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American Spirit II - Day 447; We Tour Union Island; the Dingy Battery Dies; & We Go to Janti's Happy Island for drinks; Sunday, March 29, 2015



One year ago today:

"Day 85; Off to Hiva Oa to Pick Up Alex, 5th Green Flash, Two Fish Got Away and Lightning; Saturday, March 29, 2014. 8:00 AM breakfast, followed by letting the air out of the dingy and stowing it below in the v-berth. To let the air out of the dingy we use the electric air pump and suck air out of the dingy. This process is faster than just opening the valves and we actually get more air out by sucking it out with the pump. We weighed anchor at 8:55 AM and headed back for Hiva Oa to pick up World Cruising Club representative Alex. Normally the WCC rep would fly to the next island, but since all the flights between the islands are booked, Alex needed to hitch a ride to get to Nuku Hiva. And we needed him to get there as he was organizing our rendezvous party April 2nd."

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Up at 7:38 AM. At 7:45 AM I listen to 'What's Up on Union Island' on VHF channel 68. As they do every day, the first news item is weather temperatures around the world, from Halifax, Nova Scotia; Manchester, UK; Buffalo, NY; Irkusk (of Risk fame), Russia; and Siberia. The local weather forecast is for winds of 13-20 knots, partly cloudy in the morning with squalls, and sunny in the afternoon. An Easter week long celebration starts today at 2:00 PM with a Limbo competition at one of the local bars.

I turn on the generator at 7:40 AM.

Breakfast is at 8:40 AM and consists of 2 scrambled eggs; left over sausage and cut up potato from yesterday; left over sirloin steak cut up into small pieces and mixed in with the sausage and potato; and chilled pineapple slices. A can of pineapple slices has 8 slices in it, so by each of us having 2 slices each we get two meals out of the fruit.

During breakfast a large, wooden, green gaffe rigged schooner flies by us astern with the foremast sail,mizzen sail and one of two jibs set. The mizzen sail is black and is larger than the foremast sail. A gaffe rigged schooner, besides having a boom at the bottom of the sail, has a small type boom or wooden 'gaffe' at the top of the sail, also. The sail doesn't taper and connect to the mast like a regular mainsail does. The wooden gaffe is angled about 55 degrees from the mast outward. These gaffe rigged sails are also attached to the masts by means of round rings making it easier to raise and lower the sails. One oddity on the boat was that it has no portholes. It looks like there are 4 passengers on boat and a crew of 2. Out for a day sail to a neighboring island. Joel says that when we were in town yesterday he saw the vessel on a post card. Didn't know the vessels name; and it appeared to be at least 60 feet in length. But its a BIG 60 foot vessel.

Along the reef a number of kite boards are being used. Kite boards have a small surf board attached to a kite that pulls you along the surface of the water, at speeds up to 20 knots. Nuno from NDS Darwin came flying past us on one of these kite boards.

At 10:15 AM we picked up Sigi on Avocet and headed into the Anchorage Yacht Club. I had organized a tour of the island, costing 200 EC. Tommy, Bradley and Jesse from Alpheratz; Cameron and Sigi from Avocet; and Lucia from NDS Darwin; join us.

The tour departs at 11:45 AM. We have a driver, a tour guide and a young 18 year old boy in the vehicle, a van that seats 12. The front and the back have religious language on them. The front says 'Palms 2' and has a white hand holding a cross in it.

Our tour guide narrates as we drive along. Union Island has a population of 5,000. The road circling the island is concrete and not asphalt; is wide enough, usually for two cars; and has no curbs. As we drive along the edge of the mountains, if the driver steers us off the road, some of us will die. The trip is extraordinarily scenic, with a lot of postcard quality pictures of the ocean and islands and its many colors. One area we go by is called 'Bloody Bay.' Its was given that name because of some fighting that was held there between the French and British. Originally the island was colonized by the French. At one point we come to the end of the road. It just stops. So we turn around and take another road to see the other side of the island. The tour ends at 1:40 PM. After that we have a drink at the Anchorage Yacht Club; then walk around Clifton. Almost all the stores and restaurants are closed because its Sunday. Never mind that everyone on a yacht will spend money if the stores are open. We stop by an ATM and get some more EC, the local currency.

While walking around town we see a Memorial which says: "This Plaque is erected to the memory of all the African Slaves that died on Union Island during the time of slavery. This Plaque is also dedicated especially to the fifty-three slaves who died during the period of ten months (Sept. 1777-July 1778) as a result of the harsh living conditions and cruel slave drivers of that time. This was the same period when cotton production increased one hundred and twenty percent and the time of major infrastructural development. May they Rest in Peace." The plaque is about 6 feet tall and 18 inches wide and has a cross on the bottom of it.

Another plaque says: "Union Island was armed militarily between 1775-1783 against the raids by the American Privateer's during the war of American Independence. This rare cannon, a 9 pounder, was originally located at Clifton Hill protecting Clifton Harbour and part of the South Coast."

At 3:05 PM we dingy back to the boat. Half way there the battery dies. It goes from 80% charged to 0%. Its a lithium battery and costs $800. Bummer. Fortunately I have another one on the boat. Joel had convinced me to buy a spare before leaving on the trip. I reluctantly agreed to do so. Good suggestion Joel!

After getting back to the boat we decide to go to 'Janti's Happy Island' for a drink. The owner built the 'island' that his bar is on using conch shells. It took him 2 yeas to 'conch' the foundation. Tommy, Bradley and Jess from Alpheratz join us; followed by Derry, Margaret and Sigi from Avocet. We meet a Norwegian man who is also circumnavigating, but he's doing so via airplane. Interesting. Then a group of 5 join us from Czechoslovakia. We make the BIG mistake of drinking 'rum punch.' You can't taste the large amount of alcohol in it. After tonight, Joel and I will never have another rum punch while on this trip! Neither will Derry and Margaret. I'm not sure of Sigi. He's German.

We're back on the boat around 7:00 PM; and asleep shortly after that.

Brian Fox

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