After an awesome sail from Tarawa, we arrived in a huge squall as we came around the northwest corner of the atoll. With 40 knot winds, Blowin' Bubbles handled the 15' seas as we know she can... At least a dozen times in an hour we took green water across the bow and even over the dodger!
After entering the pass, our world calmed down an we were able to motor another 12 nautical miles to the mooring field at the southeast end of the atoll.
The Marshall Islands are an affiliated country of the United States, which means US citizens can come and go without any restrictions. They can work here as well. (The same is true of Marshalese people). This means we were welcomed by some folks who have lived and worked here for many years. The best part about being here for us Canadians, is that the Marshall Island Post office is affiliated with the US Post Office, which means getting parcels sent via the US Post is very easy and relatively cheap.
As Canadians, we were given a 90 day visa, so we got busy ordering a ton of stuff we need from Amazon in the USA. After being away this long a number of things we use, have either died or disintegrated in these harsh salt air/water environments...
We also encountered grocery stores with North American foods! Imagine not seeing Heinz Ketchup or Kraft Dinner for three years! We went shopping for Christmas dinner the other day and actually found a TURKEY! We will be celebrating with our good friends, Lanny and Ginger (SV Swiftsure) and can't wait for dinner!
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| This years hand made Christmas decoration to add to the collection.... |
Like many places we visit, Christmas is a special time here in Majuro. A few days after we arrived we saw the Santa Claus parade. While I'm sure it will never be picked up by a major network, it was entertaining.
During WW2 The Marshall Islands were occupied by the Japanese until the US won hard fought battles to gain these islands. Throughout the Marshall Islands are reminders of the war. We have done some diving and not yet seen any actual WW2 relics yet, but the bottom is littered with literally thousands of wrecks. We will see many more before we leave.
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| This is a DC3 |
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| This helicopter is a Huey, which came out after WW2 |
More soon!
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