Subject: Yesterdays Gale
Blew itself out before dawn. However during the night the wind carried away
our American flag and flag staff which had been tied to the stern pulpuit.
Before when in heavy sea the skymate whip antenna broke in half on the
backstay. As you can see the unit still works. So on the 29th we counted our
bleessings and moter sailed toward Hiroshima. The rain cleared the haze and
we had unlimited visability(unheard of in Japan) which made our sightseeing
fantastic. This is such a pretty part of the world. Hundreds of islands with
quaint villages and Shinto Shrines. So we pushed to get to the Mother of all
Shinto Shrines---Miyajima. Every add for Japan will have either Mt Fuji on
it or the Tori Gate in the water at Miyajima. Gill and I visited here 40
years ago, the year my son was born, and a picture of Gill under the gate at
low tide is on our wall. We sailed in and anchored a few hundred feet off
the gate then dingied ashore. The shrine was built in 593. There is also a 5
story pagoda here. Tame deer lounge around. I will bring Gill and the
Munroes here when they visit in July. Then off to a marina 15 miles away. At
sunset we pull into the designated cove and...no marina. The wind in the 50s
24 hrs ago is now zero. So who needs a stinking marina. At anchor in a
beautiful cove cooking steaks on the grill.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Captain Scott's Log ~ Tuesday, May 27, 2008 9:40 AM
Subject: Fukuoka
In Nagasaki our visit to the Atom Bomb Museum was on Memorial Day. A piece
of irony that I Just realized. We left at 445am and sunrise was 45 min
later. The Eagles were up and out before us. A magic sunrise departing the
harbor. We had 109 nm to go before dark and lots to see on the way. Typical
Jap haze gave way to serious fog and most of our sight seeing was by radar.
But we got to Fukuoka and the Odo marina Just before dark. 33 35n 130 18e. A
wonderful tourist town but we are on the outskirts and its late. Huge ferris
wheels loom beyond the park where we are at. We walked into the high price
car district where Lamborghinis and Aston Martins are sold and kept on
walking. Found a restaurant where the very cute girls where mostly concerned
that we would not be happy with our orders. But we were able to
communicate---you bring it and we will pay for it. A super night and tomorrow
we penetrate the inland sea
In Nagasaki our visit to the Atom Bomb Museum was on Memorial Day. A piece
of irony that I Just realized. We left at 445am and sunrise was 45 min
later. The Eagles were up and out before us. A magic sunrise departing the
harbor. We had 109 nm to go before dark and lots to see on the way. Typical
Jap haze gave way to serious fog and most of our sight seeing was by radar.
But we got to Fukuoka and the Odo marina Just before dark. 33 35n 130 18e. A
wonderful tourist town but we are on the outskirts and its late. Huge ferris
wheels loom beyond the park where we are at. We walked into the high price
car district where Lamborghinis and Aston Martins are sold and kept on
walking. Found a restaurant where the very cute girls where mostly concerned
that we would not be happy with our orders. But we were able to
communicate---you bring it and we will pay for it. A super night and tomorrow
we penetrate the inland sea
Captain Scott's Log ~ Monday, May 26, 2008 7:46 AM
The blog came over in this weird type It's kind of like trying to read a word search puzzle. I tried to change it to no avail.. Enjoy
Subject: ２
Ａｔ ｄａｗｎ Ｉ ａｍ ａｗａｋｅｎｅｄ ｂｙ ｔｈｅ ｃｉｔｙ ｃｏｍｉｎｇ ｔｏ ｌｉｆｅ．Ｆｉｓｈｅｒｍｅｎ ｃｈａｔ ｌｏｕｄｌｙ ｔｏｇｅｔｈｅｒ ａｓ ｔｈｅｙ ｔｒｙ ｔｈｅｉｒ ｌｕｃｋ ａｌｏｎｇ ｔｈｅ ｐｉｅｒ． Ｊｏｇｇｅｒｓ ｒｕｎ ｔｈｒｏｕｇｈ ｔｈｅ ｐａｒｋａｎｄ ｓｃｈｏｏｌ ｇｉｒｌｓ ｇｏｓｓｉｐ ｏｎ ｔｈｅｉｒ ｗａｙ ｔｏ ｃｌａｓｓ． Ｉ ｔａｋｅ ｔｈｉｓ ｉｎ ｗｉｔｈ ｍｏｒｎｉｎｇ ｃｏｆｆｅｅ ｏｎ ｄｅｃｋ． ２ ｐａｉｒｓｏｆ ｆｉｓｈｉｎｇ ｅａｇｌｅｓ ｆｌｙ ｏｖｅｒｈｅａｄ． Ｍｙ ｎｅｉｇｈｂｏｒｓ ｆｒｏｍＮＺ ｔｅｌｌ ｍｅ ｔｈｅｙ ｈａｖｅ ｂｅｃｏｍｅ ａｄｅｐｔ ａｔ ｓｗｏｏｐｉｎｇ
ｄｏｗｎ ｂｅｈｉｎｄ ｐｅｏｐｌｅ ａｎｄ ｇｒａｂｂｉｎｇ ｐｉｚｚａ ｏｒ ｏｔｈｅｒ
ｆｏｏｄ． Ｉｎ ｆａｃｔ ｓｔｒｉｎｇ ｈａｓ ｂｅｅｎ ｄｒａｐｅｄ ａｃｒｏｓｓ ｔｈｅ
ｔｒｅｅｓ ｉｎ ｔｈｅ ｐａｒｋ ｔｏ ｐｒｅｖｅｎｔ ｔｈｉｓ．Ｓｔｉｌｌ Ｉ ｌｏｖｅ
ｔｈｅｉｒ ｓｈｒｉｌ ｃｒｉｅｓ ａｎｄ ｉｔｓ ａ ｇｏｏｄ ｄａｙ． Ｔｏｄａｙ ｗｅ
ｃａｕｇｈｔ ａ ｔｒｏｌｌｙ ａｃｒｏｓｓ ｔｏｗｎ ｔｏ ｓｅｅ ｔｈｅ Ｐｅａｃｅ Ｐａｒｋａｎｄ Ｎａｇａｓａｋｉ Ａｔｏｍｉｃ Ｂｏｍｂ Ｍｕｓｅｕｍ． Ｇｒａｐｈｉｃ ａｎｄ ｗｅｌｌｂａｌａｎｃｅｄ． Ｉ ｅｖｅｎ ｃａｕｇｈｔ ｔｈｅ ｒｉｇｈｔ ｔｒｏｌｌｙ ｂａｃｋ ｔｏ ｔｈｅ ｂｏａｔ． Ｗｅ ｈａｖｅ ｔｉｄａｌ ｆｌｏｗ ｉｎｆｏ ｆｏｒ ｔｈｅ ｉｎｌａｎｄ ｓｅａ （ｒｕｎｓ ｕｐ ｔｏ ８ ｋｔｓ） ａｎｄ ｗｉｌｌ ｐｕｓｈ ｏｆｆ ａｔ ｄａｗｎ
Subject: ２
Ａｔ ｄａｗｎ Ｉ ａｍ ａｗａｋｅｎｅｄ ｂｙ ｔｈｅ ｃｉｔｙ ｃｏｍｉｎｇ ｔｏ ｌｉｆｅ．Ｆｉｓｈｅｒｍｅｎ ｃｈａｔ ｌｏｕｄｌｙ ｔｏｇｅｔｈｅｒ ａｓ ｔｈｅｙ ｔｒｙ ｔｈｅｉｒ ｌｕｃｋ ａｌｏｎｇ ｔｈｅ ｐｉｅｒ． Ｊｏｇｇｅｒｓ ｒｕｎ ｔｈｒｏｕｇｈ ｔｈｅ ｐａｒｋａｎｄ ｓｃｈｏｏｌ ｇｉｒｌｓ ｇｏｓｓｉｐ ｏｎ ｔｈｅｉｒ ｗａｙ ｔｏ ｃｌａｓｓ． Ｉ ｔａｋｅ ｔｈｉｓ ｉｎ ｗｉｔｈ ｍｏｒｎｉｎｇ ｃｏｆｆｅｅ ｏｎ ｄｅｃｋ． ２ ｐａｉｒｓｏｆ ｆｉｓｈｉｎｇ ｅａｇｌｅｓ ｆｌｙ ｏｖｅｒｈｅａｄ． Ｍｙ ｎｅｉｇｈｂｏｒｓ ｆｒｏｍＮＺ ｔｅｌｌ ｍｅ ｔｈｅｙ ｈａｖｅ ｂｅｃｏｍｅ ａｄｅｐｔ ａｔ ｓｗｏｏｐｉｎｇ
ｄｏｗｎ ｂｅｈｉｎｄ ｐｅｏｐｌｅ ａｎｄ ｇｒａｂｂｉｎｇ ｐｉｚｚａ ｏｒ ｏｔｈｅｒ
ｆｏｏｄ． Ｉｎ ｆａｃｔ ｓｔｒｉｎｇ ｈａｓ ｂｅｅｎ ｄｒａｐｅｄ ａｃｒｏｓｓ ｔｈｅ
ｔｒｅｅｓ ｉｎ ｔｈｅ ｐａｒｋ ｔｏ ｐｒｅｖｅｎｔ ｔｈｉｓ．Ｓｔｉｌｌ Ｉ ｌｏｖｅ
ｔｈｅｉｒ ｓｈｒｉｌ ｃｒｉｅｓ ａｎｄ ｉｔｓ ａ ｇｏｏｄ ｄａｙ． Ｔｏｄａｙ ｗｅ
ｃａｕｇｈｔ ａ ｔｒｏｌｌｙ ａｃｒｏｓｓ ｔｏｗｎ ｔｏ ｓｅｅ ｔｈｅ Ｐｅａｃｅ Ｐａｒｋａｎｄ Ｎａｇａｓａｋｉ Ａｔｏｍｉｃ Ｂｏｍｂ Ｍｕｓｅｕｍ． Ｇｒａｐｈｉｃ ａｎｄ ｗｅｌｌｂａｌａｎｃｅｄ． Ｉ ｅｖｅｎ ｃａｕｇｈｔ ｔｈｅ ｒｉｇｈｔ ｔｒｏｌｌｙ ｂａｃｋ ｔｏ ｔｈｅ ｂｏａｔ． Ｗｅ ｈａｖｅ ｔｉｄａｌ ｆｌｏｗ ｉｎｆｏ ｆｏｒ ｔｈｅ ｉｎｌａｎｄ ｓｅａ （ｒｕｎｓ ｕｐ ｔｏ ８ ｋｔｓ） ａｎｄ ｗｉｌｌ ｐｕｓｈ ｏｆｆ ａｔ ｄａｗｎ
Jeff's Log ~ Monday, May 26th 2008
Things in Nakasaki are good. Today, Scott, Yracy, Ranon, and I went to the atomic bomb museum. It was quite a humbling experience. To me it seemed politically balanced. The artifacts on display showed the incredible power that was unleashed on a city that was last on the list of targets, and had the bad luck of a break in the clouds happening on that fateful morning. I never thought that I would ever see anything like that in my life. They asked that no photos be taken inside, and I honored that. It is sometimes hard for me to understand how civilized people could ever imagine using such a weapon, and the things that I saw today I will take a few days to process before my real emotions kick in. I am truly glad that I had the chance to see it.
On the upside, I got most of my chores completed, and got the boat looking real good for a little cocktail party that happened this evening. On the next dock is a couple from Australia who have been in Japan for over a year. They are planning to cruise up the Red Sea in the future. We traded lots of good info. And They enjoyed Pipe Dream's comfort and space. Tomorrow, we are leaving before dawn, so for me it will be a MacDonald’s quarter pounder with cheese and French fries for dinner and an early night to bed. I wish that I had another day or two to spend in Nagasaki, but I must always be ready to go. Remember that I am working, and this is not a vacation for me. I do miss all of my friends from home, and all of you guys are in my heart don‘t forget to write.
On the upside, I got most of my chores completed, and got the boat looking real good for a little cocktail party that happened this evening. On the next dock is a couple from Australia who have been in Japan for over a year. They are planning to cruise up the Red Sea in the future. We traded lots of good info. And They enjoyed Pipe Dream's comfort and space. Tomorrow, we are leaving before dawn, so for me it will be a MacDonald’s quarter pounder with cheese and French fries for dinner and an early night to bed. I wish that I had another day or two to spend in Nagasaki, but I must always be ready to go. Remember that I am working, and this is not a vacation for me. I do miss all of my friends from home, and all of you guys are in my heart don‘t forget to write.
Captain Scott's Log ~ Sunday, May 25, 2008 7:48 PM
Subject: RE: P Dream Japan Kyushu
Left amami oshima in nice weather which lasted at least 4 hours. Then wind to 26, rain and seas that became very rough. Rough because strong currents conflicted with switching wind direction. Still the wind was mostly behind and we flew under sail. We had planned to stop at Yaku Sima but flew bye it in the pre dawn. So on to the mainlan--Kyushu and the small town of Noma on its southern tip. The barometer was falling, rain intensified and as we neared the coast we had fog. To enter Noma we had to round a spectacular peninsula. In the fog we got to a 1/4 mile of it before we saw it. The fog rose as it came into view. Sheer cliffs eaten by the sea into works of art reminding me of the "organ grinder" that guards the entrance to Hobart in Tasmania. The rising fog now spilled over the top like a cloud waterfall. Once inside the massive seawall we were delighted to find a floating dock with 2 sailboats. This was a resort and a man with a necktie came out in the pouring rain to help us tie up. We had dinner there and several parties we going on. Now Osaka seems possible
Sent: Sunday, May 25, 2008 8:18 PM
Subject: Nagasaki
The rain in Noma quit in the morning as we left and the weather has been improving steadily. An easy power boat ride of 90nm to the sunset marina outside Nagasaki. On arrival we were told we could not stay due to repairs scheduled and were sent to the Dijima Marina in the heart of the town. A godsend as Dijimi boarders a large park and many sidewalk cafes overlook our boat. Also it’s free. We have an extra day to explore the town but must leave at 5am on the 27th and keep pressing in order to make Osaka 400nm away. Skymate not working to send out mail but we can receive. So send news!
Left amami oshima in nice weather which lasted at least 4 hours. Then wind to 26, rain and seas that became very rough. Rough because strong currents conflicted with switching wind direction. Still the wind was mostly behind and we flew under sail. We had planned to stop at Yaku Sima but flew bye it in the pre dawn. So on to the mainlan--Kyushu and the small town of Noma on its southern tip. The barometer was falling, rain intensified and as we neared the coast we had fog. To enter Noma we had to round a spectacular peninsula. In the fog we got to a 1/4 mile of it before we saw it. The fog rose as it came into view. Sheer cliffs eaten by the sea into works of art reminding me of the "organ grinder" that guards the entrance to Hobart in Tasmania. The rising fog now spilled over the top like a cloud waterfall. Once inside the massive seawall we were delighted to find a floating dock with 2 sailboats. This was a resort and a man with a necktie came out in the pouring rain to help us tie up. We had dinner there and several parties we going on. Now Osaka seems possible
Sent: Sunday, May 25, 2008 8:18 PM
Subject: Nagasaki
The rain in Noma quit in the morning as we left and the weather has been improving steadily. An easy power boat ride of 90nm to the sunset marina outside Nagasaki. On arrival we were told we could not stay due to repairs scheduled and were sent to the Dijima Marina in the heart of the town. A godsend as Dijimi boarders a large park and many sidewalk cafes overlook our boat. Also it’s free. We have an extra day to explore the town but must leave at 5am on the 27th and keep pressing in order to make Osaka 400nm away. Skymate not working to send out mail but we can receive. So send news!
Jeff's Log ~ Saturday, May 24th, 2008
Noma, Japan, Island of Kyushu
We stopped at Amama-O- Shimi for an overnight stay. The port looked like it once was the center of a hustling city. Now, it seems, the port buildings are being demolished slowly, and the place is being reworked. We tied Pipe Dream to the sea wall and made sure that every fender available was out to protect her from the large tractor tires on the sea wall. Again, as soon as we got there, it seems that everyone in town heard of our arrival. The customs officials already had copies of all of our paperwork, so checking in was a breeze. The Japanese coast guard was fantastic with their weather reports, and seemed eager to help with whatever we needed.
I went up to the gas station about a block away and inquired about diesel fuel. I no sooner got back to the boat to pick up the jerry cans, than a truck pulled up to the boat loaded with diesel fuel. The driver spoke no English, but he did have the correct forms to supply to customs and coast guard officials. We proceeded to top off the fuel tanks, and filled all of our jerry cans. That made my chores a lot easier. Next on the list was ATM, Lunch, etc.
Things went smoothly, and Mark and I found time to walk around town a bit. We both wanted to send some e=mails, so we set out in search of an internet café. As we were walking through a sort of open air shopping mall, there were three young school girls who came up to me and asked if I spoke English. I told them yes, and they proceeded to introduce themselves and said hello. The spokes person was a girl by the name of Homi. I asked them if they knew where we could get on the internet, and they took us to a civic center type of place. We signed in and sat down, and were served tea. After about a half hour, the girl at the desk said she was sorry, but time was up. I asked her how much, and she would take no money. It was free.
In the meantime, the place had filled up with tables full o9f elderly women. My guess is that it was afternoon tea time. They kept trying to feed us and invited us to sit with them. We respectfully declined, and a couple of them started stuffing hard candies in our hands. The three school girls asked us to go have our pictures taken with them, and we went along with them to a photo arcade. Homi put some coins in the slot, and we sat in a very large photo booth while they climbed around and acted nuts behind us. Neither one of us had ever seen anything like this. After the picture were taken, we all went to a viewing screen where they can customize the pictures and add all kinds of stuff to them. We all had a lot of fun with that, and then we said goodbye and returned to the boat.
We all went to dinner together at a local restaurant. Tracy, Ranon, and Scott returned to the boat, and Mark and I set off to sample some of the night life. We went into a stylish building with four bars on the top floor. We settled on a place that was finished nicely and had a few people inside. It turned out to be way too expensive as they charge by the hour for the table to listen to karaoke, plus the cost of drinks. The waitress then walked us over to her girlfriend’s place which was a very small bar on the second floor of a building not far away. She introduced us to Marissa, and we agreed on a price for the evening. We paid 5,000 yen for all we could eat and drink. That’s less than fifty dollars for the two of us. It also was karaoke, with about eight other people besides us. After a few drinks, I started singing karaoke with the best of them. They had a pretty cool setup with an electronic device on which you picked songs by artist, song name, record label or whatever.
We all sang ,laughed and carried on until the owner-mamasan through us out. Lots of fun was had by all. When we got back to the boat, the tide had dropped considerably. I sat down on the sea wall and got one foot on the tire and stepped elegantly onto the boat. Mark tried not to sit on the sea wall, and mis-stepped and ended up with two thirds of his legs in the water, hanging onto the lifeline stanchion. So much for being quiet! I helped him onto the boat, and Scott poked his head out and asked if anyone needed a doctor. We told him no, just a clothes dryer.
The next morning, as I was cleaning the exhaust soot from the transom, one of the fellows that was there rode by on his bike and shouted and waved from half a block away. Later, on the way to the grocery store, we crossed paths with one of the ladies that was there. She smiled, said hellow and bowed when she saw us.
While Mark was grocery shopping, I thought that I would see about more time on the phone. The customer service girl spoke no English and did not have a clue about what I was trying to say. A fellow walked up and asked if he could help. His name was Shusi. He walked with me in the rain for about ten minutes to the phone place, and explained to them what I needed. The girl was about to hand me the card, and all of a sudden changed her mind and wanted to see the phone. It was on the boat, so we walked back to get the groceries, to the boat, and back to the phone store. Shusi stayed with me the entire time, just in case translation was needed. He works on a tuna fishing boat, and was glad that he could help a fellow seaman. I sure was glad to meet him, and thanked him very much.
We then threw the lines and took off for Kyushu in the rain. We had good wind behind us and lots of rain, so it was a fairly quick, wet trip. Sailing with a strong wind from behind at night is a little nerve wracking, because if you come off of a wave the wrong way, the wind can change sides and make the sail jibe unintentionally. When that happens, it can be dangerous. We try to keep the wind forward as much as possible, but it just kept clocking back. We decided to rig what is called a preventer, so we could maximize our speed and course.
To rig the preventer I have to take a line and tie it to the outboard end of the boom and run it all the way forward to the bow cleat, and down the other side to a cockpit winch. It always happens at night, it seems. I use all of the safety stuff, and stay harnessed to the boat. It is secretly kind of thrilling to be on the foredeck with waves breaking over the bow in the rain at night. Just in case of the worst happening, and ending up in the water, I do wear a locator strobe on my arm that I can easily activate.
We arrived in Noma and rafted up on a floating dock. The dock attendant was obviously taken by surprise as he was out in the pouring rain in a white shirt and tie. After helping with our lines, he waited and walked us up to register. The poor fellow was completely soaked.
After a cocktail or two on the boat, we went in and had dinner at the small yacht club restaurant. Everything was presented beautifully and we enjoyed our tasty sashimi dinner. They had vanilla ice cream for dessert, and we all really enjoyed that. It is now 9:00AM on May 25. We have been under way since 0545, en-route to Nagasaki. The weather is cool, and partly cloudy.
We stopped at Amama-O- Shimi for an overnight stay. The port looked like it once was the center of a hustling city. Now, it seems, the port buildings are being demolished slowly, and the place is being reworked. We tied Pipe Dream to the sea wall and made sure that every fender available was out to protect her from the large tractor tires on the sea wall. Again, as soon as we got there, it seems that everyone in town heard of our arrival. The customs officials already had copies of all of our paperwork, so checking in was a breeze. The Japanese coast guard was fantastic with their weather reports, and seemed eager to help with whatever we needed.
I went up to the gas station about a block away and inquired about diesel fuel. I no sooner got back to the boat to pick up the jerry cans, than a truck pulled up to the boat loaded with diesel fuel. The driver spoke no English, but he did have the correct forms to supply to customs and coast guard officials. We proceeded to top off the fuel tanks, and filled all of our jerry cans. That made my chores a lot easier. Next on the list was ATM, Lunch, etc.
Things went smoothly, and Mark and I found time to walk around town a bit. We both wanted to send some e=mails, so we set out in search of an internet café. As we were walking through a sort of open air shopping mall, there were three young school girls who came up to me and asked if I spoke English. I told them yes, and they proceeded to introduce themselves and said hello. The spokes person was a girl by the name of Homi. I asked them if they knew where we could get on the internet, and they took us to a civic center type of place. We signed in and sat down, and were served tea. After about a half hour, the girl at the desk said she was sorry, but time was up. I asked her how much, and she would take no money. It was free.
In the meantime, the place had filled up with tables full o9f elderly women. My guess is that it was afternoon tea time. They kept trying to feed us and invited us to sit with them. We respectfully declined, and a couple of them started stuffing hard candies in our hands. The three school girls asked us to go have our pictures taken with them, and we went along with them to a photo arcade. Homi put some coins in the slot, and we sat in a very large photo booth while they climbed around and acted nuts behind us. Neither one of us had ever seen anything like this. After the picture were taken, we all went to a viewing screen where they can customize the pictures and add all kinds of stuff to them. We all had a lot of fun with that, and then we said goodbye and returned to the boat.
We all went to dinner together at a local restaurant. Tracy, Ranon, and Scott returned to the boat, and Mark and I set off to sample some of the night life. We went into a stylish building with four bars on the top floor. We settled on a place that was finished nicely and had a few people inside. It turned out to be way too expensive as they charge by the hour for the table to listen to karaoke, plus the cost of drinks. The waitress then walked us over to her girlfriend’s place which was a very small bar on the second floor of a building not far away. She introduced us to Marissa, and we agreed on a price for the evening. We paid 5,000 yen for all we could eat and drink. That’s less than fifty dollars for the two of us. It also was karaoke, with about eight other people besides us. After a few drinks, I started singing karaoke with the best of them. They had a pretty cool setup with an electronic device on which you picked songs by artist, song name, record label or whatever.
We all sang ,laughed and carried on until the owner-mamasan through us out. Lots of fun was had by all. When we got back to the boat, the tide had dropped considerably. I sat down on the sea wall and got one foot on the tire and stepped elegantly onto the boat. Mark tried not to sit on the sea wall, and mis-stepped and ended up with two thirds of his legs in the water, hanging onto the lifeline stanchion. So much for being quiet! I helped him onto the boat, and Scott poked his head out and asked if anyone needed a doctor. We told him no, just a clothes dryer.
The next morning, as I was cleaning the exhaust soot from the transom, one of the fellows that was there rode by on his bike and shouted and waved from half a block away. Later, on the way to the grocery store, we crossed paths with one of the ladies that was there. She smiled, said hellow and bowed when she saw us.
While Mark was grocery shopping, I thought that I would see about more time on the phone. The customer service girl spoke no English and did not have a clue about what I was trying to say. A fellow walked up and asked if he could help. His name was Shusi. He walked with me in the rain for about ten minutes to the phone place, and explained to them what I needed. The girl was about to hand me the card, and all of a sudden changed her mind and wanted to see the phone. It was on the boat, so we walked back to get the groceries, to the boat, and back to the phone store. Shusi stayed with me the entire time, just in case translation was needed. He works on a tuna fishing boat, and was glad that he could help a fellow seaman. I sure was glad to meet him, and thanked him very much.
We then threw the lines and took off for Kyushu in the rain. We had good wind behind us and lots of rain, so it was a fairly quick, wet trip. Sailing with a strong wind from behind at night is a little nerve wracking, because if you come off of a wave the wrong way, the wind can change sides and make the sail jibe unintentionally. When that happens, it can be dangerous. We try to keep the wind forward as much as possible, but it just kept clocking back. We decided to rig what is called a preventer, so we could maximize our speed and course.
To rig the preventer I have to take a line and tie it to the outboard end of the boom and run it all the way forward to the bow cleat, and down the other side to a cockpit winch. It always happens at night, it seems. I use all of the safety stuff, and stay harnessed to the boat. It is secretly kind of thrilling to be on the foredeck with waves breaking over the bow in the rain at night. Just in case of the worst happening, and ending up in the water, I do wear a locator strobe on my arm that I can easily activate.
We arrived in Noma and rafted up on a floating dock. The dock attendant was obviously taken by surprise as he was out in the pouring rain in a white shirt and tie. After helping with our lines, he waited and walked us up to register. The poor fellow was completely soaked.
After a cocktail or two on the boat, we went in and had dinner at the small yacht club restaurant. Everything was presented beautifully and we enjoyed our tasty sashimi dinner. They had vanilla ice cream for dessert, and we all really enjoyed that. It is now 9:00AM on May 25. We have been under way since 0545, en-route to Nagasaki. The weather is cool, and partly cloudy.
Captain Scott ~ Thursday, May 22, 2008 8:58 PM
Subject: P Dream Japan
Now in Nazi (city) on island Amami OShima 28 23n 130 39e. We sailed deep into the inner harbor which is undergoing some renovenation. So no commercial boats and no other cruisers. We are tied to the cement dock in the center of the city all by ourselves. Officials made us welcome, coast guard gave us weather, and a fuel truck showed up unasked and sold us cheap diesel. Nazi is small and surrounded by lush hills. Low clouds spill over them in a misty Japanese way. We had a great dinner which can be difficult with the language problem. When the waitress finds you know no Japanese she repeats herself only louder. Then girls in a nearby booth begin to giggle. Mark and Jeff found a bar and stayed out late. On our dock its a step up at high tide. With a 8ft tide you need a parachute at low tide. Mark found that being drunk did not help getting back aboard and fell in the water.
Now in Nazi (city) on island Amami OShima 28 23n 130 39e. We sailed deep into the inner harbor which is undergoing some renovenation. So no commercial boats and no other cruisers. We are tied to the cement dock in the center of the city all by ourselves. Officials made us welcome, coast guard gave us weather, and a fuel truck showed up unasked and sold us cheap diesel. Nazi is small and surrounded by lush hills. Low clouds spill over them in a misty Japanese way. We had a great dinner which can be difficult with the language problem. When the waitress finds you know no Japanese she repeats herself only louder. Then girls in a nearby booth begin to giggle. Mark and Jeff found a bar and stayed out late. On our dock its a step up at high tide. With a 8ft tide you need a parachute at low tide. Mark found that being drunk did not help getting back aboard and fell in the water.
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