Funafuti was not worth more than two days.
18 December 2010 | Tuvalus Islands
Rebecca with Patrick
We left Rotuma bound for Funufuti, Tuvalu. We knew we were going to take a somewhat indirect route due to the winds, and it took us 4 days to get there, which should have been 2. Although slow, it was easy sailing.
Funafuti is a coral atoll with the population crowded onto one tiny island like ants on a log. It was about the most unfriendly, weird, crowded, undesirable place we have been all year. Maybe I should not say "unfriendly". After living in fabulous Fiji for 6 months, it would be difficult for any other culture to match the Fijians. Another cruiser spent a week in Funafuti and said they got used to the slow, nearly non responsive people, who did eventually wake up for them. After 48 hours, we were done and ready to leave and wondered why we stayed so long. Pretty turquoise and well protected anchorage, but for us, that is about all it offered. Even the "fresh" water on shore no one drinks without first boiling. I don't think we even took a picture in Funafati. This was the capital of this tiny nation. Certainly the islands and people would be more desirable in the outer islands. But the customs officials would not allow us to stop at any islands on our way out of the country
We sailed on to the island Betio in Tarawa atoll in the country of Kiribati (pronounced Kiribas), less than 3 days away. Tarawa is a historic place; the south eastern most domino to fall as the U.S. marched over the Japanese on the way to Tokyo during WW2.