The start to the passage would be exposed to the tradewinds and seas. In an attempt to be as comfortable as possible we got underway just after 5am, which was before before sunrise. It worked as planned and it was a comfortable start with the full main and jib coming out after sunrise and off when the engine. While the swell was large it was a comfortable ride cruising along at six plus knots.
Nearing the southern point of land the seas intensified and we had a bit of time with rough conditions before it mellowed again. Carl made a good call to extend the leg and when we gybed it put us on the same wind angle which led us right to the entrance of the bay. Motor on, into the wind we find a great spot. A bit of lunch and downtime before we headed into the village with the dinghy.
As we approached a big group of kids headed out way. And upon arrival we asked a villager for permission to leave our dinghy and about the chief. He pointed and told us the kids would take us. Formalities out of the way, we asked if we could explore the village and chief Carl offered the kids to guide us. Probably eight or nine youngsters led by James took us into the village. This was the first time we have gotten as much staring at our whiteness. Super friendly with just a bit of English skills. We enjoyed scenery. A couple small girls grabbed by hand at times and one boy had a ball attached to a rope that he would swing and kick as we walked along.
A boy and girl had been annoying and hitting each other. I asked if they were siblings, nope. Boyfriend/Girlfriend? A big laugh from both of them and another no. This continued the entire time. They led us up and estuary and pointed out a rock they would jump from into the water during high tide. Back to the village, this time weaving through plants and houses. A very circuitous path back to the beach. A couple men were working on an outboard repair. Evidently the seal for the carburetor was bad and they were fabricating a new one from some rubber material, they seemed to have it under control so on we went. Not long we came to a volleyball net. I stuck up a game with the boy’s ball/string. Lots of “one more to me” and scuffling to hit the ball back. Every few minutes some of the kids were scurry to the shade to cool their feet. I had flip flops by their bare feet and the smoking hot dark sand limited the playing to a few minutes at a time. It actually worked out as gave all the kids a chance to play. Over time all of the kids ended up under the shade of a tree. They started asking my dad’s name. Mom’s name. If I was married, and her name. They pried the entire family tree out of me. Such a fun afternoon.
We finally drifted back to the chief, who had bananas and papayas set out for us. He was preparing kava (there was a lot, I mean a lot, of kava prep going on in this village). We thanked him and Carl offered a t-shirt. It was met with indifference and back on Sky Pond we talked about how hard it is for us to not offer a trade, but in this case likely the chief was being kind and not expecting anything in return – we likely committed a faux pa giving him the t-shirt. One day we will get this country and the customs figured out. Roxy and I enjoyed a swim from the boat to cool off before a bit of rest before a big steak dinner with red wine. Yum!
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