Day 113 – February 12
“All we can do is sit here and wait for the wind to shift. It may be another 2 days according to the weather report”, said Captain Bill. So we bobbed around on the Pacific Ocean all day. This is when boredom creeps up on me and I long for land. According to the charts it’s only 150 nautical miles north until we reach Chuuk (Truk). That could mean we’ll set foot on Micronesian soil in less than 2 days – as long as the wind cooperates.
Day 114 – February 13
At breakfast today we discovered a colony of little beetles called weevils living in our bag of oats. Instead of tossing the infested oats into the ocean Captain Bill told us that weevil infestations in the tropics are a common occurrence and to just put the oats in water and scoop out the weevils that float to the top. So that is what we did… scooped out at least 30 weevils while cooking the oats but still managed to find several more as I was eating my oatmeal. Yummy!
Day 115 – February 14
Land Ho! Around 4pm today we found ourselves entering a Micronesian atoll called Losap. Once we had entered the lagoon it was a beautiful sight with breaking waves all around us. Looks like Becky has won the bet!
Day 116 – February 15
In the morning Becky and I snorkel over to Losap Island and were amazed at its beauty. Around 3pm we set sail for Chuuk (Truk) in hopes of arriving at the entrance to the lagoon just before sunrise. We had a great night sail with good wind and actually arrived at 3am, a few hours before dawn, so we sailed back and forth until it was light enough to see our way into the lagoon.
Day 117 – February 16
After 21 days at sea we have arrived to Chuuk (Truk)! Customs and Immigration refused to come out to the boat and made us dock on the wharf next to a local passenger ferry that looked like it was ready to sink. The locals were quite curious about us since they see less than 10 cruising boats a year and most of them tend to anchor on the south side of the island.
Chuuk (Truk) Customs gave us no problem but Immigration did not like that we had no advanced permit to enter the Federated States of Micronesia so they took our passports and told us we could have them back once they got clearance from the capital of Pohnpei. Bill asked how long that would take and their response was maybe tomorrow or maybe next week. Typical…
Day 118 – February 17
We spent the day settling in and searching out the most important things: email, ATM, and a place to get a great meal. Email was as easy as buying a prepaid card and using the great WiFi network. Just down the road was the Truk Stop Hotel and Dive Center which had great views along with good food. But finding an ATM was a headache and a half. There were no ATM’s on the island and I was told by some people that 1 of the 2 banks on the island may be able to do a cash advance on a credit card but you had to catch them on the right day. Lucky for me today was that day!
While sailing across the Pacific Ocean I had decided that once on Chuuk (Truk) I would leave the boat. Four months of sailing was enough for me and I was ready to venture onto new adventures. Looking at flights I realized that Chuuk (Truk) was not the cheapest place to fly from. It was going to cost me more to fly to Manila, Philippines (2000 miles away ) than it cost me to fly from LA to Bangkok, Thailand (8000 miles). Now I just need Immigration to give us our passports back so I can book my flight.
Day 119 – February 18
Today was Friday and Bill told me that he was going to force Immigration to give us our passports back before the weekend. Lucky for us they stopped by in the morning with our passports in hand and charged us each $20 for the permit. As soon as I had my passport in hand I booked my flight for the following day and spent the remainder of the day packing and booking other flights and hostels in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
While at Truk Stop Hotel having lunch I met 3 Danish guys who had spent the previous 2 weeks diving the wrecks in Truk Lagoon. I found out that they too were flying to Manila the following day as were several other people staying at the hotel.
Day 120 – February 19
A local guy looking at the boat at the wharf offered to take me to the airport and so we set off in his beat up truck. The roads in Chuuk (Truk) are horrendous; extremely muddy and filled with potholes. He told me that the government is working on fixing the roads but realistically it might take 10 years for them to complete the project. This local guy drives his old truck on these horrible roads and leaves his “nice” car parked at his house. I asked when he plans to drive his car and he tells me “maybe in 3 years”.
I flew Chuuk (Truk) to Guam to Manila to Singapore and once at the Singapore hostel it felt great to finally take a warm shower, washing all the salt from the last 4 months off my body along with all the caked in mud on my feet from walking on the roads in Chuuk (Truk). The things we take for granted.
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