Picture: Having dinner with Kat, whom we last met two years ago at the 2013 Setouchi Rally. He has a Lagoon (catamaran) called "Escago". The dinner is called "Sukiyaki"; meat, vegetables and noodles simmered in savory sauce/soup. The waitress seared the meat first and then added other ingredients to cook.

We sailed "Shuang Yu" from Okonoshima to Kan-on Marina to get ready for the International Setouchi Yacht Rally. In an instant we went from being isolated in our own little world to being surrounded by yachtie friends. The Catalina 42, Toroa III, was there with Barry and Maryanne from Cardwell, just south of Cairns, Australia. We last met them two years ago at the first rally. They joined last year and again this year for the first leg so this is their third Setouche Rally. The catamaran Umineko with captain Sato-san and crew was there having just circumnavigated the globe and returned home to Japan. We have been communicating with Sato-san since Malaysia. We met him in Subic Bay, Philippines, and again in Okinawa, in the southern islands of Japan. He helped us set up our Sim-card so that we could get data on our cell phone. Yamako-san, whom we had met during the first rally, was there with his catamaran, S/V "Cara". He owns a big Honda Dealership in Onomichi. K.C. Ohno-san, whom we also met in the first rally, will be on our crew on "Shuang Yu". All in all it was like a joyful reunion. We also met new foreign members, a young couple from Hong Kong, Ben (French) and Yuko (Japanese). Also Claude, a French Canadian from Quebec. All three foreign sailors were on S/V "Cara" with Yamako-san. There were not as many people from other countries this year as there were in 2013. The rally was enjoyable for us although it was a bit like being on a fast train; constantly moving and engaging in various activities like a blur of scenery passing outside the train window. Our lives were packed full with little time to reflect on anything, especially writing my blog. I will try to fill in with pictures and a glimpse of our five-week journey through the Inland Sea of Japan. We called into about fifteen ports and traveled from one end of the Inland Sea to the other, about 300 nautical miles. This distance was not far but all the different ports visited made the trip seemed lengthy.