Sailing Micronesia 2018: March 1, 2018 - Lelu Harbor, Kosrae; Kayak and Snorkel

March 1, 2018

We wake up to another day in Kosrae and decide it should be a bit of a play day after running around the past few days trying to get checked in with the local authorities. So, we have a big breakfast; Pete a couple of eggs and cheese on my homemade bread for a nice sandwich and me with a couple of eggs and chili beans as the gluten seems to not work well with my body.

We gather our gear after again trying most of the morning to figure out the internet here which I’ve given up on as would rather relieve the stress. So, we pack up and get the kayaks down and loaded with our gear for the trip. Our plan is to kayak toward the oceanside and hopefully make it through a culvert before the tide gets too high. We head off from Miss Kiss and decide to explore a wreck on the other side of the bay and then go back toward ocean side looking for an outlet to the ocean.

On our way we enjoy the scenery and paddle around an island. Pete’s ahead of me and has his camera out focused intently on the top of the trees on an island. As I approach he asks me what I see and my response is, “Is that a bat?”. Yes, they are fruit bats and it’s interesting to see them so out and about during the day. We stop for photos and then move on looking for a way to get to ocean side and the blue holes so we can snorkel. We find a culvert we think is close to the dock by the blue holes and since it is not yet high tide and we can paddle through, we decide to do so.

On the ocean side, we realize it is a way to go to the pier and blue hole, but it’s an easy paddle and we watch some ladies harvesting something from the shallows. In the end, we decide they were gathering the small black seas cucumbers as there’s not been anything else we can see that one would eat. We decide to paddle to the sandy area instead of tying the kayaks to the dock and haul them up on shore tying them to a tree well above the water. We put on our snorkel gear and head for the small blue hole. The water is cloudy and warm on the surface from the rain, the tides coming in, we’re not sure, but a few feet below it is cold and a bit clearer. We spend quite some time snorkeling the perimeter of the blue hole and head back to the kayaks as the water has reached them. Pete wants to check out the FSM Bank across the street and I head down and across the road looking for a place to portage as our original plan won’t work with the high water now.

We get everything set and carry the kayaks across the busy road one at a time and then I get in the mangrove water and Pete lowers the kayaks. Back on course in the mangrove waters, we head for the Tree Lodge Resort and Bully’s Bar – a part of Mark and Marie’s establishment. We don’t know the way, but between the two of us, mostly Pete, we find the main channel and the causeway bridge and paddle along until we see what must be Bully’s. When we met Maria the day before, she said we wouldn’t miss it and she was so right. There’s been nothing but a couple of houses and then suddenly we see a large dock with a boat tethered and kayaks on the deck, along with tables, chairs and a bar right in the mangroves. Yup, can’t miss it.

We tie up the kayaks and sit down at a table for a delicious late lunch/dinner and it is well before 2 pm when we get our food: fried eggplant appetizer and grilling fish palimos. Sandwiches with bread made from local taro root flour. It is a wonderful meal and we have a couple of beers to enjoy the scenery and wash it down before we decide to walk through the mangroves to the rooms in the main resort which many, by now, with the high tide seem to be close to being inundated with water. We slosh through walkways and get to the main office looking again for the owner, Mark, who we’d met briefly when we arrived. We’d like to go diving with him and before we head back to the kayaks, he’s there after getting his boat under the bridge for a sunset cruise. We decide on Saturday morning for a dive and he names his price, which is steep as Pete has spoiled me with his ‘free’ diving adventures. But, Mark knows this place and we are excited for the adventure.

We are back at Bully’s and get into the kayaks still at high tide and head up stream back to Miss Kiss. On the way we see an arch cutaway through the mangroves and decide to go through to see where it leads. It is dark, and I expect an alligator to be hiding close by which is silly as there are none here, but it seems like the bayous of Louisiana though I’ve never been there. It’s a good explore and we wander our way back to the open channel and paddle hard against the current as we go back under the bridge.

We head back to Miss Kiss and looking for a place to put out to check out the Sharon Inn, I lead us the wrong way and we circle around to get back the main channel. We find a place on the other side of the inn that is filled with the high tide waters, tie off and check out the inn. Kim Albert mentioned it was in business with a restaurant and when we get there, it is deserted, so we must have misunderstood what he said as he would pretty much kn9w everything being the official taxi for the island.

It’s a short distance from there to Miss Kiss, but the winds kick up as we arrive back home, and it takes me three tries to line up the kayak so I don’t slam into the side and ruin the fresh paint job. We climb aboard and Pete has his kayak already up and helps me unload my gear.

I work on getting a blog set up as the internet seems to be finally working and we are both thrilled. With the big late lunch, I don’t need to cook tonight. Pete gets the generator going so we can power up and we both enjoy a nice fresh water shower, rather than having to most of our wash up in the salt water with a quick freshwater rinse. I’m working on my blog and organizing photos. Pete warms the kettle for me after his shower and it’s great to have fresh warm water. He’s a kind, thoughtful man and I’m a pretty lucky lady.

After a bit, Pete heads to bed as he’s still a bit sore from climbing the mast yesterday. I stay up to work on my writings and getting corresponding photos together and the internet is not working now, so no blog posts tonight. I had great hopes, but tomorrow will hopefully bring a well-rested body and brain to try again.