SAIL TO NEXT ATOLL-RONGELAP
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.