A big hug and thanks to all of you for your e-mails, phone calls, and caring thoughts. We appreciate it so much! We know several more of you tried to call and couldn't get through - both power and phone coverage, even cells, were out for some time. News coverage at home is so much better than what we can get out here, so you guys probably know a lot more about the specifics than us, but we thought we'd give a quick update on what we have seen and heard. I still want to write about our adventures on the island before the quake and tsunami hit, but will save that for another day.

After getting back to the boat after the evacuation, our first concern was to let everyone know we were all right. Then, reality hit about just how lucky we had been. We were just starting to hear about how hard the southeast side of the island was slammed, when, about 4:00, the tsunami alarms went off again and we again were instructed to evacuate to higher ground. This time, however, the water in the harbor remained fairly calm - no big recession, so it didn't feel nearly as intense as the first evacuation. As Glen and I were making our way back up the street, new friends George and Kathleen, from the boat Kalalau, were driving their rental car back towards the marina. They picked us up and drove up a hill to safer ground. They had been standing in line at a grocery store in the downtown part of Apia (with a basket full of their final provisioning) when the alarms went off and everyone was rushed out of the store. Their first thought was to get back to their boat and the two young men who are crewing with them. It didn't take long for the alarms to stop this time, and we drove back to the marina. Thankfully it didn't matter, but we had been much better about grabbing stuff this time - the address book with everyone's phone numbers, the power cord along with the computer, our external hard drive with all our photos, Glen was fully dressed, and I had my jewelry box in toe! We left it all in the backpack ready to go just in case we should be evacuated again. We listened on the VHF as an Orion plane from New Zealand hailed boats that were underway to let them know another wave may be coming. Boats out in deep water are actually much better off than those at anchor or in a marina. The swell would just pass right under them. Finally the warning was completely canceled with no reported waves hitting anywhere on the island. We were so pleased to have an alarm free night, but couldn't sleep very well all the same.

The official death count right now on Samoa is 111, but many are still missing. Over 140 were injured seriously enough to require hospitalization and many, many more have cuts, scrapes, and bruises. Hundreds have lost everything - their homes, clothes, vehicles, etc... We chatted with a couple in town yesterday who were both cut up pretty badly. The girl told us their story - they felt the earthquake, but the water near their beach didn't seem to recede. A minute later, some children from their village came running in from the reef yelling that the water outside of the reef had "gone away." The village they lived in didn't have an alarm, so thankfully the children knew what to do. The couple got in their car and was trying to drive away when the first wave hit - reports say a mere 13 minutes after the start of the quake. The wave rolled their car and pushed it off the road where it was left on its side. The man was able to kick a window out and had just gotten himself out and was pulling on her arm to help get her out when the second wave hit and swept him away. The car filled with water and she was trapped. She said she tried to get out but finally gave up and faced she wasn't going to make it. A third wave then hit the car and rolled it more so she was able to get some air and get out. Amazingly, they both lived through the ordeal. They were in the internet cafe trying to get word to her family in England and some of his relatives in New Zealand that they were okay. Their cell phones had been washed away and they didn't have any telephone numbers. Another story... the parents of a young single-handler on a boat a few slips away from us had just arrived for a vacation to see their son. They were staying on the south side of the island in a resort. The mom was up at the showers (a separate, shared facility in many "resorts" on the islands) and was able to get up on top of the water cistern before the first wave hit. The dad couldn't get to higher ground and was swept away - being tumbled along the volcanic rock ground and hitting trees. Thankfully he survived, but was in pretty rough shape when they got back on a plane to head home to Australia. Their son, Nick, is now volunteering with the red cross unloading trucks. The stories we have been hearing go on and on, and sadly not all have happy endings.

In American Samoa, the cruising boats in Pago Pago were not as lucky. At least two were hurled up on land and one was washed down the main street while its mast was taking down power lines. The captain of a boat name Mainly was washed overboard. His wife had been down below and when she went up to look for him, he was gone. His body was recovered and she later found it at the morgue. She is now a widow, alone on a damaged boat (their home), far away from their family and home country. I cannot even begin to imagine how she will cope. One of the boats which wasn't damaged in Pago Pago reported (on the SSB) they were on a mooring ball with 30 feet of water under their keel but ended up hitting bottom when the water receded from the harbor (and we thought we had it bad touching bottom when 6-7 feet of water rushed out of the harbor!). Several other boats, including a little boat named Sunshine, were completely destroyed. Again, the stories go on and on.

Our last port of Niuatoputapu was hit extremely hard. We just couldn't believe it when we heard the reports that two of the three villages suffered huge losses. We finally were able to get internet to see some of the coverage and checked out the website at matangitonga.to It has aerial photos that show a lot of the homes near the shoreline were washed away. Those poor people were already hurting from not having supplies delivered for over 3 months and now this. Many cruisers here is Apia collected medical supplies, food, etc... to send to the island with our new friends from Kalalau. They were heading that way anyhow, but left a few days early to get supplies there. The two young men that are crewing with them (Nick and Tory) bought lots of hammers, nails, gloves, tarps, etc... to take down to help rebuild whatever they can. The photo added to this entry is one of theirs - they went to the south side here in Samoa to check out the damage and offer help. They had just come back from a road trip of the island and wanted to check out if their new friends at a little fale (tiny hotel room) were okay. They both are great photographers and shared their photos. They were shocked to find their fale, along with the restaurant and family homes nearby were all completely washed away. I'll work on getting some more of the photos into the gallery - they're heartbreaking. In this picture, you can see tons of debris from several homes that were destroyed and if you can zoom in on the top right corner, you'll see a powerboat that was thrown up onto the roof of one of the houses. Another roof then landed back on top of the boat. Anyhow, we eagerly await what they find in Niuatoputapu. There have been a few reports (on SSB) from the 2 boats that were left unharmed in the anchorage there that there have been many deaths and a lot of destruction. I had put quite a few new photos in the gallery from our visit and went back to add comments on what we think may or may not be left.

A side story from Niuatoputapu... our new friend Laura, who owns the little Palm Tree Island Resort (and hosted the "Cabaret" party) had left for a trip to Fiji with one of the other sailboats. She had then flown from Savusavu to Suva to Nuku'alofa and was trying to catch a flight back to Niua, but couldn't because a beacon on the island had gone out and they wouldn't allow a plane to go. She had contacted us, knowing we were heading to Samoa, to see if there was a boat heading from Samoa to Niua. She was able to fly into Apia on the Monday night before the quake. We hadn't heard from her and were so thankful to finally hear she had made it safely. She stayed the night with us and then sailed off to see what may be left of her home with Kalalau. It should have been a day and a half trip, but we heard this morning that they were having to beat into the wind and it was going to take them an extra day to get there. On top of that, the markers for the passage through the reef had been washed away, so when they get there, they will have one heck of a time getting in to the anchorage. We're hoping to hear they make it safely tomorrow on the SSB.

I hope this doesn't seem to be endless rambling. We are still somewhat in shock that this horrible thing really did happen here where we are and had just recently been. I promise the next entry will be more positive - we really were enjoying Samoa before the Q and T hit! Big hugs to everyone and thanks for all the comments. We are thrilled to hear from all of you - and can't wait to catch up a little more personally with long lost friends and family that posted. :)

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Hi there! Just wanted to get a quick message out that we are safe and back on board the boat after the earthquake and tsunami warning that rocked through Samoa. We're a bit frazzled from the morning's events and adrenalin rush, but feeling very lucky and grateful.

We were still dozing in bed when the 7.9 quake started, but it lasted long enough for us to fully wake up, realize what was happening, throw on clothes, and get topside - and still it rumbled. Neither of us can remember ever feeling a quake quite that strong or one that lasted as long. A quake on the boat feels a bit different than on land - more of a jumping than a rolling rumble. Everyone in the marina was topside and wondering how long it was going to last - it seems usually by the time you realize what it is and start to act, it's over. Not the case this time. We were very happy when it finally stopped and went back down to try to catch another few minutes of shut-eye when alarms started ringing. At first we thought it was just sirens on emergency vehicles responding to the quake, but then the tsunami alarm went off - no misunderstanding that sound! We again threw clothes back on and Glen had the engine started and was starting to throw dock lines when we realized it was too late. The water was receding so fast, there was no way we could have gotten our boat out. A catamaran was the only yacht that made it out. A man from the port authority was running down the dock yelling for everyone to evacuate. Now, we have a ditch bag ready in case we should ever have to abandon the boat at sea, but hadn't ever thought of putting one together for ditching to land! I grabbed the camera and we both grabbed shoes and jumped off, but then went back for the computer, our paperwork file, passports, and wallet. It was hard to think what all to grab. Everyone was running off the dock and joining the people in the street - the police were making announcements to head for higher ground. All we could think of were the horrible pictures of what had happened in Sri Lanka. The thought of how "it" had all started with the water receding was flashing in our minds. It was very scary and we couldn't help but think, this really can't be happening to us. We ran and ran up the street trying to find out where we should go. When we got to the Aggie Grey Hotel, a man out front welcomed us in and told us to head for the 3rd floor. The stairwell was crowded and extremely hot because it is enclosed in glass. Everyone from the lower floors were already on the 3rd floor as well. We made our way through the crowd and were trying to find a view out so we could see the marina. A nice couple on holiday from New Zealand invited us into their room and we all stood out on the balcony watching the water in the harbor recede to the point it was dry, then rush back in with waves crashing on the seawall. It was at that point we realized if there really was a "big one" the third floor was not going to be high enough, but there was no where else to go. We just kept standing there with our new kiwi friends and watched. There were times when it seemed like it must be over - the water in the harbor went calm, but within a minute or so, it would start it's mad rush back out, then in again. Luckily our cell phone was in my little backpack I had grabbed and it surprised us when it started ringing. How wonderful to hear Darlene's voice on the other end - a very comforting feeling. We hadn't heard any "official" news, so it was great to hear about the magnitude and the epicenter of the quake. Unfortunately, when we got the new SIM card here in Samoa, it wiped out all of our saved numbers, so we had no way to call anyone else - sorry!

We stayed on the 3rd floor of Aggie Grey's for about an hour and a half, then they announced breakfast was being served downstairs - yeah!!! We noticed quite a bit of damage (cracks) on the walls in the hotel as we made our way down. They still wouldn't allow us to leave the hotel and go back down the road to the boat, but at least they felt it was safe enough to go to the ground floor. It was a pricey breakfast buffet, but we joined in anyway. Poor Glen hadn't managed to get a shirt on before leaving the boat and there were a few odd looks that he was dining half dressed, but then there were people wandering around in their pajamas as well, so no worries! After another hour or so, we made a break for it and headed back to the boat. The warning had not yet been canceled, but the waters had calmed and we felt we would be safe. It was such a good feeling to see that all the boats in the marina were fine. We had two fenders pop from the boat hitting so hard against them and the dock, when the surge was so high, but no real damage.

It is now 5 hours since the first rumble of the quake and the warning has just now been canceled. You guys at home probably know a lot more of the facts than we do, but this is what we know so far.... three people were killed in a village close to the airport here on 'Upolu (the main island of Samoa) and the airport has been closed. In American Samoa, boats sitting on moorings in 30 feet of water touched bottom when the water receded from the PagoPago harbor, but from what we have heard, there were no losses. The airport there had spray from crashing waves flying up onto the runway - 300 feet up! The southern sides of both Samoa and American Samoa have been hit harder than the northern sides (where we are!). There were tsunami warnings going out as far as Hawaii and it was expected that New Zealand may be hit as well. We cannot get internet to get more info. This is just what we have heard on the local radio. We hope there haven't been any other casualties and or major property damage. We also hope we never have to go through anything like this again! :)

If the picture makes it through with this entry, it was taken from the balcony of the hotel showing when the water was receding from the harbor. The water would normally be covering the whole area and several feet up the rock walls. You can see the marina, just a tiny little thing, on the other side of the rock jetty. The sign in the picture is to remind people that starting on September 7th, they switched which side of the road they drive on!

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Talofa, or hello, from Samoa. We love hearing the locals say their country's name - its elongated to Saw-moa, with emphasis on the Saw! It is lovely and surprisingly very modern - big buildings, tons of cars on the road, and even a McDonalds! After all the local cuisine in Fiji (did I mention the goat curry?!!) and our own home cooking for so long again, we might just break down and have a Big Mac sometime soon. Yikes! Scary thought!

We arrived in Apia Harbor on Sunday afternoon after a very pleasant sail from Niuatoputapu. The winds had turned and were blowing from the southeast, pushing us perfectly in the right direct. It was sooo nice not beating into it! We left on Saturday morning, sailed all day and night and then did it again on the next day - yet another Saturday! We crossed back over the date line, so we got back the day we lost last year and are again on the same day of the week as home. Other than a humpback whale as we first left the anchorage in Tonga and then some tiny little dolphins right outside the harbor here, we didn't see much. No fish and only one other sailboat that we passed about halfway through the trip. Of course, we did have a few difficulties along the way - what would a passage be without challenges?!!! First, the generator refused to start, giving us a major panic attack after all the $ just spent on its repair, but thankfully it turned out to be just a low battery. For some reason, the electric fuel pump on it hadn't shut off the last time we turned it off and had run the battery down. We're not real happy the wiring isn't perfect, but at least Glen was able to figure it out and we now know to manually check the pump each time we shut it down. Next, the cooling water pump for the freezer seized up and wouldn't run. What is it with these pumps?!!! There was no fixing it while under way, but Glen was again able to work his magic once we got in. He totally took the pump apart, spoke sweet nothings into its impeller, lubed it and tuned it, and then put it all back together. He's very happy to say, it is now a happy little pump and is pushing more water than it has in quite some time! The last problem arose right when we pulled into the harbor. We had been given permission by the port authority to come in and drop anchor but as we came through the entrance, we somehow caught some type of line in the water on our prop. The boat started vibrating and wouldn't shift into reverse. As soon as we got the hook dropped, Captain Glen (who I think needs a super hero costume at this point... red tights, under a blue lavalava, maybe?!!!) grabbed his fins and mask and jumped in to check out the situation. Luckily, in the process of trying to shift forward-reverse, forward-reverse, the rope cutter on the propeller cleared the line, so Super Glen's job turned out to be a mere inspection. :) Customs and immigration are not open on Sunday, so we waited until Monday morning for our clearance into the country. A little boat came out to get us and lead us into a marina area run by "SPA" - Samoa Port Authority. The water got VERY shallow (maybe a foot or so under the keel) coming around a little break water and into the slip we were assigned. We do know, now, our backup shallow alarm works very nicely and after finding the manual, were even able to get it turned off! The marina here is lovely. Not very big, but nice. It is a real marina in the sense there are floating docks we can step down on - no crawling up and over the bow pulpit here! We would prefer to be at anchor because it doesn't cost, but there aren't very many good spots to anchor, so we will enjoy the luxury of a slip for a few days as we explore the area. Most of Monday was spent waiting for the four officials to come and clear us in. The health official, quarantine official, customs official, and then finally the immigration guy came to the boat and we then became "official!" All of our visitors were very friendly and no one wanted any money - yeah! Tonga should take a lesson from Samoa!

We've been out walking the streets (just had to put it that way for Sunday! :) and exploring the town of Apia. Tonight we are going to a Fiafia (cultural show and buffet dinner) at Aggy Grey's Hotel (very famous because of the lady who starred in Mitchner's South Pacific movie long, long ago!) and then tomorrow we are going on a sight seeing tour with a few new cruising friends we met at the marina. We cannot get internet on our boat, but can go to a cafe close by - will try to get some pictures posted in the next few days. We ended up buying a Samoan SIM card for our phone (how did "needing" a cell phone fall back into our life?!!!), but it is pretty pricey to call the states. Just in case, though, our new number is (685 - country code) 761-0377. I'll save all the fun info we've been learning about Samoa until our next entry, but if anyone knows where in Samoa Junior Seau's family is from, we'd love to know!!!

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