September 22, 2004

Althea
Wed 22 Sep 2004 21:43

14 deg 9 South, 169 deg 09 West

We are just 20 miles off our next landfall - the island of Tau in American Samoa. We left the atoll of Suwarrow (aka Suvarov) in the Cook Islands 3 days ago. We spent 2 weeks on Suwarrow which was made famous in cruisers' circles as the place where Kiwi Tom Neale spent extended periods (from 1952-77) as a virtual hermit; his book An Island to Oneself is likely a good read. The atoll has been declared a national park by the Cook Islands to preserve its pristine natural character. Indeed, it was pristine. The only way to get there is by small private boat as there is no airport & no commercial vessel traffic. It is a good stopping point for cruisers traveling from French Polynesia to Tonga & it is really in the middle of nowhere (13 deg 15 South, 163 deg 05 West). The 2 park caretakers are the only inhabitants & they just live there during non-cyclone season. Papa John, his grandson Totos & his cousin Baker welcomed us with open arms (2nd shot is Baker giving himself a haircut)

     


The 2nd night there they organized a big feast onshore for the dozen yachts with poisson cru (raw marinated fish), barbequed tuna, coconut pancakes & huge cocount crabs (not to mention all the contributions of the cruisers) along with traditional Cook Islands music. Some cruisers before us had organized the Suwarrow Yacht Club with a lifetime membership fee of $10 that is really just a contribution to Papa John's pet projects on the atoll as well as his healthcare. We knew quite a few of the cruisers & met other cruisers from South Africa, Turkey, Czech Republic, France, UK & US.

   



We spent most of out time diving, snorkeling, & hanging out with Papa John. We experienced a new type of diving as we used our friend's hooka rig which is an air compressor that floats on the surface with 3 lines down allowing 3 divers to go down to about 60' without all the cumbersome dive gear we have almost gotten used to. We had a great time as we watched our friend Ben feed oyster meat to a hungry moray eel. We also swam with 5 majestic spotted eagle rays with a wingspan of about 10'. They were gliding along as a group playing follow the leader only feet from us. We also enjoyed the upclose view of a lively coral garden. Over the course of our stay, we also came across a big octopus, a sting ray, a sea turtle, starfish & sharks (we are sorry to not have an underwater camera to capture it all).

While in Suwarrow, Bob tured 40!! (Thanks to all who sent nice birthday wishes). Our friends on Waking Dream organized a great surprise scavenger hunt that culminated in a beach barbeque & bonfire. The scavenger hunt took Bob looking for clues all day long starting on the boat then on the island and then underwater to locate the "Spirits of Davy Jones" - a bottle of rum hidden among the corral heads. As the theme was pirates, Bob was provided with an eye patch & bandana headpiece that he wore all day. Papa John & Baker (the caretakers) surprised Bob that evening with additional adornments as they gave him head wreath that they had crafted of local fern & roses (!) as well as a mother of pearl necklace & floral sarong that they fashioned around his waist. The other cruisers participated in the potluck on the beach including 2 chocolate cakes. I am sure it was a birthday that he won't forget.