Sailing Micronesia 2018: February 22, 2018 - Emidj; Snorkeling and Kayak

February 22, 2018

Today is play day! We decided to take a day off to snorkel the wrecks I’d told Pete about and kayak to the wrecked freighter from WWII. So, we got our gear together, water bottles and a couple of snacks and headed to shore. We decided to go to the left of the seaplane ramp to hook up the kayaks as the school was having recess and we didn’t want to attract too much attention. Still, several kids noticed us and came to greet us as we got out of the kayaks in the water and hooked them to a cement wall, also left over from the Japanese. I took a few pictures of the kids, but the camera had water on it, so they were a bit blurry, bummer.

We enjoyed a long snorkel checking out the vehicles, motors and debris left over from the war. We crossed over the seaplane ramp and on the right of it there was even more, mostly plane propellers and engines. I’d missed all that on Monday, so it was interesting to see. We then went around the other side of the dock to see the shipwreck and snorkeled all around it. Pete had been pulling the kayaks along since we’d come back to them after snorkeling the left side of the plane ramp, so we got back in them and started the mile and a half paddle to the freighter wreck. I think our arms were still tired from Monday, at least mine seemed to be or I definitely need more exercise as I had a hard time keeping up with Pete who looks so smooth and effortless as he paddles along. We stopped on the way to walk a few hundred feet to the ocean side of the island to take some pictures and it was lovely to walk in the soft sand in bare feet. In Majuro, even on the outer islands, it’s wise to wear sandals on the beaches. When we stopped at Eneko before the crossing, I kayaked to shore to visit with friends who were at a yoga retreat and ended up with two pretty deep cuts in one foot. My fault, as I was in such a hurry to see them as they were already on board the boat to return to Majuro that I forgot to bring my sandals and ended up staying and talking with them for a while as one of the party went missing. They are almost completely healed now, but I had to be very careful of infection and it was painful as well.

We made it to the freighter and Paddled to the other side to beach the kayaks before Pete decided to go over the coral to the front and then snorkel the whole way around the freighter. I was happy to just snorkel the side by the kayaks where there was a huge hole in the side of the ship from direct hit during the war and I wanted to look around the balmies as well. I mentioned to Pete to watch out as he walked out of the water as there were many sea cucumbers in the shallows and I know I wasn’t interested in finding out what it felt like to step on one of them. Thoughts of stepping on a humongous slug come to mind. While having a snack and some water, we saw our second shark of the day, this one bigger than the one we saw when we stopped to look at the ocean.

We took our time on the paddle back to the boat stopping a few times as it was up wind. Pete had tethered my kayak to the back of his so it was easier to keep up with him and for the most part, I did without him having to pull me along much at all, though the thought crossed my mind several times that I could just relax and have a nice tow back to Miss Kiss.

Well, after tonight’s dinner of Chinese Stir-fry with marinated tofu over red and black rice, we are now down to one large carrot and most of a head of red cabbage for fresh veggies, besides two onions, garlic, a few potatoes and a breadfruit. Both of us nodded off in our seats after dinner, but we regrouped and began preparing for the journey tomorrow. We will be leaving Jaluit Atoll and heading for Kosrae. I cooked up potato salad; chocolate, dried mango, coconut, oatmeal, peanut butter no-bake cookies; salsa and chili - of a sort. Pete did dishes and warmed a kettle of water for me that he put in the camp shower so I could have a nice warm shower when I was done cooking. Ah, it was so nice!

Now, I’m writing this blog/journal and thinking it’s time for sleep to prepare for three very long days on the ocean to Kosrae. My hope is that the seas and wind will be calmer and kinder so that I can pull my weight, take my shifts and give Pete some much needed rest on the journey. Clear skies for stargazing would be nice, too.