Samoa
MALARKEY
Jo & Trevor Bush
Thu 6 Sep 2012 03:30
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13:49S 171:46W
Samoa wasn't on our original itinerary because
it isn't on the direct route to Tonga but hey, it was only a few hundred
miles away, well over 500 actually, and by Pacific standards, only a hop,
skip & a jump.
So we hopped, skipped & jumped to Apia, the
capital of Samoa. And we were well glad we did. The last day of the sail was
super fast recording a 207M day and the whole trip was done in a twinkle over 3
days.....not bad considering our priority now-a-days is comfort over speed at
any cost. But along the way we have picked up some competitive cruising pals in
similar sized boats and it was about time we put in a decent showing. I have
discovered the only way to drive the boat faster is to relieve Joanne of her
watch, shake out all the reefs she demands while on her watch, and let the boat
rip. Of course, we cant do this everyday, particularly on a longish passage
or I would be completely knackered but it is nice to blow away the cobwebs every
now & then. And we did just that. We started off out of Suwarrow with very
light winds for half a day steadily building to almost 30knts off the north
coast of Samoa. We ended up roaring along at around 10kts and tearing into
the harbour with just the main up at over 8knts only to find a huge police
launch jostling for position in the same restricted spot. Needless to say we had
a few anxious moments while getting the boat under control but we managed to
avoid the police launch and any other hard bits but not
without the stink eye from the police who pointed out the 5knt harbour
speed limit and Joanne's serious tongue lashing.
Anyway, with the sailing nonsense is out of
the way, we found ourselves in a delightful little marina off the nice
little town of Apia. It was such a treat to be able to plug in to the shore
power, have an endless supply of fresh water and be able to walk on & off
the boat to shore safely regardless of the state of our sobriety. So we
filled our boots, so to speak. The batteries got fully charged, the
electric toaster & kettle came out, the boat got a nice wash.....(the first
since Panama), and we visited more shops, bars, markets & restaurants than I
care to remember. And Jo did get her birthday treat after
all.
During the trip to Samoa, we crossed into
another date zone. In essence, we lost a day. We are now ahead of you
guys back home rather than behind. So if it is 5pm on Tuesday afternoon for
you, it is 4am Wednesday morning for us (13 hours ahead). Jo was well
worried that we would cross the date line while at sea and miss her birthday
altogether. Indeed, I was viciously accused of arranging this on purpose because
I forgot to buy her a pressie..... How dare she, such
a devious thought would never enter my head!!!. But our fast
passage meant that we got there a day before her big day, which was great for
her but I had to find a pressie pretty damn sharp. Fortunately for me, Apia
is a great spot for pressie hunting. There are several little markets
selling the type of tatt Joanne loves and so I was able to save my bacon during
our first visit to the town market. And to top it off, she had her best
B'day dinner for yonks in the Aggie Greys Hotel with our Kiwi cruising pals
Helen & John from S/Y Awaroa. The local Samoan band sang happy birthday
in English & Samoan to her at the table.
   Birthday
girl
Even the police band joined
in The
gang outside Robert Louis Stevenson's
house
Samoa proved to be a real surprise. The island is a
treat. The big friendly Samoan giants cherish their island and quite right too.
Their houses & gardens are well tended and there is very little litter
anywhere. It is a shame some of the Caribbean islands don't have a similar
approach to living. We hired a big car a shared it with Helen & John
and Anne & Mark (S/Y Blue Rodeo) and toured the island over a couple of
days. Samoa has a lot going for it and we can see it becoming a very
popular tourist destination.
   Miss
Samoa
Always fresh fruit & veg at the markets but not exactly Tesco
Samoa is made up of two islands. The town of
Apia is on the largest and most populated island called Upoli. The smaller
and probably the prettier island is Savaii. We visited Savaii only briefly due
to the pressures of time and an oncomming nice weather window to
Tonga. We would have loved to stay longer in this idyllic
place.
   A beach-side restaurant in Savaii, with Turtles
down the road a bit, fed by a 4 year old girl with a gert big knife.....things
are done differently in Samoa.
We are rapidly coming to the conclusion that the
South Pacific is far too big and too nice to give it justice in one season.
Whilst our plans aren't set in stone we have to get a wriggle on to take in a
brief look at Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu and New Caledonia enroute to Oz. We
need to be in Queensland by mid November before the dreaded cyclone
season starts in full earnest. So off to Niuatoputapu, Tonga, (or New
Potatoes), as we like to call it.
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