Haganes - 6th October 2011. Fanning Island.
Haganes – Fanning Atoll –
6,500 miles from Singapore – 4700 from Panama 6th
October 2011. - 03 51N – 159 20W After head winds, counter currents and uncomfortable seas
on the nose from Majuro where we refuelled, we had a few issues that needed
sorting (mechanical ones that is), and decided that some calm water might not
do any harm for a couple of days while we did the repairs. Palmyra was my first choice but after arriving there were
met outside the reef by a delegation of rangers from the island. Transpires it
is a wildlife sanctuary with U.S. park rangers in residence and you are not
allowed there with out a permit from Hawaii, a mere 1,000 miles to the north.
It was a disappointment, getting there in these conditions only to be turned
away. Looked like a nice place to visit also. Anyway we just had to head south
and came down to Fanning Island, 200 miles further south. Arrived at midday the following day. Very tricky little
entrance through the reef with a 6kt current flowing out and a curve in it. Get
the bow too far off centre in the current and you're in more trouble than the
early settlers. But we made it through with out any trouble and I’m sure
as usual, it was only the skipper who was at all concerned about the manoeuvre. Haganes in the
lagoon at Fanning Atoll. The morning after or arrival, a small alloy landing barge
craft came out with the official party. 6 of them. A policeman, 2 village
wardens, a couple of hangers on and one guy with “Official”
hand written on an old white polo shirt. They parked in the galley and
asked for lunch. Carol had been cooking up a few meals from the freezer
contents (which has thrown in the towel) and before they finished lunch
they’d gone through a large bowl of pasta and another one of pork
bolognese sauce, a big bowl of mixed veg, 4 fried chickens, 5 kg pacs of
franks, 2 loaves of bread and 8 x 1.5ltr bottles of coke and 7up. If that
wasn’t enough they each took a large plastic bag of goodies with them.
More packets of franks, more bottles of 7up, about 10 each pacs of
instant noodles etc. etc. but they didn’t forget to charge us $50 for
anchoring fee and $30 for having to bring their own boat out. No change either
so lets call it $50 for the boat. Oh, and just before they left they said they
were short on petrol and did we have any spare. I said “Not spare, but
you can have 10 litres for coming out to pick us up and bring us back
tomorrow” – deal done. The
official boarding party. Guess which one ate most of the tucker. They only put
their uniforms on 10 times a year when a boat comes in. John
with the local constabulary. (Jeremy). So John and I went ashore yesterday. We took 10 kg bags of
flour of which we have surplus, in the hope of trading for some vegetables. We
had a good walk around but couldn’t generate a lot of energy amongst the
locals in terms of trading. We’ve left word, and a couple of bags of
flour, with a couple of people to the effect that is anyone has anything to
sell and wants some rice or flour in payment, come out to the boat and
we’ll be happy to trade. When they brought us back out, another 6 came for the ride
and I think in the expectation of revisiting the lunch show – a couple
got out of the boat, with out a word marched to the galley and sat down
waiting. They got a shorter shift this time though. If you give stuff away you
compromise your trading position (is that the Jewish side of my ancestry?) and
I get the impression these guys are too used to getting everything for nothing. Some
of the more active guys here spend most of their day out fishing in the lagoon
in these craft. The
only shop on Fanning – ‘J.J’s Store’ – Closed due
lack of supplies, demand, money and interest. All a bit hard really. There
used to be a bar on Fanning and this was it – The Sand Bar – open
in the heady days when a cruise ship used to come by every 3 months in the
season. Their liberty boats would bring throngs of punters ashore, both of whom
would buy hand craft and have a refreshing drink of whatever they
hadn’t run out of. The cruise ship stopped coming a couple of years ago
though and I imagine it would have severely affected the island’s G.D.P. The
mayor driving the school bus. Friendly folk the locals. These people were repatriated
here in the late 70’s when Kiribati (pronounced Kiribass) came into being
and the islands (Christmas and Fanning) were given to the federation by Britain
(who had previously been using Christmas for nuclear testing). Parts of
Kiribati proper, 1800 miles to the west, were over populated so they sent a
bunch of folk over here to live. Would have been an interesting selection
process. There are about 2000 people in 7 villages here and it seems the
government supports them with a supply of rice, flour, milk powder etc per
person, and for the rest they’re on their own. A small supply ship comes
once every few months but very now and then (like now) it is a couple of months
late and they have all run out of dry stores. Apparently when we came through
the passage the village got very excited because they thought we were the
supply ship – sad to disappoint them A
positive affirmation from a local delegation. Raining here on Fanning Atoll
today – first rain they’ve had for 3 months apparently. We
haven’t seen much of the sun since we’ve been here and it’s
been windy, but this is the first rain. The villagers all have wells for their
water so don’t need the rain but the island is so thin, a couple of
hundred meters, (and in a big circle of course being an atoll,) that you
would imagine well water would have to be fairly brackish. Rush
hour, Fanning. There’s
so much traffic, they all have to go one way in the morning and the other in
the afternoon. Interesting to note that the Island is 1 day 35 minutes
out in it’s time. The only guy with a watch was the one with
“Official” written in felt tip on his shirt. I noticed his watch
was 35 minutes fast and then when we were discussing arrival and
departure dates, it was clear we were on a different page. They all convinced
me I was a day out and I thought I must have messed up some how with the
dateline. They wouldn’t hear any argument to the contrary. Having checked
on the net, (and speaking to Robbie last night) I’m right –
they’re wrong, and the whole island is operating on a time and date quite
separate from the rest of the world. Why not I guess. Each
family has it’s own compound like this one. Well used sleeping platform
in the middle under a thatch roof. One
of the more enterprising family compounds, this one with a fence up which to
grow vegetables of some sort. Anyway repairs have moved along. The cooling system will
shortly be operating without hosing down the engine room, the fo’csle
sump is empty of water and the ship floating a foot higher in the water. The
sump pump’s working and the genset exhaust is not pumping as much black
smoke and soot into the forepeak. The forward bilge pump still has a wiring
issue that McIvor (John) is working on as we speak. In fact he was diving
earlier to clear a blocked ‘head’ outlet. (Lousy job being an
engineer). He was complaining that the water was so salty here he
couldn’t get down with the weight he had. Leaning on the rail with my
coffee, I suggested if he let some of the air out of his BC he might find it
easier. (Nobody likes a smart arse skipper). We have also discovered a leak in the fresh water supply
hose so that’s another thing to be sorted, but we’re getting there. Unfortunately the second freezer is not repairable so we
have lost all our frozen stores which is a sad waste of food. Some of it we
were able to give the locals but the rest is toast. I’m hoping we’ll be in a position to
head off tomorrow for Panama. I intend heading off on a course of 70 degrees
for the first 700 miles to take us up to 7deg North where I hope
we’ll find some favourable current (The North Equatorial Counter
Current). From there its just a 4,000 mile hop to Panama. I don’t expect
the weather to be all that pleasant as we will be in the vicinity of the ITCZ
but so long as the wind isn’t too severe and we have a favourable current
it’ll be worth not seeing too much of the sun. As we move east the wind
should come more on the beam and then the quarter. If we have to keep boxing
into that seaway and current at 7.5kts, not only does it make it a long and
uncomfortable passage, but I would start to get a bit concerned about fuel. As
it is we should have about a 6,000 ltr reserve. More later. |