February 24 – March 14, 2016
We finally made it out of Majuro at the end of February and spent a little over 2 amazing weeks at Ailuk Atoll.
Logbook – February 24, 2016 (Majuro to Ailuk)
Passage Log Highlights
- 1803 Engines on
- 1927 Engines off, Main (2 reefs) + genoa (2 reefs)
Daily Notes
- Nothing to report
Logbook – February 25, 2016 (Majuro to Ailuk)
Passage Log Highlights
- 0600 Main (2 reefs) + genoa (2 reefs)
- 1730 VHF call from Pojean – They are outbound Maloelap – Inbound Ailuk
Daily Notes
- Mahi Mahi
- Hugged the coast of Maloelap
Logbook – February 26, 2016 (Majuro to Ailuk)
Passage Log Highlights
- 0350 Main (2 reefs) + genoa (2 reefs)
- 1250 Engines off Ailuk
Daily Notes
- (1) Drop sails, launch dinghy to recon pass
- Went through south pass ~11am. 1 hr before low tide
- Went to shore, met Pumpkin and his wife (Anious & Emily)
- Police picked up food from mayor
- Paid fee to “Red” the acting major
- Boys went to shore to jump off dock
Logbook – February 27, 2016 (Ailuk)
Daily Notes
- T/Boys skimboard with kids on shore
- Volleyball and dodge ball
- Sing-a-long w/ Pojean (Rixine & James)
- Alex’s first guitar public appearance
- Hokey pokey!
Email to Family and Friends Dated February 27, 2016
Subject: Exodus – Arrived in Ailuk
We arrived yesterday afternoon after another bouncy and uncomfortable upwind sail. The first night was ridiculous, and I’m pretty sure I didn’t sleep a wink off-watch because I kept catching air while laying in bed. Yesterday was a bit better as we fell off the wind a bit, but then once we were inside the lagoon we had a couple hours bashing into 20-25 kts to get across to the village, and I had to stand on the cabin top on bombie watch the whole time. We’re happy to be here, but to be honest, it’s just another beautiful low lying atoll. About this time I could use a volcanic island or two thrown in for good measure, but atolls it is for another couple months. It’s cooler here, just a few degrees north of Majuro. I noticed it on passage when I didn’t even need the fan on the second night.
We went to shore briefly yesterday afternoon just to say hi and to deliver all the food we brought from Majuro, organized by the mayor. They were expecting us, and they told us there’s absolutely no rice or flour on the island, and one woman asked if we brought more, more than what the mayor had given us to bring. When I said no, she was visibly distraught, didn’t we know what they needed? Didn’t we know that we should have brought more? To tell her that we brought what we could given the space available on board rang hollow. They look at our boat and judge it to be huge (and judge us to be rich) and she just couldn’t get over that we didn’t bring more. Anyway, after I got over my own pride of not being appreciated, and I realized that she wasn’t trying to make us feel bad, she was just honestly disappointed, I started to, well, feel bad about it. We probably could have squeezed another 15 lb bag of rice here or there, but when I asked Tim about it, if he thought we should have brought more, his response was priceless. “Well, it is what it is now.” So true!
Anyway, the boys went ashore and jumped off the dock with some of the kids here late yesterday afternoon and this morning we are going to go play some volleyball.
Love and miss you all,
Logbook – February 28, 2016 (Ailuk)
Daily Notes
- Longest church service here! Assembly of God
- Local kids are not shy!
- T – repair bimini
- No sulus/lavakavas, shoes ok inside, microphones, music, dancing
Logbook – February 29, 2016 (Ailuk)
Daily Notes
- T – finish bimini repair
- Shore party – T – village watermker w/ Pojean
- D – purchase animano, boys – play
Logbook – March 1, 2016 (Ailuk)
Daily Notes
- 3 yr anniversary of arrival in Mexico (Ensenada)
- D – walk to give glasses and bags to handicraft ladies
- T/B – spearfish, no fish
- A – skimboard with local kids
Logbook – March 2, 2016 (Ailuk to Ajirikku)
Passage Highlights
- 1101 Engines on
- 1125 P engine off, main (2 reefs) + genoa (1 reef)
- 1129 SB engine off
- 1226 Engines on
- 1256 Engines off Ajirikku
Daily Notes
- Move to North part of the atoll
- A few days ago, solar stopped working. T replaced connector that had shorted due to exposure (ferrite). Now we are noticing improved solar production
- Explored the islets out to the reef @ low tide
Logbook – March 3, 2016 (Ajirikku)
Daily Notes
- Tim jumped on an outrigger to go help harvest copra
Email to Family and Friends Dated March 3, 2016
Subject: Exodus – Ailuk
After five days at the village at Ailuk island we have moved further north up the atoll to a collection of small uninhabited islets. I think this is the most beautiful place we have been since maybe Fulaga. The islets are small and they run mostly lengthwise from ocean to lagoon and there are narrow, shallow passes between them where the water flows in and out with the tides. As we were exploring yesterday it occurred to me how seldom we have this kind of solitude. We are totally by ourselves here, no village, no other cruisers. For me it’s relaxing, at least for a little while.
We enjoyed our time at the village playing with the kids, trying to fix the village watermaker, buying and trading for handicrafts, and having a guitar sing-a-long. Yes, Alex made his public debut on shore in front of all the kids with a guy from another boat who gave him some pointers and some new picks. Alex had dropped his last pick overboard, so he had made one out of a piece of plastic (that’s what you do when you live on a boat… improvise). The weaving that they do in The Marshall Islands has to be the most beautiful, most meticulous, in the Pacific, and we were told that Ailuk has the best weavers, and we were not disappointed.
Love and miss you all,
-D.
Logbook – March 4, 2016 (Ajirikku)
Daily Notes
- T/A – spearfish @ pass, dogtooth, quickly
- B – gets ride on an outrigger
Logbook – March 5, 2016 (Ajirikku)
Daily Notes
- Bombie snorkel – D/T/B
- Shore excursion in the afternoon
Email to Family and Friends Dated March 5, 2016
Subject: Exodus – Copra and Dogtooth
We remain at our remote island paradise. I think so far I have failed to mention that here in Ailuk they still make and use traditional outrigger sailing canoes. Everyday, several of them leave the village down at Ailuk island and come up to some of the northern islets to harvest copra, and we enjoy watching them go by. Not satisfied to just watch, day before yesterday, Tim flagged one down as they went past and asked if they would take him. Of course they agreed and he spent the day helping them with the copra operation. It basically entails gathering coconuts on the ground, putting them in piles, then chopping them open and cutting the meat out and putting it in bags. Then they take the bags back to Ailuk where they dry the coconut meat and when the government ship ever comes then they export it for 25 cents per pound. Harvesting copra is something we’ve seen almost everywhere in the pacific, and from what I’ve read the world market for coconut oil doesn’t really support all the copra so usually it is heavily government subsidized. The men appreciated Tim’s participation. They told him he was different than the other yachties because he came to help them. I think this is a somewhat unfair assessment of the situation, for example, the other yacht we were here with brought a ton of food and other items (like reading glasses) for people of the village, and they also spent several hours (with Tim) trying to fix the village watermaker, but I suppose these sorts of efforts are more visible to the upper echelon of the village, while Tim helping with the copra was right in there with all the working men. They stopped by yesterday (while Tim was out spearfishing) and we traded them some rice, DVD movies, and a flashlight for some more handicrafts (I think, we’ll have to see what they bring back), and they gave Brenden a ride on the canoe. One of the men told me that, “Tim is a very good man. He’s very kind.” I said, “who?” No, not really, I said, “I think so too.”
Speaking of spearfishing, Alex drove Tim a couple miles over to the pass yesterday and he was in and out of the water quickly with, ho hum, another dogtooth tuna. We gave most of it to one of the outriggers sailing past, but we enjoyed a fresh tuna dinner last night as well. He said it was ridiculous how many tuna there were, he had trouble deciding which one to shoot! Upon hearing about it, Brenden was disappointed he didn’t go, but then he remembered the fun ride on the outrigger.
Love and miss you all,
-D.
Logbook – March 6, 2016 (Ajirikku to Enijabro)
Passage Highlights
- 1155 Engines on
- 1303 Engines off Enijabro
Daily Notes
- Move to North in anticipation of stronger NE winds
- T/D paddle to the S. end of the little islet of Enijabro
- T/B reef lobstering at night with locals
Logbook – March 7, 2016 (Enijabro)
Daily Notes
- T – spearfishing w/ locals
- Boys – skimboard but tide too high
- D – paddle to shore
Logbook – March 8, 2016 (Enijabro)
Daily Notes
- T/Boys – help with copra
- Teacher visits in small outrigger (from Enejelar)
- Little boy is scared of Exodus
Logbook – March 9, 2016 (Enijabro)
Daily Notes
- D/B bombie snorkel
- Alex chooses making copra over school
Logbook – March 10, 2016 (Enijabro)
Daily Notes
- A/B shuttle kids to Mariposa for dental work
- B – gets to be dental assistant
- Alden (Enejelar med assistant) – hangs out with Tim on Exodus
- D – beach walk
Logbook – March 11, 2016 (Enijabro)
Daily Notes
- Pig roast!
- A/B skimboard/play w/ local kids at sand spit
Logbook – March 12, 2016 (Enijabro)
Daily Notes
- Visit village at Enejelar
Email to Family and Friends Dated March 12, 2016
Subject: Exodus – Brenden the dental assistant
Our days at Ailuk are winding down in that we intend to depart for Kwajalein in just a couple days. I don’t remember if I’ve mentioned the boat Mariposa before, we met them in Abemama in Kiribati, and he is a dentist and does free dental work for people on the islands. Well, they are here now, and he ran a clinic the other day, and Alex and Brenden helped ferry people back and forth from shore to his boat. But then Brenden got the good fortune of being recruited as the dental assistant, and he got to pull teeth and everything. He had a great time. In fact, he was supposed to switch half way and give Alex a turn, but that call never came… but don’t feel bad for Alex, he didn’t care.
We are up in the far north of the atoll where there is a small village of about 48 people. Tim has gone spearfishing and lobstering with the locals, successful both times. And Alex even volunteered to go spend a day on shore helping the guys make copra. I guess getting the day off from school must have been part of his motivation.
Anyway, the weather has calmed down and tomorrow we will go back to the main village in the south of the atoll to say good-bye and give away a bunch of food, since we’ll be heading next to the U.S. army base on Kwajalein.
Love and miss you all,
-D.
Logbook – March 13, 2016 (Enijabro to Ailuk)
Passage Highlights
- 1302 Engines on
- 1320 Engines off main (1 reef) + genoa
- 1502 Engines on
- 1517 Engines off Ailuk
Daily Notes
- Nothing to report
Logbook – March 14, 2016 (Ailuk to Kwajalein)
Gresham Family Exodus 