Monday, November 29, 2010

SSB Post 41 - Party Time for Cherokee

Tuesday, 11/30/2010

Yesterday was chore day on Cherokee!

Actually, first, TC, Paul, & Geoff went in to shore and delivered tons of Walden's household goods - a huge box of clothes, paper for the school, a solar panel, & a couple other boxes. Walden moved across the lagoon this past summer, and couldn't bring much in a small boat.

Then, we moved to a different anchorage - right across from Katchii to Berangu Island. We moved next door to a 100+ foot monohull. TC & Paul had dropped off about 50 lbs of yellowfin to them the night before (our fridge can only take so much), & invited them for dinner. They invited us for cocktails on their boat before hand.

So, before we had seven guests over, we decided to clean house. Cherokee hasn't looked so good since we put her in the water. Plus, the pump for our freshwater was leaking. Geoff was the main maintenance man for that project.

Then, we all got to work prepping for dinner. The day before Paul and TC had made poke to serve as an appetizer. We decided our main course would be fish tacos. TC had woken up early to soak black and white beans. In the afternoon, TC, Geoff, Ellie, and Timo all worked making LOTS of tortillas, while Paul was shredding cheese for the tacos. I made a chocolate cake. TC also marinated the fish for the tacos and seasoned the beans.

At 1730, we went over to the monohull. Some people have referred to our boat as a "yacht." However, for me the connotation of that word would really best apply to this monohull. It was GORGEOUS. Tons of wood inside and out. I'm sure that it is tons of work to keep the boat up.

The owner was not on board, but the crew of 7 was. It is 4 permanent crew, plus 3 delivery crew. They were a great bunch of people from Australia, the UK, Tahiti, Germany, and the US. Jinny the cook served us a crab dip, as well as hummus, brie, and cheddar cheese with crackers, carrots, and broccoli. We were in heaven - fresh veggies! They also provided lots of beer and a yummy strawberry cocktail.

The tour of the boat was also fun. The master suite had a huge bed, as well as a huge shower (for a boat), marble countertops in the bathroom with real fossils in the marble, and push button flush toilets. There was a TV that rose out of the woodwork. The captain did point out that means there are more things to break. The rest of the boat was great too - they had a real washer/dryer, a fridge and freezer, as well as a dishwasher.

After a couple hours on their boat, we headed back to Cherokee. Everyone liked our boat too. Even if not quite as posh as the boat they worked on, it is a boat you could easily live on and not have to spend as much time polishing. Plus, it is really quite homey.

Everyone seemed to enjoy dinner, as well as dessert, which was nice to see. They all left around 2300 right before the storm came, & storm it did. There was so much thunder, lightning, wind, & rain. It lasted pretty much all night, which was crazy.

This morning, as the monohull was leaving, they gave us a parting gift - two huge bags filled with produce. We got oranges, potatoes, onions, cabbage, carrots, bok choy, and lettuce. What a treat; we'll be ending our trip in style. They're heading back to Majuro, so they can restock there. We owe them big!

TC, Paul, & Timo went surfing at Mezetchoku Pass during late morning. The swell was okay - smallish, plus there was wind and rain at times. However, I think they wanted to get in at least one last surf session.

TC stopped surfing early & took a kayak with a grab bag and a few kids clothes, as well as coffee, sugar, and creamer, to give as gifts to the family on Mezetchoku. He said that they were very excited to receive the gifts. It's just one family on Mezetchoku Island - mom, dad, and 4 kids. The kids go to school on Katchii - though it's Tuesday and they were there on that island, so we're not sure how that works exactly.

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