We were in American Samoa early in August – this is our log from that time.

Our passage to American Samoa was rough. We had high seas and we had big waves and we had LOTS of rain. And we arrived in the dark so we tried to find a place to anchor or to heave to (set the sails so you move very very slowly). We were very happy to arrive and it was lovely to have friends waiting for us (we were last to arrive in Pago Pago). And as we approached everyone started singing Happy Birthday to our captain and Riikka made us breakfast on Panacea as a treat. And there were homemade cards and small gifts of fresh produce (Sonia from Calle II even wrapped an orange in tissue paper). It was outside office hours and we had to wait to check in to the country. All four boats (Panacea, Calle II, Caramba and Itchy Foot) were rafted up, tied to the tug moored next to the harbor master’s dock. It was still raining but it was cozy to all be tied up there together and being rafted up is quite a novelty. It gave us a lot more freedom to move around without the dinghy and the kids immediately disappeared onto different boats.

Another bonus of being at the harbor master’s dock is that we saw everything that was going on and had a good view of the comings and goings of all ships. We saw the exploration ship called Nautilus and they even gave us a tour. It was incredible to see their toys and hear of their plans and adventures. You will not be disappointed if you use some time and internet to check out their website at nautiluslive.org in fact they are releasing a NatGeo program that is based on their coverage. And they usually even have a live feed of their deep sea submersible unit, called Hercules, which can dive up to 4000 meters. The whole organization is a non-profit foundation, with funding from NOAA and also the guy who found the Titanic. Now they are off looking for Amelia Earhart’s crashed plane. 

American Samoa is great for shopping and chores. There are MANY Chinese-run food shops, hardware stores and laundromats to choose from and sometimes that is just what the doctor ordered. In fact, the doctor was on our list too as this is a place with a great hospital and possibility for a dental visit, too. We dove right in and it was perfect timing especially after a month and half in the Cook Islands where it was slim pickings in the case of shopping and the most expensive powdered milk and fresh eggs we have seen so far. Unfortunately, we need some very specific things to solve our problems and to complete the boat jobs on our list and “almost the right thing” just wasn’t good enough so this was just not the place.

As soon as we were checked in (apparently it was not American to make us wait till we had checked in to go to MickyD’s so they allowed that on Sunday night) and were allowed to explore. Our fist priority was ice cream which Teo sorted within the hour of arrival. The kids aka illegal aliens went for double scoops in waffle cones within an hour of arrival. As soon as we were legal, we were headed for CostULess which is the equivalent of CostCo and a promised land for us cruisers. We took the bus and it was such a fun experience I wanted to take the bus more and more. They are basically flat bed with bus sections built on and they are almost as individual as the ones in Panama, in fact I think the interiors were the most creative we have ever seen. And the views from the bus to the food shopping were incredibly beautiful. Another day we grabbed a bus to the cinema to see Lion King, what a treat! We haven’t been to the cinema since Star Wars in Colombia.

We liked being tied to the dock for a change and all four boats being together was really nice. We would have loved to have a BBQ. But the tug boat was going to have to move as some point so they asked us to leave for the anchorage. We were able to fill water with a super long hose and this was a godsend as the generator is being a diva and demanding attention (and parts) again. This anchorage has a horrible reputation for being dirty, smelly with bad holding and that is all very accurate, in fact every 15 minutes it was gag worthy. It was miserable. The mood onboard smelled as bad as the air. All of a sudden we had a very hard decision to make, like the Clash always say, “Should I STAY or should I GO?!” On the STAY side we’re sharing the anchorage with Panacea, more provisions/chores, doctors visits,  and time to explore the island. And on the GO side was the SMELL, our already limited time in Tonga slipping away, a very nice set of conditions for the sail to Tonga and the forecast showing a long time to the next good weather window.

The decision was a hard one, and we were all too soon saying goodbye to Panacea and we set off on this passage with tears in our eyes and heavy hearts. We have been anchored next to them for nine months solid, long enough for banana tree to bear fruit and long enough to grow a human baby and that is even before you factor the dog years (each year of marriage on a boat counts as seven). We will miss them SO MUCH. This lifestyle requires an open heart to make new friends quickly and intensely and the goodbyes are so much harder.

Itchy Foot and her crew spent ten days on Suwarrow (on some maps is is called Suvarov which is the name of the Russian after which it was named). It is an uninhabited atoll which is a nature reserve belonging to the Cook Islands and at the moment is looked after by two rangers. They get dropped off and spend six months at a time living on Suwarrow with a satellite phone to connect them with the outside world. While we were there we read An Island to Oneself in which Tom Neale tells his story of moving to this desert island and spending years there on his own. The story is worth a read and we loved his retelling of his adventures including the growing and cooking food, the chance visitors and all the chores he completed with hard work and applied practicality.

We had our refuge with Itchy Foot nearby so we were sitting pretty out there in the anchorage. There were 15 boats there at one point during our visit and that is more than Tom had visit him in many years. It is a gorgeous place with lots of coconut palms, the most amazing colored water and coral sand. There are hammocks and picnic tables and three swings which were enjoyed by all, this big adult child included.

We had a couple of pot luck dinners ashore with the rangers and the other cruisers. These events are wonderful and give us a chance to socialize together. It was really nice to hear what the rangers had to say about the trends in weather and sailing and they tell interesting stories about past visitors. They even told us they had heard of our visit to Penrhyn and all the time we spent with the schools there. Our Cobb portable grill always comes in handy at pot lucks (thanks a million to Clive!) and so do the catches Calle II make. They do a lot of spear fishing and often bring fresh tuna to the beach.

We went out snorkeling with Calle II off the reef as they were spear fishing and it is amazing to see how long Robert can hold his breath at the bottom waiting for the right fish to come along.

Another day we went out snorkeling to look for manta rays at the cleaning station. Suwarrow is  full of impressive sea animals. One day there was a humpback whale inside the atoll and there were tales of turtles not to mention the rainbow of tiny tame reef fish. We have even come to love the black tip reef sharks swimming around the boats at all times. They are like puppies, and in my head I hear them saying “You like me right?” “Don’t you think I am cute?” and “Look at my smile.”

The kids have spent a lot of time together and they are getting to know each other really well. The daily routine includes boat school in the morning and then various fun things in the afternoon. In Suwarrow there was a day learning about sextants, dinghy sailing, dinghy slinging, snorkeling, kayaking, board games and card games.  

Suwarrow will always be special to me for one reason. Anna, a lovely Glaswegian from the boat Noomi, did yoga sessions on the beach with us most mornings and then taught us to belly dance, with veils and all. It was good for body and soul. I miss her already! We are hoping to connect again in Tonga and finish learning the moves enough to have a performance. Stay tuned!

Itchy Foot and her crew spent a lovely short week in Bora Bora as we tearfully bid French Polynesia a fond farewell. We spent exactly a year in this amazing place and could easily have stayed a few more. I don’t think we saw nearly enough and yet would have liked to spend longer in the places we were the longest. So, we feel very lucky that we had such a treat in store for us. Our passage to the Cook Islands was smooth and we arrived in Penrhyn with good light to maneuver through the bommies to get to the main town of Omoka to check in to the country. The sea conditions were bouncy and we had six visitors before the anchor was properly set. The officials from customs and immigration are pretty standard as we move from place to place, but this time we also had a nurse join them as they are very concerned about keeping their country free of diseases. For example, at the moment there is no Dengue Fever on the island and they work hard to keep it that way. At regular intervals there is a day when everyone goes out together and dumps out any standing water that could breed mosquitos. It made visiting this island an extra nice treat. The paperwork was completed quite quickly and we were free to go ashore. And we checked in on a Saturday and were cordially invited to church on Sunday.

We were a collection of kids boats in Penrhyn including Alondra, Calle II, Caramba, Liza Lou, Luminesce and Panacea. Both Alondra and Liza Lou had been in contact with the schools and we came equipped with school supplies and sports equipment to gift them. There is one school in the main town of Omoka and another smaller one in Tautua on the other side of the lagoon. It was an emotional experience to visit the schools and to introduce ourselves and spend time with them and hand over the treats. They were all very welcoming and friendly and we were encouraged to stay as long as we liked.  Each school invited us to an amazing kai kai feast and there were yummy things to eat, coconuts to drink and we were all given a lovely cowry shell necklace. We felt like royalty and there was SUCH AMAZING singing and drumming which of course caused us all to dance. The boat kids easily made friends with the local kids and everyone was giggling and playing. Everywhere in the school you saw traces of how much the teachers care about the kids learning. Spending time at the schools was a huge treat for us. And because we cannot boast enough about our son, I have to add this little story. At the kai kai at the TeTautua school we all held a short speech thanking them for the lovely evening and visit to their island home. Jon and I were very proud that Teo wanted to speak for Itchy Foot and did a wonderful job, telling everyone what a special place Penrhyn is and how nicely we had been treated. He was complimented by many of the adults.

We loved walking around the villages and soaking up the atmosphere and just chatting with people. This is so much easier in the Cook Islands who learn English as a second language. We heard that the last crime in Omoka was in 2005, long before Teo was born and it was something as innocent as stealing something from a government building. Jon made friends with one man called Lu and he was working with the shells and has lots of power tools to do the hard job of polishing them up.

We were invited and encouraged, probably expected to come to church. They are very religious here and have their own Cook Islands religion. There are churches in places with large Cook Islands populations like Auckland and Papeete and the reverends come and stay for three year terms. The church in Omoka is stunning with gorgeous stained glass and has painted highlights to match. It also has a unique architecture with the congregation sitting facing the main doors which are closed during prayers. Ladies must wear hats and dresses that cover knees and shoulders. Men wear their best shirts and slacks or suits and everyone attends. They attend three services on Sunday and additional ones during the week. It is important not to do any work on Sundays, in fact swimming and snorkeling are also forbidden. One day after church in Omoka we were invited to have lunch with Noa and her family. It was spur of the moment and still this was a feast of a lunch. We know Noa from the school and her wonderful, giant smile and friendly outlook are electric. It was a wonderful afternoon and we were touched to be invited to her lovely home. There were bright colors everywhere and it was wonderful to see all the family photos on the wall in pride of place. We had a lovely chat over our yummy meal and they were telling us about Omoka (there is an Old Town and a New Town). The New Town is more like the burbs with everything more spaced out. We assumed that moving to the burbs with more garden and space would be a good thing. But they were telling us that they preferred the Old Town where you can hear your neighbors laughing. They told us how much happier they are that they decided to leave New Zealand and return to Penrhyn, but they are looking forward to their trip at Christmas when they will visit all their family members.

We were in Tautua for three Sundays as well and the reverend came to each boat to personally invite everyone to church. in Tautua also invited us to a kai kai feast at the church hall when we joined them for church. His wife cooked for all the guests and what a spread she put on the table! We were a lot of boats visiting and everyone was made to feel very welcome.

We did some snorkeling during our visit and one day in very clear weather, a few dinghies even went outside the reef to visit a bommie for the afternoon. We enjoyed a trip to the bird island where there are nesting boobies, noddies and terns. They were loud but stayed on their nests. The kids were collecting feathers that were left behind.

We were there a full month, and it just zoomed by and we were envious of a boat called Euphoria who were there for six months. We organized a couple of events. Panacea hosted Penrhyn MasterChef, a cooking competition between the boats and judged by the local teachers. Another day the kids at the school and the kids on the boats has a bake off and the judging was done at the school. Teo was ecstatic to be on the winning team! We had a bonfire on the beach to forge knives and another on the 4th of July. The boat men went local and collected and husked coconuts for very exotic rum cocktails, YUM! The Tiki Tuesday tradition continues!

Art, a teach at the school invited us to learn to do some weaving and I was later invited to visit her at home. We exchanged earrings and I am so excited to say that I was trusted to help weave a fan. They make the most amazing fans using mother of pearl clam shells as the handles. I was excited to try my hand at the handicrafts you see all the ladies doing around the villages. And then she gifted me two of them, one was for Teo because her daughter admires him. We spent lots of time together. 

Everyone was friendly and welcoming and generous and felt that this community really spoiled us rotten with their time and cooking and gifts. They all knew us by name. They have guest books in each village and every boat writes in them and it feels like they are proud of their visitors and how well they treat us. This visit is definitely a special one for us and we will hold it dear in our hearts.