April 12, 2008

Unscheduled activities;
Once again the best laid plans have gone astray. One of the yachts planning to come to Aur is Windswept, a 65 foot trimaran, with Richard and Chris aboard. They built the boat as they neared retirement, and then came out cruising the Pacific. They're in their mid 70s now, and Richard has been diagnosed with early stages of dementia. He's still usually pretty sharp, but at times loses track, and can't finish a task. The boat has a few issues with operating systems, making it physically hard to sail for people whose strength is starting to decline. So, we weren't so sure they should make the trip alone, but when their attempt to recruit friends to crew failed they decided to come anyway. After I sent the last email last night, about 11:00 PM I heard Richard call on the VHF radio. They had left yesterday morning, but had a slow trip up, arrived in the dark, and then had the engine fail with a fuel problem. They were relieved to get me on the radio as they could not possibly get through the reef pass in the dark with no motor. I told them we'd get a boat out the pass in the morning to help get them in if they could hang around behind the atoll until dawn. Richard said that would be excellent, and gave me their exact position. Then we lost contact, as their VHF radio has had a problem with heating up and quitting. I was up at 5 AM, Spike cancelled the fishing trip, and we arranged to pick up Dave from yacht Chameleon to help bring them in if we could find them. We couldn't raise them on the radio, so we took Holokai out to look, with the radar scanning a 28 mile circle. At about 8 AM Bonnie & Ken on Moonbird, standing by in the anchorage, made a very brief contact with Chris on the VHF. Crystal clear reception for 20 seconds, then nothing more. We kept calling, and sailed the length of the atoll on the west side. Another yacht arrived from Majuro at about 10 AM, but saw and heard nothing from them. At noon we gave it up and came back in, hoping Windswept has returned to Majuro. It would be a relatively easy sail, and if they can get into the lagoon there, we've notified a couple of people to watch for them and help them get moored again. We also sent word to the Australian Navy compound, so if they aren't there by tomorrow a search will be started.
Following that morning, our welcoming dinner at the village was a bit dampened emotionally. It was also a bit damp physically, as a convergence is showering us with frequent brief sprinkles of rain. The villagers put on a terrific party, with a flower decorated walkway up the beach, flower head pieces for the ladies, and a lei for each man. The speeches were reasonably short, and the food ranged from turtle to octopus, fish, lobster, three kinds of breadfruit dish, rice, squash, and coconuts. The choir sang quite a selection of harmony numbers as we were served, then settled down to eat with us. The place swarmed with happy, well behaved children.
It appears the lobster hunt for tonight has been cancelled, as low tide, when the hunt must happen, is at 3 AM, and nobody is hungry any more. Tomorrow will be church, followed by some sports. Softball is a serious pastime here, and nobody understands how the ladies, who tend to sit and weave (and gain weight) all day can hit, throw and run so effectively. They also show significant aggression to the umpires when they disagree with a call. One of those basic human truths I was looking for has emerged. Very close behind the need for food, shelter, and procreation, people crave entertainment. We just can't stand being bored, and these pretty isolated islanders are providing for their needs.
Time to get this email away, then make a radio schedule with Jerry in Majuro to see if Windswept has been heard from. Wish us luck. Ted