Samoa

28th August 2009

13.49 S 171.45 W

We took 4 days to get to Western Samoa from Suwarrow. With the wind over 30 knots for most of the way and often over 40 knots we could have got there in 3 days but decided to keep it as gentle as we could. For a couple of days we used only the stay sail and on the final approach we were making over 4 knots with no sails at all.

We had heard on the radio that a ship had gone aground outside Apia Harbour in the strong winds and as we approached the reef at the entrance to the harbour we could see the container ship lying aground, held from further grief only by a small tug boat. Behind the ship a much smaller fishing boat also lay on the reef. Seeing these sorry vessels helped to keep our minds focused on making our own entrance safe.

Once inside the entrance a pilot boat came to escort us into the marina where we had to wait on board for the various officials to come and clear us into Samoa. This was our first visit to a marina since leaving Trinidad and so it was quite a novelty, had there been an option to anchor we would have taken it but we enjoyed having endless hot water and electricity. We also enjoyed the social aspect of marina living, there was always someone to talk to. The downside of course is that, having lived in splendid isolation, at anchor, for so long it was difficult at first to do anything other than talk to everyone! The first few days passed in a whirl of social activity and new friendships were made.

Samoa is beautiful and is the last place on earth to see the sun set. Travellers from Australia or New Zealand arrive here the day before they left home!!!! The people are extremely laid back and friendly and it was an easy place to be. The prices were cheaper than in French Polynesia and so we were able to go out and do things. (In fact it was so cheap that it became expensive!!!) We arrived during the Teaila Festival so there were a lot of competitions and games going on. We watched the finish of the long boat race. The heavy boats have about 50 people in them, including a drummer to keep the rhythm. At the end of a 30 minute race two boats came in neck and neck.

The same day we also saw the Miss Samoa parade, which was like a carnival with each contestant on her own decorated float and we saw some traditional Samoan music and dance in the evening. It was all very entertaining. The festival coincided with an international rugby tournament and a crowd of us went to the under 19’s final between Samoa and Fiji. It was a much more physical game than we expected and there is clearly some talent awaiting the senior teams. Fiji’s victory was well deserved despite a good fight from Samoa. Some beer was taken on the way home!!

The most interesting event of our stay was the change over from driving on the right to the left! On the morning of 7th September at 6.00am, sirens blared for about 10 minutes to mark the beginning of the changeover. The road through town was lined with spectators (as many as for the Miss Samoa parade) and it seemed that every car on the island was out, all tooting their horns and waving. On every corner policemen stood, backed up by Red Cross volunteers with stretchers at the ready. Camera crews waited at the busiest junctions to capture the event. Were they hoping for an accident? The main problem seems to have been for the buses, whose doors were now on the wrong side. They were not allowed to pick anyone up until the doors were changed, but the government grants to pay for this were slow in coming. It seems that the buses went on strike, leaving people stranded, but slowly they are being altered and reappearing on the street. The majority of the cars here are already right hand drive and taxi drivers have said that the change was no problem, although we noticed on the quieter roads that some people were apt to forget which side they were meant to be.

We hiked up to see Robert Louis Stevenson’s Museum and his grave on top of a hill. RLS lived here for the last few years of his life, having hated his time in Bournemouth where the climate was not so favourable to his constitution! The long walk to the top took about three hours, from the marina, and the heat and humidity was almost unbearable, but once we got off the road and into the rain forest it became sheltered and cool. The view from the hilltop was lovely and well worth the walk. Fortunately, as we were trudging back down the road on our way home, a lady in a pickup truck stopped and offered us a lift. I was in the back before she finished her sentence! Maybe a taxi to the beginning of the forest trail would have been the way to go.

A few days later 10 of us got together and hired a mini bus to tour the island. Away from the town the island is green and lush with the now familiar tropical fruits adorning the fields and gardens. Unlike Polynesia, where there is considerably more wealth, these fruits are being picked and eaten and it was good to see that nothing was going to waste – although that meant there was none for us to collect!! Samoans live in small communities with a handful of homes gathered around a large, open communal structure where people seemed to gather for many purposes, including watching TV. Some of the homes we saw were little more than a platform with a roof but everyone was smiling and as we drove by many people waved in greeting. Samoa has plenty of rain and there are waterfalls galore, several of which we saw on our tour. At one, young boys jumped for our entertainment and we were more than happy to reward them for their bravery. At one stop there was a cave, filled with fresh water, with an underwater passage to an adjacent cave. All the boys on the trip dived down and swam through the hole, something that did not appeal to me.

Our tour took us along the south coast, where resorts line the sea front. The sandy beaches look out across turquoise water to the reef beyond. We stopped at a beach cafe for lunch and enjoyed the views. The buildings along the front were mostly wooden and built on platforms supported by stilts. The atmosphere was friendly and welcoming, with a simple traditional feel.

Before moving on we took one final trip, out to the sliding rocks, a waterfall over a smooth rock face, about 15 meters high, where people can slide down into a deep pool. We spent a pleasant couple of hours there but, whilst the others showed their bravery on the hard slope, once again, I chickened out. I enjoyed the show from a relaxing rock pool, where the hot sun could not spoil my day.

It was a very busy few days in Apia, which we really enjoyed. Samoa has to be one of the friendliest places we have been. It was also one of the hottest places we have been for some time and, being in the shelter of the marina, we had no cooling breeze through the boat. It was nice to have the company of other cruisers in the marina but we will be glad to be back at anchor.

Suwarrow

14th August 2009

13.14 S 163.06 W

We were glad to arrive in Suwarrow after a tiring sail in heavy weather. Suwarrow is a low lying coral atoll miles from anywhere and is part of the northern group of the Cook Islands. The lagoon, within the reef, is several miles across and there are a number of small islands, or motu, the largest of which, Anchorage Island, is only0.4 sq miles. Suwarrow has been declared a National Park to maintain its pristine nature and is inhabited only by birds coconut crabs and the caretaker and his family who stay there for six months of the year, during the cruising season.

The anchorage was quite uncomfortable when we arrived, the high winds were making a big swell inside the lagoon and the boats were bouncing wildly. However it was still better than being out at sea and as it turned out, this stop was an unexpected delight in ways we could not have imagined.

The day after we arrived an American came to our boat with a wedding invitation. He and his lady had been searching for the right place to get married and saw Suwarrow, with its white sandy beaches and coconut palms, as the perfect place. The couple were very lucky to have a harpist in the anchorage to play during the ceremony, helping to make their day even more magical. They stood under a palm arch, on the beach with the sun setting behind them to make their vows. It was very romantic!!

Because Suwarrow is a National Park we had to get permission from John, the caretaker, to visit one of the other islands by dinghy. He keeps a close eye on all activity and as long as we are not interfering with nature in any way he will allow us to explore. If an area is sensitive for any reason then the visit will only be allowed if accompanied by him.

Huge numbers of birds breed on the outer islands and, with our friends; we got permission to go out to see them. There are tropic birds, red footed boobies, frigate birds and many others. There are nests everywhere, on the ground and in low trees and bushes. The huge, fluffy chicks look odd in the small nests and it is hard to imagine them as the offspring of their sleek, streamlined parents.

The reefs in Suwarrow are healthy, with a variety of colourful coral, some that we had never seen before. The reef fish are numerous, and with no real threat from mankind they are unconcerned by our presence, except for the fry in their coral nurseries, who disappeared in a flash as our shadows pass over them. There are also many sharks around the reefs, mainly black tips, and we saw at least one each time we went out. On the outer reef there are also grey sharks which we were less keen to meet. When he prepared fish for his family John, the caretaker, threw the guts into the sea behind his hut and the water boiled in a frenzy of activity as the sharks hustled to get their share of the treat. Scary!

Outside the reef, where the water plunges to hundreds of meters, we saw a couple of humpback whales feeding. They patrolled the reef for over an hour giving us a ringside view of water spouts, tails and fins and at one point an impressive breach!

At low tide we were able to walk out on the reef and it was fascinating to see miniature coral gardens in the rock pools with tiny versions of the reef fish living there.

On one of our trips to the islands Andy found a message in a bottle which was put in the water in Chile in May 2007 by a 14 year old girl. His eye was caught by a green ribbon tied around the letter; otherwise it might have remained undiscovered. He is about to write to her which should cause some excitement.

At one point there were 16 boats in Suwarrow and 10 nationalities, including the first Japanese boat ever to visit!! John invited us all for‘pot luck’ ashore to welcome everyone, he cooked fish and we all took a dish to share. Musicians were asked to bring their instruments in for a bit of entertainment. We expected to see a couple of guitars but there was a squeeze box, a flute, a tin whistle and about 8 guitars. What a night that turned into. Who would have thought that there would be such a gathering in the middle of the ocean, several days from the nearest land?

The wind got up the next day and the anchorage became dangerous so there was a bit of an exodus. Those of us who were not ready to go were allowed to move to a more sheltered spot. It wasn’t ideal among the coral heads but at least we were safe while we made our preparations. We left the day after and sailed to Samoa in winds mostly 30 to 40 knots, so it was another lively passage. The boats that waited it out for better weather had to wait a week. They ended up motoring most of the way to their next destination, with no wind, so we are glad we left when we did.