Sailing to Rongerik Atoll
Beach of Rongerik Atoll
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’