back on.  I woke up feeling much better.  I am a big proponent of those Emergen-C packets. 

We sailed and sailed and sailed.  I was feeling so much less seasick that I even read a book (it was a fun book about southern women) and started another one – Gulliver’s Travels.  I am trying to vary my reading – fun, easy-to-read books, non-fiction books, and then some of the “classics” that I missed out on earlier.

Plus I slept a lot.  I could win a sleeping competition, I am pretty sure. 

When I awoke, Majuro was off to our port side. Yay, I thought, no late night watch!  That is definitely a positive about returning to Majuro (or any anchorage/mooring).

I love the bright color houses here.  Think they would get upset on Kwaj if I turned ours from that beige and brown to a blue and green or pink and orange?  

As we were sailing around Majuro towards Calalin Pass, we were welcomed by dolphins.  Definitely a good sign.  Unfortunately I missed most of their flipping and spinning photos.  The baby in the group did most of the show, but the others did a few jumps too.

This little baby was swimming backwards for Paul.

They liked swimming in between the amas.  

Two jumping for Paul.

While Paul and I were snapping pictures, TC was either holding me to keep me steady (though I am now wondering if it were to help me or to prevent me from losing/damaging the new camera and lens) or doing push ups or squats.  He was doing so with a pretty sunset behind him.

TC with the last bit of sunset behind him.

Okay, now I am getting to bed.  More about our future plans (the when and where) tomorrow.  I know I slept a lot, but like I said previously, it's not really good solid sleep.  

Cold Food?

So we stayed an extra night in Majuro because TC got word of an SWR meter that he could buy (this would help us better troubleshoot our SSB issues).  However, it ended up being outrageously expensive or perhaps it is the right price, but not quite the model we wanted.  So, we've ended up doing projects today.  TC installed the pad-eyes, so we can lash down the removable hatches while underway.  Paul improved his hammocks - had to drill, epoxy, and caulk.  Yay!  I installed the new propane regulator with lots of help from Paul.  I get nervous when put in charge of projects since I'm not the handiest of crew.  I'm learning though.

What else am I learning?  Currently, I am working on my dinghy operating skills.  Now, you have to realize that I am so not coordinated.  In fact, I am pretty darn clutzy.  Jeremy was teasing me and asked if I've ever gone a day without dropping something.  Hmm . . . I don't think that I have.  So, I've been doing very SLOW runs to the dock and back.  I am afraid to get the dinghy going fast enough to plane.  Sigh.  I am improving though.  On my last run, I only needed one attempt to bring the dinghy up to Cherokee without hitting it.  

Speaking of dinghy skills, I am going to go test them now.   TC needs a pick up. He was unable to find propane (on a Saturday) and we don’t want to stay two more days, so he bought a little cheapo butane stove and some butane. I suppose if we ran out, we could always eat cold canned goods.  

Hopefully after this we'll depart.  I've enjoyed Majuro (though wish I had seen more), but am ready to move on and see something new.  I am slightly anxious too as one boat that left from here a week ago to head down to Fiji ended up either getting winds from the wrong direction or no wind, so they ended up heading to Kosrae.  I hope that is not us.  We shall see.  

Leaving?

We may or may not leave today, but the wi-fi network is down on most of Majuro.  A friend of a friend of a friend has it at their nice corporate office, so we are using it here.  Since I may not get another chance to get online, I thought I'd post one more blog since it will probably be quite a while before you hear from us.

We'll leave here and hopefully hit Mili Atoll for a day or so.  Then, it's as far east as we can get.  We'd like to get so far east that we can reach Wallis (of the country of Wallis and Futuna).  Never heard of it?  Me either and I'm a geography teacher!  I had to look it up.  You can too: Lonely Planet Describes Wallis and Futuna.  To get there, we need sweet winds.  If we don't get them, then we'll probably just head to Fiji.  We plan to arrive first in Savu Savu.  From there, I should be able to post a blog.  So, even if we stop at Wallis, hopefully you'll hear from us by the 3rd week in September.  (No SSB means no posts while underway.)

Yes, that means we will be sailing for probably 3 full weeks.  Yikes.  I better get those sea legs!

For those of you that believe, pray for save travels.  For those that don't, send good thoughts. :-)

Majuro Chores and Majuro Cheer

We’ve been here for over a week now, so you may be wondering what else are we doing in Majuro. 

Well, the boys have been working a ton here.  They spent many evenings learning more about our engine as two diesel mechanics worked on it.  I am happy to say that we now have a functioning engine.  I think that we may be getting a new starter at some point . . . the fun never stops. 

We also installed our mizzen boom (that was shaped so nicely by Rich and Jarem) and set up our sun shades (one of which is also thanks to the Erekson family). 

The triangle shade in the middle was a gift from the Erekson family.

A nice silhouette of TC and the new mizzen boom. Thanks Rich and Jarem for working on that over Spring Break.

The bimini is also up – yay for more shade! 

A picture taken by Paul (while he was changing out blocks or something).  You can see the bimini in the lower right corner.

 TC has also been working away trying to get our SSB radio working.  He’s even had help from neighbors.  The SSB (single sideband) radio is what we use to communicate when away from internet access.  When working properly, we can receive weather info, send and receive small text e-mails, and chat with people on radios.  However, after working on it for quite a while, it seems that it is not something easily fixed.  Hmm . . . and I was so excited that I had the blog all hooked up, so that I could update it without accessing the internet.  (Thanks for the tip, Larry!)  Oh well, perhaps on the next passage. 

TC smiling through his frustration.  Later on, there was no smile.  

Larry from  Katie Lee and TC working on the radio.  After much work by TC, he thinks it is something wrong with the Power Amplifier (need a transistor), plus our clarity button pot broke off.  Something like that.  

We’ve also been having some fun.  I am still enjoying the high-speed internet access.  It’s cool enough at night to head out on the deck and get a more stable wi-fi connection. 

Me using the internet on deck at night.  The lights behind me are from fishing boats.  Huge fishing boats.

We’ve eaten out quite a bit.  Making up for lost time, I suppose.  During one of our evenings out, I was introduced to a little girl selling earrings, so of course, I had to buy them.  Although, now that I think about it, I think TC bought them for me.  It was his wallet that was used.  

I actually wore a dress when we went out to eat.  And then I found earrings to match the outfit!

They were a cool design.

We’ve also done other shopping – for things like water, a cooler, a propane regulator  and other fun things.  During one of our trips, I saw a different way to set up a trailer.  Maybe they should have tried this on Kwaj:

Trailer with a View 

Plus we’ve done lots of socializing.  TC and Paul had old friends here that I’ve had tons of fun getting to know - Cary and Karen from Seal and Liz from the last time they in Majuro.  I was a new face to the group, as was Liz’s husband Greg and a World Teach teacher named Hannah, who will hopefully be coming to Kwaj to visit.

A fun dinner party!  

Everyone is dancing.  This is after the Paul and Karen re-enactment of Thriller (yes, the music video by Michael Jackson).

Plus, friends from Kwaj showed up as TDY and TDY fluff.  Oh and a new precious memory was when I got to take a nice, hot shower.   It was the first time in 2 weeks that my hair and scalp has felt clean!  Thanks so much Henry and Steph!

While this may not be the most elegant looking shower, my shower was EPIC.  I love clean hair!

Bye Bye Brother

My brother flew out yesterday [by the time this was actually posted, it’s actually been about 2 days since he left].  His flight left Majuro at the 2:40 AM.  A lovely time, I know.  He’s been with TC and I for the past 2 months.  He’s 16 years old, and I feel the need to extol his virtues. 

First, for my four other brothers, I love you guys too.  I just haven’t spent almost all day of everyday for the past 8+ weeks with you.

Earlier in the year, we offered to have Jer come and spend the summer with us sailing from Kwajalein to Fiji.  He decided to take us up on our offer.  That already is a big thing – 16 year olds normally want to spend their summers hanging out with their friends.  I felt honored that he wanted to hang out with his big sis.

However, as it got closer to his arrival on Kwajalein, we all realized that we would not be getting to Fiji.  Oh well, he could sail around the Marshalls and then to Kiribati with us.  No big deal.

Then Jer arrived.  Approximately 60 minutes after his arrival, he began helping TC and I move from our BQs to our house.  The next day, Jeremy was out in the hot sun helping us actually work on Cherokee.  Then he proceeded to work for the next 6 weeks, as we faced more and more delays getting Cherokee in the water.  There was no way he could even sail to Kiribati with us.  Oh well, he'd just sail to Likiep and then fly out of Majuro.  (And you all know how the Likiep part of the trip turned out.)

Now I know my youngest brother is not perfect, none of us are.  However, I am really proud of the young man that he has become, and I was more than happy to have him live with us for the past two months.  Throughout the entire time, Jeremy maintained a positive attitude. He was respectful, responsible, polite, hard-working, and good-natured.  TC and I really appreciated that he helped us out so much without complaint.  We had so much fun hanging out with him.   There were times we were laughing so hard that tears were streaming down our face. 

I am going to miss that kid.  Maybe he’ll come visit us again, if he dares.  After all, we told him that he has unlimited Cherokee trip passes.  

Jer and I enjoying the new hammock.  The material for these hammocks is much softer than the old ones.

At the airport before he flew out.  We got kind of matching shirts (different colors).  They are Quicksilver shirts, but RMI specific.  The front says "Yokwe" over an outline of Majuro Atoll (I think) with the Quicksilver sign.  The back, as you can see, has the Quicksilver symbol, but modified to RMI colors.  You can see the actual RMI flag on the back of the guy in front of us.  Plus underneath the logo is a Marshallese stick chart (you could see it better on Jer's shirt, if his back pack wasn't on.  Thanks for point these shirts out to us, Mamo!

Our last picture together, taken at 12:30 AM or so.  We were getting tired.  Come visit again soon, Jeremy!

Saturday on Seal

On Saturday, August 14^th, Cary and Karen from Seal (another boat) invited us to head out to Enemanet, an island a few miles away from the hustle and bustle of the Majuro metropolis.  It kind of reminds me of the Kwaj’s Bigej island.  It’s just a nice place to go and spend the day.  Plus this one has little covered patios, BBQ pits, kayaks to use, and a little dock with a diving board and a slide.

Enemanet Island

Jer and I decided to go while Paul and TC stayed to work on Cherokee projects.

We leisurely sailed up there along with a few other “crew,” including some World Teach teachers.  (If you guys haven’t heard about World Teach, you should check it out.  I have total respect for these teachers.  It’s a tough job.)  One is going to be here on Majuro, but the other is heading out to Mili Atoll (farther south) on Monday.

Snorkeling was nice.  It was nice to actually swim around since we haven’t been doing much swimming in the lagoon here. I saw a small eel and lots of fish.  As soon as we got out of the water, it started to POUR, which was just fine since we used that as our freshwater rinse.  Plus, the sun did come back out after a while.

We had a BBQ with tons of yummy food – chicken, hot dogs, potato salad, rice, pasta salad, hummus, smoked salmon (a couple on another boat had just returned from Alaska), and warm chocolate cake. 

Then we wandered around the island.  We saw many pigs - little pigs, medium pigs, and very big pigs.  The pigs, chickens, and dogs would duke it out for picnic leftovers.  The chickens had the advantage of being able to jump up on the table to get at our food.

There were so many pigs on Enamanet.

Karen showed us this massive tree.  It has to be ancient.  It was so big, I couldn’t get a picture of the whole thing with my little point-and-shoot. 

Behind Jer is just the trunk of the tree.  There were so many huge branches.

Happy Brother and Sister.  I already miss that kid!

Majuro Moments

I am not going to lie, when we first sailed into Majuro, I was a little worried.  We had gone through the drama of getting on our mooring without the aid of the motor, and we were getting the sail ties and the sail cover on, when I looked around and realized there was an oil slick on the water. 

Remember that we use salt water for important things like washing dishes and ourselves (we do a final rinse with freshwater).  I didn’t even want to flush our toilets with this salt water.

So when we went ashore, I didn’t quite know what to expect.  I was pleasantly surprised.  It was pretty tidy.  TC and Paul said it seems to be much cleaner now than 10 years ago.  During our shore explorations, I was a bit disappointed to find there was no place to take a shower for people who live on boats.  Oh well, if my biggest complaint is that my shower pressure could be a little higher than my little on-board pump shower, I am pretty darn lucky.

Our view could be better, here is what we see off the bow most of the time:

I later found out that a boat had sunk earlier in the day right near where we are moored and that is why there was oil on the water.  It's mostly gone now.

Behind us there are up to 20 huge fishing boats.  I am not talking about a small Marshallese-owned fishing boat; these boats have helicopters on them.  Hmm . . . how long before the fish run out?

We’ve definitely enjoyed the high-speed internet (compared to Kwaj), I am willing to sit wherever to gain access to internet as evidenced by the photo below.  However, I just discovered today, I can get occasional wifi out at the boat, if I sit on deck. 

We’ve enjoyed the shopping – although most of our time has been spent in hardware stores.  It’s even helped me to not get homesick – look, they have items from Kwaj!  This must have been when Macy’s had it’s “EVERYTHING-MUST-GO, pay us a nickel and we’ll give it you” sale.

Yay for Sterilite, right?  Remember Macy's West had tons of this to sell before they closed and AAFES took over?

Now take a close look at the label that they didn't even bother to remove.  

We’ve enjoyed the restaurants.  However, at one local restaurant, TC decided to try jakaru (the young coconut juice).  He said it is supposed to be really healthy.  So, he ordered that while Jer and I ordered iced tea.  TC tasted it and exclaimed, “Whoa.  That’s kind of shocking, but not in a bad way.  Try it.”  So, Jer tasted it next.  He then immediately took a gulp of his iced tea and started laughing.  I asked, “What?  Why are you laughing?”  He said, “Try it.”  So, I bravely tried it.  I can’t even describe what it tasted like.  I think Jer put it best when he said, “So do they put the juice through a dirty sock when they make this?”  TC tried to drink it, but he couldn’t do it.  That’s how you know it is bad – TC wouldn’t drink it!!

Jer with TC's jakaru (in the blue cup)

We’ve also enjoyed the movie theater.  We went to see The Last Airbender and then TC and I have a date to see Eclipse before we head out.  

All in all, Majuro is treating us pretty well so far.  It's even provided wonderful diesel mechanics who are working on our engine as I type.  :-)