Day-7

  24hr. Run=149 nm. Pos. Lat.24*32’N Long. 169*48’E.

Weather: Wind: 12-15 kts. SE. Seas 3-5 ft. Course:17*T speed 6.6 kts.

Cabin Temp at 7 am: 78* Bar.: 1012 mb.

The Rest of the Story:

  The truth is last night on the 10th I was trying to get the last three days adventure 7-8-9 and thought I had it sent then I seen it was still in my out box.

 I was sailing in a gale at the time and somehow I inadvertently lost all three days so since I have no safe copy I will try to catch you up to date.

  This day was good sailing and it appeared that my plan to pinwheel over the top of the Pacific high was working well.

Day-8

  24hr.Run: 131 nm. Pos. Lat.26*27’N. Long.170*49’E.

Weather: Winds: 12 kts. SE. Seas: 3-5 ft. Course=030*T. Speed: 6 kts.

Cabin Temp: 78* Bar: 1014 mb. up 2 mb.

The Rest of the Story:

  Sailing is going well in winds that are becoming steadily lighter. I’m eating well and tonight I’m having steak and stir fried cabbage and onions and of course a rum drink and a piece of chocolate for dessert. It seems like I’m eating popcorn every other day and crackers with peanut butter on them on the other days ,this pretty much being lunch.

Day-9

  24hr. Run: 111 nm. Pos. Lat. 27*51’N.  Long. 171*35’E.

Weather: Winds:8-12 kts. SE changing to NE upon arrival of cold front with winds gusting 50 kts. Seas: 3-5 feet SE. changing to NE. 8-10 and rising. Course: Hove To at end of 24 hr. day in 40+ kts.

Cabin Temp at 7 am: 75* Bar=1016 mb. up 2 mb.

Miles sailed the last 3-days: 391 nm.

Total miles sailed so far: 1337 nm.

Day- 9 The Rest of the Story:

  Today was one of those frustrating days as there was a period around midnight when the wind had died completely, yet there was still enough swell to cause the main sail to bang about making sleeping impossible.

  I ran the motor for 1.5 hrs until the wind started filling in again from the west and I was at last able to sleep. At 4:30 am the “Shit hit the fan”!  I awake to screeching winds and Sailors Run Pinned down on her starboard side, I grab my safety harness and climb out into the cockpit where the spray and wind are flying.

 I let the Genoa fly and crank it in on the furler next I’m at the mast dropping the main down boom and all right on to the cabin top. This leaves me to heave to under reefed mizzen alone and in 40-50 kts, the mizzen does a fair job of holding the bow into the waves. The waves are not dangerously high yet so I feel comfortable with this plan.

  I had to use a 40-foot piece of line to lash the main sail to the boom. It was while lashing it down a square wave came in on the side and broke over me and Sailors Run. Now, I got to tell you when you are bent over the boom in your underwear and you get blasted by a wave in the “Ass” that’s some kind special experience for sure.

       Just hanging in there with a new sensual perception of the Pacific ‘El Jefe’.

 

Day #4  24 hr.Run-137 nm. Pos.-17*03 N. Long. 169* 55’E.

Weather: Wind=10-15 kts E.  Seas=4-6 ft E.

Cabin temp at 7 am=80* Bar.=1010 mb and steady Course-005*T at 7-kts.

The Rest of the Story:

  We slowed down on this day and pretty much “Licked our wounds”. The previous day being boisterous and abusive both On Sailors Run and the skipper, it felt good to chill and get caught up on some writing.

 Please cut me some slack on typos as many times I’m at the key board feeling like I’m trying to write while jumping on a trampoline.

  The one thing I did in the 10-kt conditions is open the port light window over my sea berth behind the lee-cloth and fill the seal with silicon caulking and gradually re tightened it over the next 4-hours. Before doing this when Sailors Run would take on a deck load of water three or four drops would end up on my face or pillow. It was like some kind of torture thing I had going on and hopefully that is currently resolved.

    Trying to sleep when asleep and be sharp when out of the bunk. Cheers El Jefe’.

Day#5 24 hr. Run=171 nm. Pos.-Lat. 19*50’N. Long. 170* 17’E.

Weather: Wind=15-18 kts.E   Seas 5-7ft.E.

Cabin Temp at 7 am=78*Bar=1012 mb up 2 mb. Course 006* T. Speed=7 kts.

The Rest of the Story.

  Today was a wonderful day, not only is the Monitor servo rudder staying on but we sailed our best day of the voyage so far. The night was beautiful as the heavens were star filled and at one point I had the Southern Cross setting close to the horizon off my stern and the big dipper lighting up the Northern sky standing on its handle off the bow.

  Picked up a ship on A.I.S. at 1:30 am that passed 13 miles ahead of us as it was headed West.

  Cooked up a big pancake with an egg for breakfast, then worked on getting caught up on the adventures as well as getting some reading in.

  Debbie is at home in Albuquerque plotting my progress and showing the grand kids where their Grandpa is hanging out.

  I was studying the pilot charts for March in the North Pacific and it appears my best route continues North to the 35* Latitude before turning East, then it is a matter of getting over the high possibly going to 40* North until hitting Longitude 130*W then dive SE towards Cabo San Lucas and East from there to good old Mazatlan. Hope this “shit” all works out???

Day#6 24 hr.Run-149 nm. Pos- 2*35’N Long. 170*04 E.

Weather: Wind-10-15 kts. E. Seas=4-6 ft.E

Cabin Temp. 7am-78* Bar.1012 mb and steady Course 356*T. Speed 6.2 kts Total miles sailed last three days=457 nm. Total miles sailed so far 946 nm.

The Rest of the story.

  The winds are getting lighter and appear to change direction over the next two days so looks like big mileage days won’t be with us for several days. The ride however will be much more comfortable with less heal.

  I was cooking up one of my favorite breakfast’s this morning which is fried potatoes onions with an egg and some Corned Beef tossed in. The interesting thing about it was when I opened that can of Corned Beef it brought back memories of my child hood days back in the “sixty’s”.

  Now you might wonder what would that be? It was when I use to feed my collie dog her Terrels canned dog food as it smelled just the same as my Corned Beef Hash and yes, it looked the same to.

 There was one major difference though the dog food can was twice the size and cost twenty five cents and This Corned Beef cost 3-dollars a can. Hmmmmm!

                              Getting it all “sniffed out” here on the Pacific.

                                    Until later Amigos, El Jefe’.

   I walked a little further down the beach and out of curiosity picked up another packet hefting it up and down trying to estimate the weight and it seems to weigh between 4-5 lbs, I estimate the dimensions to be 12″ by 6″ by 3″ thick. I dropped the packet back onto the beach and continued my walk which somehow now seemed so uninteresting, and all I could think about is where did that stuff come from. Suddenly something sparked way down deep in my mind.

  It was about one month prior to my arrival at this beach that a Taiwanese or Chinese ship had gone hard aground on Taka Atoll here in the Marshall Islands. I remember hearing that the ship was some kind of fish processing ship but not licensed to be working in these waters and was under investigation.

  Now say for instance that ship was smuggling drugs to Hawaii or the US/Canada and as captain and crew you were going to be rescued and attempts made to get the ship off the coral atoll, there might be less explaining to do if you had no drugs aboard. I believe it is possible they pitched them off the stern into the sea. Hmmmmmm!

  Once back aboard Sailors Run I pulled out my pilot charts as well as the charts of the area. Taka Atoll is located 160 nm. due East of Rongelap and the winds have been predominately trade winds from the ENE. I noticed that the currents on the pilot charts for this time of year appear to be from the SE. So it is possible that something could float from the grounding site to Rongelap, of course on the other hand they could have come from much further away but then would you find 13-square grouper all laying within 100 yards of one another.

  My next question was what was the street value of 50-60 lbs. of cocaine?  I myself have never taken or used any illegal  drug other than that what was prescribed by a doctor. OK!  I might have drank a SPLASH of alcohol over a period of time. Now,Debbie was quick to write back that the street value was 1.5 million dollars. Wow! that’s almost better than finding lobster.

  I personally hate the damage drugs do to people and their family’s the world over.

  Later that night I find myself tossing and turning in my bunk and unable to sleep. I begin to think who should I tell about my discovery, as here at this atoll there are but 29-people and I suspect the structure for law and order is pretty weak. I can just imagine me walking into the village and say “GEE” guys you have 1.5 million in cocaine laying on the beach up there. No, that would not do. I could contact Majuro or Kwajalein and maybe the military would get involved but then I might also get detained as a witness or who knows what? So that didn’t sound good either. OK, how about I just go cut them all open and let it vanish into the sea. Hmmmm! Now that sounded good,but would I be destroying evidence and somehow be covering things up?  Hmmmm!

  I remained in this anchorage for two more days never seeing another boat anywhere. My curiosity got the best of me and I hiked around the Island once again, because I wanted to know if more cocaine had washed upon the beach.    Once again I counted the “Bricks and this time there was only 12 and I guess that made sense as the one I had slit open had bled out and washed away to somewhere.

  In the end I decided that few people seldom visit this atoll and fewer less would make the two hour walk to get there and back, so I left it there hoping nature will take these “Square Grouper” back into the insatiable sea.

                Just a little “Freeked out” in Paradise!  Your Amigo El Jefe’.

Day -#1- 3/1/19:

24 hr. Run=166 nm

Position N  09* 36′ Long. E 170* 33′ Weather 15-20kts NE switching to ENE seas=6-8ft NE Barometer=1008 mb and steady. Cabin Temp at 7 am=82* Course 359* True at 7kts.

Day-1 The Rest of the Story:

  I sailed off the mooring at 7-am and was of to a quick start sailing at seven-knots. Inside the atoll the seas were flat and a great way to start a voyage. Now as you might imagine this was not to last. I was nearing the pass where you exit from the protection of the atoll and head out into much rougher sailing conditions. I was eye balling my mainsail and thinking how far it will be required to take me on the trip to Mexico. Suddenly something is not right as there at the second batten pocket down is a tear in the batten pocket and about eight inches of the four foot batten is showing.”AH Shit”how did I miss that the last time the sail was up.One thing for sure it will not last for 7,000 nm.

  I was now on final approach to the pass and decide to exit first then once clear of the shallows go ahead and drop the main. I let the sail down and the main boom just lay on the dinghy that is upside down on the cabin top. The seas are running 6-8ft so not any place to do a proper repair so I go for the fast fix. I gather up several ounces of contact cement and a chisel, life jacket and lanyard to clip in with and head top side. I spread the contact cement all over the damaged area, then go below and get a foot long piece of sticky back sail repair tape and slap that in place. “Walla fixed” at least for now and it will be interesting to see if it makes it all the way.

  I’m beginning to realize that there are some truly amazing advantages to getting older.

  The day before my departure  I made one last dash to the store to pick up some additional “RUM” supply’s. You know, after and sometimes before taking on a most challenging job on the boat you need to “splice the main brace” [have a shot of rum]. Well, I find some rum with a nice golden color to it and ask at the register what a liter bottle cost. The clerk says $14.95, I go great that is right in my price range as I only drink cheap rum. Now, I did not have my glasses on but looking at the label I could make out that the rum was 75 proof  this seemed ok to me as most rum is 70-80 proof. I grab 5-bottles and head for the boat. Once back aboard I put on my glasses to take a closer look at my newly acquired rum, Hmmmm! I now read the alcohol content and discover it is 75% meaning 151-proof. I mean this crap has more alcohol than rubbing alcohol. I’m pretty up on adapting so maybe what I best do is complete the tough task at hand prior to “splicing the main brace”.

                Making my best efforts to avoid being “plastered” at sea. El Jefe’

Day-#2-3/2/19.

24 hr. Run=168NM.

Pos. Lat.09*36’N Long. 170*33’E. Weather: Wind ENE 18-20 kts. Seas 8-10 ft. Bar.1009 up 1mb. Cabin temp at 7am 81*.Course 000* True speed 6.6kts.

Day-2 The Rest of the Story.

  Sailing hard and fast on a close reach. The Genoa is about 1/2 out, stay sail up, full main and reef in mizzen sail. I was enjoying a cup of coffee below and glanced aft watching the wind vane steer. I love my Monitor wind vane as it hunts the wind keeping the boat sailing fast and will steer up when the wind shifts helping Sailors Run Get back on a more northerly course. The winds seem to be shifting from NE to East over the next two days a good thing for me. As I watch the wind vane I notice that it seems to be moving about much more than is normal. Once out in the cockpit the reason for shifting around becomes obvious as the support strut at the bottom of the vane has dropped off on the starboard side and is just swinging out into the sea. I go below and locate a replacement bolt to reattach the strut. This job takes about 30-minutes total and requires me to get harnessed up as I must hang by my knees off the back of the boat to reattach the strut and screw the bolt in while all the time being submerged to different levels by the passing seas. What surprises me is that I tightened these bolts just before leaving as they are notorious for working loose. Normally they require tightening about every thousand mile, but I have only covered about 200 nm. and a bolt has fallen out. I dipped the new bolt in contact cement and let it set up for 5-minutes before screwing the bolt in place, possibly this will help.

   Always busy underway El Jefe’ [ Jefe’ is Spanish for boss and the J is pronounced like an H or Hefe].

Day-#3-3/3/19.

24hr. Run=155nm.

Pos. 14*48’N Long,169*54’E. Weather: Wind=10-25 kts. ENE-E. Seas 10-15ft. ENE. Bar.=1010 mb. up 1mb. Cabin temp. 7am=80*. Course 000*N speed=5.6 kts. Total miles sailed so far=489 nm. Top speed so far=9 kts.

Day-3 The Rest of the Story.

  I seem to be getting very tired as the conditions are rough one must struggle to do the simplest tasks like just moving about the cabin.

  I have now at last sailed clear of my last atoll in the Marshall Islands so that will make sleep easier to come by. The winds have built to 25-kts and the seas are 15 feet at times. Sailors Run is healed about 15* and I’m pretty sure I will end up with one leg shorter than the other by the time I get to 35* North.             Once clear of the atolls a ship shows up on the Ais and manages to pass just 1/2 mile ahead of my bow. The skipper was nice and we had a nice chat on channel 16 bidding each other good sailing. This might all sound well and good but the truth is this day “sucked”!!

   It was 5 am when I was awakened from my sleep to sails flogging on deck. Once in the cockpit the problem was obvious the servo rudder on the wind vane that runs in the water had snapped off and was trailing astern on it’s safety line. It has been over 10,000 nm since this failure has happened. It is a safety fetcher to save the wind vane from being torn from the stern of the boat say a log should roll up from under the boat and hit it.

  Drilling a new piece of stainless tubing and getting it replaced takes about two hours not to bad if you don’t count the fact that I have bolted it on 180* out.”Shit”! The sea conditions are growing worse by the hour and all this work must be done while being part submerged while once again hanging by my knees over the stern of the boat. This second reattachment of the rudder takes five long hours. The biggest problem is you can only work with one hand as the other one is hanging on for dear life. Sometimes the seas rushing by nearly take my sunglasses off my face. There is one point where I’m sitting in the cockpit getting the bolt and nut ready for reattaching the rudder and a rogue wave breaks in over the stern of Sailors Run totally engulfing me and I find myself being forced through the stern pulpit. It was frightening to feel my head bashing into the stainless steel tubing on the stern pulpit and fortunate for me I was tethered in by my safety harness and stayed aboard.

  The struggle to line up the holes on getting this bolt back in with the rudder facing the right direction was just kicking my “ass”.

I finally get it started in and feel like it is somewhat lined up on the other side and in desperation I put the hammer to it and forcefully drive it through. Now of course I have screwed up the threads on the bolt and after losing 5-nuts into the sea while trying to get them started on, I’m starting to think about splicing the “main brace”. I can’t pound the bolt out and be sure I could ever get another one back in. My ribs are protesting with a great amount of pain every time I lay on them as I wiggle my way over the stern for more of this torture.

  At last I say “screw it” and take a piece of stainless steel mousing wire rape it around the end of the bolt then back around the tube and pray the damn thing doesn’t fall out. I can only say that for the past 14-hours the Monitor vane steers on.

                        “Hanging out” on the beautiful Pacific El Jefe’

    The sail over to the Pearl Farm Anchorage on Rongelap was exhilarating, dodging and weaving between the last coral heads before exiting the West Pass.

 The winds and seas were up and winds blowing in excess of 20 kts and 8-10 foot seas. I had just entered the pass and just 5 miles from the anchorage when I’m overtaken by a powerful squall packing 40-knots of wind and lots of rain. This is a very dangerous situation as there are coral heads lurking about and I’m being forced deep into the atoll at 8.5 kts. Visibility is zero so I quickly prepare to make a dangerous jibe, to alter course towards the anchorage.   Finally, there is just a hint of a lull in the wind and I crash jibe on over, changing course. The main boom came over well with the prev enter I had left partly wrapped up on a cleat but the mizzen banged over real hard but some how didn’t break.

  Once at the Pearl Farm the squall had passed and Sailors Run just glided in over the beautiful turquoise waters and the hook was dropped into white sand and we were now safely at rest.

  It was all ready 4 pm and by the time the sails were all covered and things put away below it was dinner time. After dinner I took some time to do a little reading but tonight my bunk was calling and I washed up and crawled in just shortly after the sun set.

  I awaken to lots of sunlight flooding into the cabin through the ports, and soon come to realize I had slept in past the time of the cruisers radio net, oh well I guess I needed the sleep and there is always tomorrow.

  Today I’m off to explore the Island and the beach looks totally calm like you can just pull in there step out and pull the dinghy up the beach.

  Soon I’m cheerily hiking along the beech in this new part of paradise and three white birds of paradise start following me. They are actually hovering just 5-feet in front of my face just totally curious about what I’m doing there.   The Island is quite large and luckily I brought water along as it has to be 5-miles around this island. Once around the north end leaving the sheltered beach behind I get to the exposed shore of the island and to me this is always the most exciting because of all the flotsam that has ended up here from all over the Pacific from the American mainland and the fishing grounds that lay between the two.

  I always look deep into the island hoping to find one of the old glass floats from fishing days long past. After making it half way around something on the beach catches my eye. Now, I have been a beach comber for the past 50-years and what I see laying in the sand is something different from all that I have seen before. I bend over and pick up this package and at first I think maybe it is some food rations as it seems to be well wrapped in plastic or possibly something out of a life raft or first aid kit. The packet is a yellowish brown color and I locate a shell that looks to have a pretty sharp edge and I cut through the first sealed layer of clear plastic and then the second layer and both of these have some water in them but the next two layers are dry.   Suddenly! my package has turned black as this next sealed layer is black rubber. Once that is off I can see an all clear plastic that contains a white powder. I cut into that and there you have it what I assume to be “cocaine”.

  I drop the package on the beach pretty much dumb founded and start looking around and counting and over an area of 100 yards of sandy beach there are 13-“bricks”. These bricks had bounced in over a 100 yards of coral beach to get here and I ask myself where did this “Crap” come from, and what is EL Jefe’ going to do about it?

          Stay tuned as this adventure is just now getting “cranked up”.

                  Your Amigo on patrol in the Pacific.

       During my hike around the Island the previous day I had come across the Rongerik Yacht Club that was comprised of a small picnic table made out of flotsam from the beach set back in on a sandy patch that was surrounded by shrubbery and coconut trees. The decor was a broken surfboard with the initials in black RYC and seven fishing floats hung about the place with the name of the boats and crew that hung them there. I had decided that Sailors Run should join this exclusive yacht club and had my own float that I had marked up for the Sailors Run and it’s current crew of but one. This morning I would return to the beach and hang my float.

  Today the conditions for the beach landing looked much like yesterday and I decided to boogie board in once again from the dinghy only this time I would anchor much closer to the beach shortening my swim from 100-yards to about half of that. Once near the yacht club in the dinghy I set out the fortress anchor and slipped over the side with my fins on and buoy on the boogie board. I had swam just 30-feet when suddenly I remembered the Go-Pro Camera that I was carrying in my pocket, and reached down to feel for it.”Holy Shit” its not there in either pocket and I immediately spin around and head back to the dinghy praying that it had some how fell out in there.

   Once at the dinghy I pulled myself up on the side and my eyes scoured the interior of the dinghy but no camera!  I grab my mask and snorkel and dive down to the bottom under the dinghy and start my search. Much to my surprise the visibility in by the beach is about one foot as there is sand floating everywhere from the waves crashing on shore. I spend the next half hour going up and down in this murky 15 feet of water and on several occasions nearly rammed my head into an out cropping on a reef. After a very long half hour I decide I will return to the beach and hang the buoy becoming the 8th member of the Rongerik Yacht Club and I have to admit at what should be a fun experience I was feeling pretty down as now I had no camera to film the event and I had lost all the great photos from the Island with all the birds not to mention being out about 300-dollars.

  Once back at the dinghy I dove for another half hour and possibly all in vain as possibly the camera floated and had been on the surface all the time drifting away with the wind and current.

  Returning to the boat I looked around just in case I had forgot to put it in my pocket, but no such luck. I had triangulated on lots of reefs and land marks so I can return in the morning early and hope for better visibility and give it one last shot.

  Next morning I gather up my mask snorkel and fins and head back over there. Arriving at the spot where the dinghy was I drop the anchor so I can do a search grid around the anchor and the visibility is much improved. I search for an hour with no luck, maybe the camera fell into one of the giant clams down there and is in the process of being digested. Oh well, shit happens and maybe after all it was time to update and up grade my camera.

  I returned to Sailors Run to load up the Dinghy and prepare for the short 30-mile passage to my next atoll Rongelap that I will make tomorrow.

  Rongelap was inhabited when the US set of the Hydrogen Bomb just 60 nm to the west of it and the people there were severely sickened by the radiation from the explosion something the US Government has been paying for every since.

  Now, I don’t know for sure if that witch had anything to do with the disappearance of my camera and filmed evidence of her habits and where she hangs out, but one just has to wonder a little bit. Hmmmm!

                              Hoodoo,Voodoo and all kinds of shit going on out here.

                                    Cheers Amigos El Jefe’.

PS. My Rongolap adventure will be coming your way in about 10 days as now the Jefe’ will be very busy sailing back to Majuro and provisioning for a non stop 6-7 thousand mile sail back to Mazatlan, Mexico. I will sail north out of Majuro up to 35* north then west to the 130* west longitude then swoop down into Mazatlan. The voyage should take about 50-days so fasten your seat belts as El Jefe’ takes on the Northern Pacific in March-April.

    

     I awaken to a beautiful sunny morning here at Rongerik Atoll. After breakfast I launch the dinghy and anxiously set off to explore a few of the Islands at this NE-corner of the atoll. Suddenly, I realize something is very much different from just the day before, there is this 5-foot swell running about in the atoll and upon approach to any of the Islands there are 5-foot breaking waves on the beaches. What makes this so strange is the winds are out of the east and these waves will come in from the west or the south,hmmmm!

   This requires further thought and planning as when you are alone in a deserted atoll you must make sure you can some how make it back to your boat and get back on board. For, instance if one were to flip the dinghy trying to get to the beach and suddenly the engine no longer runs, these inflatable dinghy’s row very poorly in 20 kts. of breeze. I return to Sailors Run and decide to wait for what I hope are better conditions tomorrow.

  Overnight the wind has shifted from east to North east and the swell in the atoll has dropped to about two feet making prospects for getting ashore look much better. I decide to take my boogie board and fins as an alternate way to get back to the boat and hang a piece of line over the side that is secured in the cockpit that would enable me to tie a loop in it to place my foot to climb up on my wind vane hanging on the stern  enabling me to get back on board. I also take water and my GO-Pro water proof camera.

  Once near the beach I time the waves and make the beach landing with little problem but here the beaches are steep and soft course coral sand. The dinghy has large wheels on the back of it but all they can do is keep the prop off the bottom and the stern raised high so the breaking waves don’t fill the dinghy.       Me, pulling as hard as I can can’t begin to get the dinghy up the steep soft beach. My feet are sinking in 5-inches with each step I take. I grab the anchor and line that is attached to the front of the dinghy and just have enough line to get up on the Island and set the anchor in some roots of a large shrub growing there.

  The Island I have picked to explore first is somewhat of a bird sanctuary and since there is seldom anyone here the birds have little fear of people. They have built their nests down low where you can walk right up and look into a nest at eye level with baby chicks in it awaiting the return of mom with some breakfast. There are at least a half a dozen different species of bird like Booby Birds ,Frigates,Sea Terns,several different gulls and Birds of Paradise.

   I walk within 5-feet of a frigate sitting on a nest and it although keeping a watchful eye on me doesn’t move and there are fuzzy frigate birds walking about yet too young to take flight. This all amazing stuff and it makes one feel so fortunate to be so close to nature.

  I also got my first insight into the behavior of the “Witch” from Ujae atoll that haunts this atoll. It would appear she hangs out here among the birds as I came across several old camp fire sights and what was interesting is each one had several empty Jack Daniel’s Whisky bottles laying close by. Yes, you guessed it she is a “Jacks Girl” and hangs with the birds and one must assume also fly’s with them. I made it back to the boat with lots of amazing pictures and video not to mention the dinghy had survived it all quite well.

  After a few rum drinks and a nice dinner I crawl into my berth and await another day. It seems like no time and I’m awakened by golden sunshine filling the interior cabin of Sailors Run and a new day is about to begin.

  Soon the coffee is perking as is my brain with plans and ideas for the day. I decide today I will anchor the dinghy off shore of Rongerik Island and boogie board to the beach with teeny shoes go-pro camera and water.

    The winds are blowing 20+ knots and to make sure the dinghy stays anchored I use my light weight yet large fortress anchor designed to keep a 50-foot boat in place, Now how is that for “over kill”?

  Once on shore at the Island I start hiking the beach and decide to go all the way around as the tide is quite low. The weather sides of these islands are truly the most interesting as things have been piling up on these beaches for thousands of years and you just don’t know what you might discover. There are virtually hundreds, if not thousands of fishing floats that have broken loose from fishing nets etc. Of course, there are the not so attractive plastic water bottles by the thousands and pretty much the same thing with flip flops and I have yet to have found a pair the same size. I also found six locator beacons that are solar powered used on the ends of nets and long lines, now these things look expensive yet they do tear free. There was a raft constructed of bamboo and lashings that was about six by eight feet and appears to have had a bamboo mast in it that had snapped off several feet above the raft. I’m not sure if these are used by the fisherman to float a line down wind from the boat, because this one also had one of those locator devices attached to it.

  The hike took over one and a half hours and I was ready to get back to the boat and email Debbie who is at home in Albuquerque, New Mexico helping raising the grand kids and doing a great job of that. She has Jacob the seven year old starting to play the piano now and figuring out what she can get the other two interested in. I must admit I Love and miss her dearly out here yet I understand when you have a “Calling” you need to answer it!

                  Stay Tuned for more and see how the “Witch” rains down vengeance upon me. Your Amigo El Jefe’

Morning of my 4-th day out from Majuro in the Marshall Islands,I awaken after spending the night hove to outside the pass into Rongerik Atoll. The Breeze is up blowing 15-20 kts from the ENE and I seriously wonder how this will work out upon arrival at the pass now three hours away. Yes,the motor still will not turn over.

  I roll out the head sail and head for the pass entrance. Upon arrival I sheet in the sails and point just as high as I can seeing if I can sail above the course I need to get in through the reef. It is soon apparent to me that this will not work and unsafe as I’m just able to lay the course with no margin for error should there be adverse current or a slight wind shift in by the entrance. “Screw” this I tack through the wind roll in the Genoa and heave too once again as I might just have to wait another day to get in. Once again I’m drifting south at about 1/2 knot.

  Ok! something is different today from yesterday and that is I’m rested and decide at once that starter motor is coming off and I will have a look inside. It took little time to get it off but my hands and arms suffered many scrapes and bruises, pretty much what you might expect working on an engine with 6-8 ft waves running beneath your hull.

  Upon opening up the starter I was most pleased to discover a brush that was hung up and not making contact with the armature not to mention all the carbon dust that was all over the armature. I dug out some very fine emery cloth and cleaned the armature all up, then freed the stuck brush in its holder cleaning all four of them and spraying a little WD-40 on them so they moved smoothly and made good contact to the armature. Soon the starter was bolted back in place and wired up and I headed for the ignition key. One small twist of the key and the Yanmar Diesel roared to life. “Yahoo”!! I could now at last head for the pass and get inside the atoll off from the sea and into protected waters.

  Upon entering the pass my suspicions were confirmed as I had to motor sail up in to the wind just a touch to avoid the coral heads on my port side [left side]. From the pass it was another 7-nm. that I motor sailed dodging numerous coral heads along the way. This atoll is 150-feet deep in places but even at that the coral grows right up from the bottom and if you are not careful they will rip a whole in the bottom of your boat. Soon the anchor is down and I find myself in one of the most beautiful atolls I have yet to visit and I’m the only boat here and this atoll is uninhabited.

  Just a little History on this atoll, back in 1946 the US wanted to do a special project at Bikini Atoll so relocated its inhabitants here where they stayed for two years. The Islanders had a fire on Rongerik destroying many of the coconut trees and nearly starved to death haven been forgotten about by the US. Once this was discovered food was brought in and the population was relocated to a different Island in the Marshall’s. When the US tested the Hydrogen bomb at Bikini the winds blew from the west a rarity making this atoll down wind and the Island was contaminated with radiation along with Rongelap my next stop and has just recently been declared safe to visit after some 70-years.

  Rongerik atoll and it’s Islands are beautiful and they remain uninhabited for two reasons one of which is the radiation still in the ground and you can’t grow food plus it is believed by the locals that this atoll is haunted by a witch from  Ujae atoll.

  I figured since I’m here and unlikely to find any of the “lost tribes” I will try to run the “witch” to ground starting tomorrow.

                                Stay tuned for more your Amigo El Jefe’

My final two Atolls in the Marshall islands= Rongerik and Rongolap.

                                               Part-1-Rongerik.

  Sailors Run was pretty much ready to depart Majuro the morning of the 26th of January 2019. The previous day I had completed the provisioning for the next month and hauled 100-gallons of water no easy task in 89* heat using 5-gallon containers and wheeling them two at a time from the water store 3-blocks away, and that only gets you to the dinghy and then out to the boat to lift them up on deck and dump them into the water tanks.

  Departure day arrived bright an early at 5 am and time to jump out of the sack and get this adventure underway. Little did I know the start of this one was about to take on a very challenging twist.

  I had previously cooked some chicken for tonight’s dinner making it a little easier on me this first day out. After eating a hearty breakfast of pancakes and eggs I was at last ready to climb out on deck. Scrambling up on deck I set about hoisting the mizzen sail and the main sail prior to slipping free of the mooring I was tied to. The plan was to sail out of the mooring field and considering that there were lots of boats close around I would start the motor just in case something went amiss. I reached down and turned the ignition switch and hear the engine turn over very slowly then grind to a stop.”Shit” You, have to be kidding me this thing started fine yesterday when I was checking everything out,”damn it”. What to do? Possibly the batteries are low because of light winds overnight and the wind generator had charged very little and here I’m ready to cast off with my remaining time in the Marshall’s growing short and I need to see more atolls and not be stuck waiting around for parts here in Majuro. I walked forward and untied the mooring lines and sailed to windward over Katy-G’s bow. Karen happened to be up on deck and bid me fair well and I waved like this was the plan rolling out the Genoa and sailing for the pass.

  Now, you must realize these atolls I’m headed for are 340 nm. away and uninhabited for the most part and I must sail through tight passages with coral all around, and if I can’t get that motor started this all must happen under sail. This is all very possible but you might have to wait for days to get the right winds.

  Oh well, I’m sailing in a great breeze of 15-20 knots close reaching “hauling ass” and pound out 171 nm. the first 24 hrs. I need one more big day like this and I will be at Rongerik and the projected winds look good for sailing in. On the second day when the sun goes down so does the wind and Sailors Run slows from seven knots+ to a mere 5-kts. and suddenly this does not look good for getting to the pass before dark. All of my attempts to start the engine fail, it just will not turn over. I get within 10-miles of the pass and have to heave to under main and mizzen and slowly drift overnight to the south another 10-miles from the pass. The good thing is I can sleep at last and get rested up for whatever comes next.

 

As you know by now I’m always looking for some place new and different,possibly the wanderlust in me has gone totally “wild”. I have made photos available on my facebook and hope to eventually get them up on the blog, please come and be a friend on Facebook as there is so much you can see. FB-JEFFREY R HARTJOY

  Last time you heard about much about boat problems and more than likely too much. Problems or not the journey is worth it and please do your best at seeing those videos and photos on Face book.

  You hear much about the Marshall Islands are soon to be under water, but I can tell you after talking to the local people and looking at all the local improvements that are happening on these atolls like apartment buildings and at Wotje a new concrete runway so larger planes can land here it becomes pretty obvious that they are comfortable being just 6- feet above the high tide mark, and one must consider the enormous reefs that protect these Islands from storm force winds when they do occur.

  Upon arrival at Wotje an atoll 160 nm NW of Majuro I was amazed at the population as nearly 1,200 people inhabit this remote atoll. The Island is neat and clean and they have three different churches you may attend, Protestant,Catholic,and Assembly of God. They also have a police department where some of the police ride bicycles. Alcohol is frowned upon on these islands except by those that drink it. A yachty is not to give islander’s alcohol and it is probably wise to follow this recommendation.

  Wotje, is a large Island for an atoll nearly one mile wide and two-miles long. Copra harvesting is their industry and fishing puts protein on the dinner plate. Not so many people speak English yet a few do. The Mayor is cordial and they have a very nice high school here, and Mr. Foster is the Principal. I had the pleasure of meeting him and donated a copy of my latest book “No Turning Back” to the school library.

  The Hiking on the island is ideal and there are many old WW-2 war relic’s to be seen. There are many “pill boxes” where the Japanese had 50-caliber machine guns mounted and many sites around the Island where much larger cannons once stood. I have seen at least 4-old airplane engines with bent up props that appear to have met with a not so good ending.

  The people seem a bit stand-offish at first until they realize you want nothing from them, then they seem to warm up pretty fast.

  The Island of Wotje is very lush and beautiful and large enough to accommodate the population. The beaches are very broad and covered with sand that is as fine as baby powder, the kind that sticks to your buns. If one needs a break from the main islands population you only need to go less than a mile to be on an uninhabited Island which there are more than thirty of these.

  I can say that paradise lurks about in this atoll as I know it does also in other atolls in the Marshall Islands. If 85* water and 200 ft visibility gets you excited then these atolls might be well suited for you.

  Stay tuned as this is just my first outing and there is much more for us to see.

                              Your Amigo El Jefe’- S/V Sailors Run.