Author: kerrizane

Dear F&F,
We\’d heard that when you were at Palmerston the locals did everything they could to \”get some work out of you\”. We were no exception!
As soon as they found out we were SCUBA divers, we were put to work. First, we checked our own mooring to make sure it was in good shape and for the most part, it was. So in \”payment\” for our using Edwards mooring, he asked if we would put in another one for him. We did this as well as serviced two others for him. Then Bob got into the act! His moorings had all disappeared during the last Hurricane. I put 4 new moorings in for Bob. Then Corey, Jock\’s husband wanted me to replace his. I couldn\’t find the giant anchor he said I \”couldn\’t miss\” so that one remained lost. We tried! All in all, a lovely reef which Cindy did one fun dive on with me; but I got to work for my supper….:) My mooring work was particularly appreciated by friends catamaran from South Africa. One morning we saw him drifting away from the reef and hailed him on the radio to wish him a good trip to his next stop, the island of Niue. He called back that I had awoken him and he was sure glad I did as his anchor had dragged and he was drifting away from the reef. If the wind had been blowing the other way, it would have been ugly. He picked his dangling anchor up and picked up a mooring I had set up the day before. He remained firmly attached for the rest of his stay.

On our next to last day, we had arranged an \”all cruisers party\” which we \”boaties\” would bring lots of goodies too and it was hosted at Bob\’s. We weren\’t exactly sure why Edward and Simon were okay with this, but suffice it to say, the \”boaties\” put their feet down. Bob and Edward chewed the fat (literally) and it was a wonderfully successful event. By this time, there were 10 boats in the anchorage so we had quite the gathering and some good breeze to test my new mooring installations. Happily, all were solid including the one holding 60,000 lb. s/v \”Visions of Johana\”. See the Photo Gallery of Palmerston Island for details.

A rare visit by a supply boat also occurred on our last day which made all the locals really happy and lastly, Bill\’s wife was picked up by the Rarotongan Coast Guard to be taken by their vessel 500 miles to testify at an assault trial which she had witnessed a year earlier while visiting Rarotonga, (Capitol of the Cook Islands).

All in all, there are 15 Cook Islands spread out over an area over 1/2 the size of the USA! The largest can be driven around by car in 30 minutes!

All good things must end and after a final tour by Taia and a dinner we hosted for Bob\’s family aboard \”Beach House\”, we reluctantly but excitedly prepared to sail to one of the more remote destinations on Planet Earth….\”Beveridge Reef\”…..stay tuned!

Good bye Palmerston Island, we had a most delightful and memorable experience.

Scott & Cindy

Dear F&F,
After our adventure in \”up anchoring\”, we set sail for what would be an expected brief 200 mile passage to Palmerston Atoll. We pushed on and made the 200 miles in 36 hours arriving at 4 p.m on the 18th of July. This trip was much lighter in wind and smaller of sea than our last, but Cindy wasn\’t doing so well; we\’d be happy to be moored after two days and one night at sea. If any of you have seen the Tom Hanks movie, \”Cast Away\” or the movie \”Nim\’s Island\” with Jodie Foster, this is the area of the Pacific where they would have taken place.

Palmerston would be one of our more interesting stops due to it\’s unique history in the South Pacific. It turns out that in the mid 1800\’s, a whaler by the name of William Marsters jumped overboard and swam ashore at what was an uninhabited island in the middle of the South Pacific. An atoll only 4 miles in length and 3 in width, Marsters somehow acquired a wife from distant Tuvalu in the northern Cook Islands. Soon, his wife became lonely and somehow got her two female cousins imported to Palmerston and soon enough, William Marsters had started three families.

Marsters over his lifetime realized that intermarriage amongst his immediate offspring would not be a good idea and due to clannish jealousies which were to eventually evolve, he set up strict rules for the families to follow about intermarriage and divided the seven small islands up between the three families. Each of the three families owned a part of each island, but in varying amounts. Long story short, everyone of the remaining islanders eventually all moved to \”Home Island\” as it was the most habitable and easiest to get in and out of the reef at. Additionally, as it was on the down wind side, trading vessels which stopped to anchor here would chose this island as the natural protection it is from the prevailing wind and sea conditions. Segue to 2010!

After over 2500 of Marsters descendants had moved off the island (mostly to New Zealand or Australia; a few to other Cook Islands), the society has some pretty quirky traditions. First and foremost is the concept of \”claiming\” a visitor. In the old whaling days, when a family spotted a sailing ship approaching the island, they would with great skill and not a small amount of danger, race out to be the first to make contact. This entitled them according to family rules and traditions to EXCLUSIVE trading rights with that vessel. This led to arguments, jealousies and a plethora of issues between the three Marsters clans. This tradition REMAINS TODAY! By the way, there are only 62 Marsters still on \”Home Island\” as of this writing. Most are under the age of 25.

We had read in a sailing magazine an article by Captain Fatty Goodlander and his wife Carolyn\’s experience here with the Bob Marsters family.
They sounded good to us and so we kind of hoped we\’d be \”claimed\” by them. When we arrived 3 miles from the anchorage (no access to the inner lagoon…well that\’s another story), we saw a small aluminum skiff with an outboard and a man and a young woman aboard. They quickly came up to us and told us they were Bob and Taia Marsters. This was indeed the same family easily recognized by the photos from Captain \”Fatty\”. Feeling a little relieved, we were instructed to follow them to the anchorage. We were the only boat there!…. We saw three moorings and went to pick one up. Bob told us we could, \”for the night\”, but he\’d have to ask his cousin\’s Simon and Edward if it would be okay and what they would want from us in return to use it. It seems that only Edward and Simons moorings were in tact from the last Hurricane and Bob had none to offer. We tied up and were moored literally to the minute before \”customs\” closed for the weekend which would have kept us onboard till Monday.

Simon and another cousin by marriage, Teddy (representing the third family), appeared just before 6 pm on Friday night. They quickly checked us in and told us how lucky we were to have arrived when we did or we would have not been able to come ashore till Monday morning. Bob coached us to tell Teddy that we had hailed by radio before 5 pm or we\’d be stuck for the weekend. Why? Who knows, it\’s all part of the politics of Palmerston Island. The anchorage was more comfortable than the outside of Aitutaki so we were hopeful of a pleasant stay.

The next several days turned into a fascinating tour and history lesson and quite a learning experience about present day politics on this small island in the South Seas!…
Stay tuned.

Scott & Cindy

Dear F&F,
July 13, 2010
Clam Close-Ups
Day #18 Aitutaki, Cook Islands

I was awake at 6:30 a.m., but it is pretty dark then still, so lingered next
to Scott until 7. I asked if he was up for a return trip to the lagoon. We
decided it best to get our work done there early, before the tourist boats
arrive, still not knowing if anyone would protest our diving at the site.
And not wanting a crowd of snorkelers kicking up the sand. We had the tanks
topped off, gear loaded in the dinghy, camera equipped with the 105 mm lens
& off we went. This second time I was a bit more bold speeding through the
rock & coral patches. The wind was a little less than Sunday but it was
still a wet & bouncy outbound ride. We were underwater by 9 a.m.

The silly boy wore only his 3 mm suit again. After an hour I felt cool but
not chilled in my 6 mm wetsuit with double layer beanies. We barely moved. I
stuck close to Scott in case he needed my extra flashlight to help the
camera to sharply focus. He has a focusing flashlight attached to the camera
rig, plus strobes, but sometimes the extra beam helps. I love his artistic
results so much that I am a very willing assistant. I am very careful to
maneuver, mostly walking on my hands not wanting to kick up sand.

The term \”clam up\” is not a joke. They are sensitive creatures & we had to
hold very still & allow them to get used to our presence & wait until they
opened up. Sometimes a passing cloud would cause one to close, or withdraw
its colorful body (mantle) into it’s shell. I found the two pipe fish again,
but they are not very cooperative subjects. First of all they are tan &
white on a beige background, difficult to see. And the little thread-like
fish would not hold still. They bob their heads & wriggle across the rock.
Don\’t they know that this is their big day, that they could be famous?!

As I catch up on writing you, Scott is sifting through the 170 images shot
today. He distracts me for my opinion, but I don\’t mind because the preview
of today\’s efforts are stunning. Naturally I am his biggest fan, but his
abstract art photos are my very favorite. I am sorry you will have to wait
to see the results (now posted “07-2010-Aitutaki UNDERWATER photo gallery”),
we don\’t have access to high speed internet, so unable to upload photos to
the website.

We are expecting two boats of friends to arrive in the next 2 days. We are
not sure how long we will linger. We are glad that we stayed long enough to
discover the hidden beauty of Aitutaki. What\’s next? Humpback whales
possible at any of the next 3 islands…stay tuned.

Cindy & Scott

Dear F&F,
July 12, 2010
Wine & Friends

As Scott was focused on uploading the morning weather report via ham radio,
as he does nearly every morning…and I am scurrying about making breakfast,
making the bed, generally tidying up…I glance out the stern window & see a
new catamaran just off our stern. They are preparing to drop their bow
anchor on top of our stern chain, which would be a mess and put them
dangerously close to the rocks behind us. Scott jumps outside & steers the
nice South African couple deeper into the harbor, toward the cement wharf.
They are receptive to his explanation of the \”lay of the land\” and they
decide to side tie their boat to the cement wharf. Further from us, always a
happy thing! The boat is named Albatross III, a 44 foot Norseman catamaran
that is nicely appointed. They are the 2nd owners of her & somewhat new to
sailing. After raising 5 children to independent adulthood, they got \”the
bug\” and set out from South Africa 2 years ago. Like us they plan to arrive
in NZ by the end of this year. Unlike us, they plan to apply for immigration
& permanent residence status. Best wishes to them. We know that New Zealand
does not grant foreigners long stay visas readily. You either have to have
to be young with a much needed skill, have a pile of money or both. They are
in their 60s so we wish them well on \”buying in\”. (*Footnote: We later
learned that white South Africans practically have refugee status & are
warmly welcomed in New Zealand.)

Sunday night we noticed a large cat anchored outside the reef. This morning
I heard them trying to hail the Port Captain on VHF radio channel 16. It is
about 12:30 p.m. & I know that no business occurs during lunch hour. And
often the officials are closed after noon. I reply to \”Blue Callaloo\” &
introduce myself. We switch to ship to ship chat channel 68. I explain that
it is ok to come to shore in their dinghy even though they have not cleared
Customs & Immigration. Scott had just left with the scooter rental guy to
fill out paperwork so we can rent a scooter again. I tell them I will call
them back when he returns & they should come to our boat by dinghy to get
the full scoop on boat life in Aitutaki.

Thankfully the rental guy convinced Scott to take the bike for 2 days, it\’s
not that much more money, so we don\’t feel rushed to do our shopping
immediately. We generally enjoy meeting fellow sailors & this German couple
were young & very friendly. We all sat in the salon of Beach House & got
acquainted over glasses of water. Captain Marcus was nervous about the pass,
as every prudent sailor is, but keen to get inside the much calmer anchorage
area of the harbor. Tina & he have been crewing on this boat for several
years. It is the best gig we\’ve ever heard of: the owner has been onboard
only 3 weeks in the past 2 years. The plan had been a circumnavigation with
this couple as crew, the owner & his best friend flying in to join the parts
that they wished. Sadly the friend died a year ago & it has left sorrow in
the heart of the owner. He cannot bear to join the crew, yet he feels
compelled to fulfill the dream of his friend. So the happy couple gets to go
where they wish, continuing the original plan, but without an on-site boss.
A sad, yet poignant reminder that we must follow our dreams while we can.

We explain to Marcus that we intend to dive in the lagoon again tomorrow,
but should be back in time to help guide him into the pass at 10:45 a.m.
high tide. They are very appreciative of our offer & we agree to visit more
later. Scott & I zoom up the hill in the scooter. During the past week we
have discovered 3 of the 6 \”mystery wines\” acceptable & want to stock up.
They have sold out of our favorite, but we get 18 bottles of the other two.
The checker understands our dilemma of being on a scooter, unable to
transport all those bottles. A delivery truck has to go out anyway, so they
will drop off our booty at the marina. We make two more stops hoping they
won\’t beat us back. First, Baxters Water World (yeah it’s a meat wholesaler)
for more frozen beef steaks and at the fuel mini market for more apples &
milk. Sure enough our wine was sitting on the cement wharf when we pulled
up. We parked the bike & stopped in to greet the couple on Albatross III,
Ruth & Rob. They invite us aboard, soon the German couple, Marcus and Tina
also appear & an early happy hour erupted. I am not much of a beer drinker,
so was content with water, fully enjoying the social opportunity. About an
hour later, I remembered my frozen meat tossed in the dinghy & bottles of
wine sitting in the sun, so we scurried off

Onboard Beach House, I already had other steak defrosted & saw solo Bernard
looking lonely in his cockpit (as he always does, just has that look) so
invited him over for dinner. Scott showed him our clam photos, we talked
story & had a lovely evening. A new experimental bottle of pinot noir was
not great, but we managed to polish it off anyway. Bernard had met Marcus
and Tina in the Marquesas several months ago. It can be a small world out
here.

Cindy & Scott

Dear F&F,
July 10, 2010
Teking Lagoon Excursion

This morning began with Scott assisting Laurel & Hardy to get unstuck from
the shallow sand where they were marooned last night. As the water depth
grew with the rising tide, Scott was able to give them a nudge with our
dinghy to steer them into deeper water & float off.

Scott later emailed the Swiss boat story to our friends Amanda & John Neal
who teach people how to sail & take them on learning cruises. They replied
that similar mayhem & rescue occurred when they were in Raratonga with them..
They are a hazard to navigation & we hope to steer clear of them & similarly
clueless boaters. Onward..

We had a terrific play day on a lagoon snorkeling excursion. Teking (aka The
King) Expeditions was recommended to us by a New Zealand guy (aka Kiwi) who
has been on vacation here in Aitutaki 9 years in a row. Despite the crowd of
8 other guests on our boat plus a full load of 10 on a tandem boat, we
enjoyed the day & camaraderie. One group was 3 Australian families with 5
teenagers on holiday. One of the Dad\’s had to ride on our boat to balance
the load. Nice guy, software engineer with the hobby of fly fishing.
Aitutaki is becoming a destination for the sport of catch & release bone
fishing, as well as kite boarding. Andrew told us he had already met 6 other
men on vacation here expressly for fly fishing. Who knew?!

Besides Andrew, on our boat was a NZ family of 5: husband, wife, 23 year old
daughter, her \”fiancée\” and 14 year old son. The Mum is taking this
engagement with a grain of salt since there is no wedding date set, he\’s
still in university & she is unemployed. Plus another young Kiwi couple. It
was a commodious group. We liked our driver, Pickam. Teking himself drove
the Aussie boat.

I slathered my finger in vaseline to help reduce \”soggy paw syndrome\”. Not
an official medical term, but the best description for what happens when I
get my still irritated right index finger wet. I did my best to keep it in
the \”up periscope\” position as much as possible when snorkeling. The water
was a chilly 78 degrees & I regretted wearing only my 3 mm wetsuit. I would
have been happier with twice that, which I do own.

It was wonderful to be back in the water & see some of our fishy friends.
They have successfully imported from Palau & Australia some giant clams
which are quite awesome to behold. An interesting native species is an all
BLUE starfish. Traditional 5 legged variety, totally harmless. What we saw
snorkeling in the lagoon was more interesting & beautiful than the sites the
dive companies go outside the reef. That is unusual & we have heard that
there are better outer reef sites here, but they are not easy to get to,
especially as it is almost always quite windy here, making for rough water
on that side of the island.

We saw one very large Crown of Thorns starfish. Even the snorkeling
operators know that they are a menace to the reef & must be disposed of.
Peckam asked Scott to gaff it. I kept my distance & gave it the finger!

We had 4 snorkeling opportunities plus walks on 2 small islets (motus) to
admire the white sandy beaches with palm trees, postcard perfect paradise.
The lunch was Dee-licious: grilled fresh wahoo with grilled slices of onion
& eggplant. A lovely display of giant clam shells were used as the bowls for
potato salad, green salad, coleslaw, watermelon and star fruit, slices of
chocolate cake & fresh grated coconut. I enjoyed every bite & rescued a
couple of the teenagers from their portion of eggplant – more for me! It is
such a luxury to eat a meal that I did not have to prepare myself.

Teking has his tourist schtick down pat. I\’m afraid even though he spoke
excellent English, as most Cook Islanders do, many of his jokes were missed
by the NZ/Oz group. Scott & I guffawed out loud & applauded him many times
on his straight-faced humor & timing. We got more bold being \”part of the
act\” as the day progressed which was fun for us. Scott was asked to say
grace at lunch. I held my breath wondering how my typically irreverent
husband would cope with this request. He simply sung out the word: \”GRACE\”
which was accepted by Teking as he invited us to partake of the buffet.

The 5 teenagers were terribly bored & any parent who thinks their 9th grader
will appreciate a tropical vacation with the parentals is hugely naive. They
sighed & posed & kept asking each other when would this day be over… They
were blatantly rude when Teking told stories about native plants & ancestral
culture. He responded appropriately by turning his back to them, effectively
excluding the rude children (& also a few rude adults) from the circle.

We intend to return to the shallow site where the clams & starfish are to
take some underwater photos. It is too hard for Scott to hold his breath,
dive under, frame the shot, focus, etc. So even for very shallow areas, if
we want photos we try to go on scuba instead of snorkel. Now that the
generator is repaired we can fill our own tanks & go.

Cindy & Scott