13:49.660S 171:45.554W
We are now in a very soggy Apia, capital of Samoa. We had a good trip
on from the Cook Islands and have spent a few days here looking around the main
island and enjoying the hospitality of the friendly Samoans. Sadly we now
seem to be sitting under the South Pacific Convergence Zone which has meant we
have had 5 days solid of heavy tropical rain and threatening grey skies
which does not show the place off to its best advantage. Fortunately we have a
supply of sunny photographs from Suwarrow to keep away those wet weather
blues.
Magical Suwarrow from our cockpit. Not a bad view for
breakfast on the morning of our arrival.
The crew of Pickles arriving for dinner. Guy and Joanie
with their four "Pickolitos". If travelling across the Pacific
occasionally feels like hard work for us, we just remember to
ask ourselves how Guy and Joanie do it. They make raising
4 kids look easy despite the
environment.
Supper fresh up over the side. The fishing is not
difficult apart from getting the catch
aboard before the sharks take their share. I reckon
this one went reef to pan in about 15 minutes.
We don't throw any of the fish heads and guts into the water
around the boat instead they get fed to
the sharks in the pass away from the yachts. Here James
(the warden) is getting ready to feed the sharks at sundown, which
is quite a spectacular event. You can see them all
massing in the shallows ready for their tea.
Mind your ankles!
You would have to be pretty stupid to swim off this beach
given the picture above!
Pot luck supper in the internationally famous Suwarrow Yacht
Club. This has got to be one of the most remote "yacht clubs" in the
world.
Lucy is joined here by Rhian (Zephyrus) and Dave and
Rayanne (Nikita).
As the evening progresses Jamie finds himself packing down
with the Cook Island front row. James and Apii,
our two wonderful hosts, who shared their love and knowledge
of the island (as well as providing a lot of
entertainment).
Apii taking us on a reef walk.
Here Apii introduces us to a coconut crab, with a nip that
could take your fingers off. The secondary
reason for the days excursion was to collect
plastic and rubbish that washes up onto the reef even here,
so far away from anywhere.
Sundowners on Bamboozle. We had a record breaking
eighteen people for drinks on board....
unsurprisingly the party lasted considerably longer than it
took the sun to go down.
