The commercial dock on the left once was a wooden pier.
24 December 2010 | Betio, Tarawa
Rebecca with Patrick
The sail from Funafuti to Tarawa was an easy one overall. A little frustrating at times, with low winds, but we were able to continue sailing for 70% of the trip. Now we know how fast we can go in 5 knots, 6 knots and 7 knots of wind. Its nice to know we can actually keep sailing. Not fast, but adequately. It was also good to have a bit of a helping current almost the whole time.
After a week at sea, we finally arrived, and set anchor down wind from the commercial wharf. In WW2 that wharf was only a long pier extending from shore past the shoals. Extensive land filling has created a facility and an adjacent protected lagoon. Customs and immigration, after a call to Tarawa radio, came to the wharf and cleared us in after only a few hours. Their main concern seemed to be animals that died aboard on the passage, and potted plants of which we had none.