Kabashima

Where Next?
Bob Williams
Mon 17 Mar 2014 13:52

Position: 32 35.48 N 128 59.31 E
Alongside Kabashima
Wind: South F5 fresh breeze
Day's run: 54 nm

Amazingly, today went pretty much according to plan. I got up at six with the alarm, had a cup of tea, got Sylph ready for sea and was underway by eight. We motored out of Nagasaki Harbour, with the sun shining, the sky clear and blue, and the sea calm. As we cleared the harbour, the wind started to pick up gradually from the south which, by midday, had us beam reaching at about six knots. As the day wore on the wind freshened and the sky grew cloudy, the barometer slowly falling as a low pressure system started to replace the high. At 13.40 I put a reef in the mainsail and reduced the headsail to the freshening wind. At 5 PM we were closing our destination for the day, Kabashima island, and at six we were secured alongside.

We are here on the recommendation of a Canadian boat, the Bosun Bird. . There is little here except a couple of buildings which are, or maybe were, the local school When Bosun Bird was here about two years ago, apparently there were eighteen teachers and two students. It would seem the island is depopulating at an alarming rate. It will be interesting to see what the teacher/student ratio is now.

Meanwhile the weather has deteriorated further, we have had a little bit of rain and the wind has continued to freshen. I am pleased that we managed to get alongside before sunset. Tomorrow I hope to go for a bit of a hike.

All is well.