Jeff's Log ~ Friday, July 11th, 2008

July 11, 2008 Kanon Marina, Hiroshima, Japan

Before we left Okinoshima, Mimi and I went ashore and she gave me a haircut. I was getting a little shaggy, and it was hard to keep the hair out of my eyes. When she was finished, her husband Charlie and I went for a little stroll around the grounds of the marina. They are in the process of installing a small fiberglass swimming pool, and we noticed an animal had fallen in the half full pool and was apparently dead. As we approached, I noticed slight movement at the front legs. It was a smallish cat. We found a couple wood scraps, and prodded the cat with one, and put the other underneath it. As soon as it realized that it could get it’s claws into the wood, it woke up and quickly ran up the board and scurried into the underbrush. We both felt really good about that all day. It certainly was that cat’s lucky day.

We arrived at Miyashima before lunch, launched the dingy, and I took everyone ashore so they could view the shrine and surrounding area. I returned to the boat and carried on my usual chores. The waterline already had an accumulation of slime, so I jumped in and scrubbed the “Manila belt” again. It was a hot sunny day, so their trip ashore ended shortly after lunch, and I went in to get them. Later, we all went in for dinner ashore, but everything closes at around 1800. We went back to the boat, and I took a turn at cooking and made us spaghetti and meat sauce again.

On Thursday morning, Charlie and the girls went for a hike to ride a cable car. Scott stayed with me on the boat, and set up his new satellite phone for sending his e-mails. I went back to work on the bottom cleaning the small spots that I had missed in Tannowa. I was in the water when a fairly large white boat came into the cove and tooted its whistle. I could see blue uniforms on board, so I hustled out of the water and got on deck. It was the Japanese customs boat and they wanted to board. Scott and I got fenders out, but the ship’s gunnels were the perfect height to take our stanchions out. I started showing the helmsman distance from our rail, and five customs men jumped from their boat to ours. It was the same drill with all of the forms getting filled out. I completed the set of paperwork, and he asked me to fill out another set for Hiroshima port. As he interviewed me, he made notes on his pad. After completing the interview, three men looked through the boat. They were satisfied and left. On the way out, He told me to call when I arrived.
We arrived at Kanon Marina a few hours later, and I registered at the office, and I called customs. The same officer answered the phone and told me that I should not call him. I think there were some language issues going on for sure. Right now, we are tied up a fence away from McDonalds Restaurant. It is very nice for getting ice cream.

This morning we all went to the Peace Park, and toured the Atom Bomb Museum. Hiroshima is very flat, and more populated than Nagasaki, and the atom bomb blast destroyed the entire city in a matter of seconds. Only one building was left partially standing, and today it is part of the monument. This museum was a little harsher in what it had to say about the United States using a weapon like the atomic bomb than the museum in Nagasaki. Seeing it again was worthwhile, and while touring the park, we did our best to make the peace bell ring, but the striker had been removed. A sharp rap with knuckles made it ring, but softly. Unfortunately, I was involved in marina dealings, and forgot to take my camera on leaving, so I did not get pictures of any of this. Charlie will send them to me once he is home.