If you have 67 experimental atomic bombs to explode, you would take them out of harms way to the most remote atolls in the Pacific. From 1946 through 1958 Enewetak atoll shook 44 times and Bikini , from which the famous bathing suit took its name, rumbled with 23 experiments conducted by the U.S.. The prevailing winds would have thousands of open sea miles to the west and north west to dilute residues. But not always were the winds of earth cooperative to mushroom clouds of contaminates. Unexpected wind shifts at times carried dangerous levels of radiation to several inhabited atolls hundreds of miles to the east. Given their remote location and history, the northern "nuked" atolls of the Marshall Islands are off the charts of most cruising sailors.
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But remote locations unspoiled by hordes of cruisers and burgeoning populations is the attraction for those who are anxious to stray off the beaten path. Now that the radiation has cleared and it is safe to walk the islands and fish the waters, the northern string of atolls in the Marshall Islands is where Rebecca and I have been exploring. To the east, we first explored the uninhabited Rongerik . Then we sailed to the west of Rongerick to Rongelap, which is only now being repopulated by the descendants of displaced islanders. We now continue west and approach the first point of detonation, Bikini Atoll.
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