Miss Behaving

Hello again. Well we have been busy which combined with an almost total lack of internet may serve as an excuse. Real truth is we haven’t stopped for the past 15 days.

Arrival here was on 4th June. All I can say is don’t trust Navionics. Had we followed their chart we would have ran aground trying to make it the 700 metres to where it said we should be. It was back to basic map reading and a healthy respect for the depth sounder.

After a few days rest our two crew members decided to head back to Philippines and cement their relationship further. We immediately met 4 other cruisers each of whom have more than 5 years sailing non stop. They have all just arrived from Micronesia as a loose convoy so they were full of stories of the what when where of Micronesia, our next stop. This all depends on mother nature of course.

After a few days longer we all agreed to take an inter island ferry down to the WW2 Battlefield of Peleliu. This is the dead season (no pun intended) for Peleliu and all hotels (one) and motels (3) are closed. We managed to get one of them to accept us and off we went on the 3 hour ferry ride. The motel was great but no food was available leaving us to prepare spaghetti using a borrowed kitchen. Next day was an overview tour of the whole island. This left the hardy 3 of us to take a bicycle tour back to the battlefield. I chose to take a track leading towards high ground and a reservoir and immediately we were confronted with dozens of caves. Some were large enough to fit a house. All had terrible battle damage and most are littered with unexploded bombs and artillery shells.

One cave caught my eye due to lack of a worn path and inside it was littered with the usual bombs, Saki bottles, boot soles, pick axe heads and in one corner the bones of some poor chap. The damage to the bones was consistent with having been blown up. We notified the authority and trust that he will be repatriated soon. I am certain there are many more such discoveries in the more than 500 caves littering Bloody Nose Ridge, the main battle field site.

On 15th June we secured our cruising permit for the Rock Islands for boat and selves. This is necessary otherwise you can’t leave Malakal Harbour. The cost is quite reasonable given that you are in one of the best diving spots in the world. We joined with 2 other cruisers all of whom are experienced divers. Just as well because the next day we were in 90ft of murky water looking at a sunken Japanese supply ship complete with cargo and guns. That was my birthday present and it was amazing.

This was the start of a 9 day trip including a total of 10 dives on some of the most amazing wrecks , reefs and channels I have seen. My fellow divers include 2 couples, an American and his partner and a retired Australian and his partner. I did my deepest dive at more than 105ft diving on a 500ft long supply ship standing upright. We also dived a severely damaged Japanese Torpedo boat complete with live torpedos, an American Avenger aircraft which crashed trying to sink the above boat and a Japanese Sea plane who came to grief on a hill top while attempting what I was told was a Kamikaze attack.

The American I was with is David MacCampbell, son of the highest scoring US Navy fighter ace (34 kills). David is a real gentleman, quiet, unassuming and an expert diver. I have learnt so much being able to dive with him.

What amazes me is when you surface you are back to a pristine environment surrounded by amazing limestone islands. On the surface of most of the islands waterways there is no sign of the battle that raged about except perhaps for the odd destroyed naval canon peeking out from a cave here and there.

Yesterday we all went on a walk to visit the German Lighthouse. This was a built in about 1890 by the Germans and their perfection is still very evident. The Japanese built the lighthouse into a 120mm Naval gun emplacement and hence it was a prime target when the Americans attacked. Wrecked Canons and rounds (defused) lie scattered around.

Anyhow Irina and I are having a rest for a few days while we recover from the gruelling diving adventure and also looking at the weather for an idea of what lies ahead.

All I can say is that getting here was a test for everyone and including the boat. We are learning so much both about ourselves and also about the boat and what you need and don’t need. Some of the needs are: heaps of diesel, a very good generator, air-conditioning, heaps of water, a water maker with 50GPD output, a good forward looking sonar for the coral reefs and bommies, a good freezer and fridge, good boat covers to keep the inside heat to a sane level, as much solar as you fit on the boat. The new solar system we installed has been a fantastic addition. On most days we average 26 amps per hour for more than 5 hours. This fills up the batteries and keeps the freezer happy. You also need a large reliable dinghy with as big an outboard as you can handle and afford. It needs to be stable enough to permit divers to climb over the sides, have a hard bottom, and be able to plane with 2 people and full dive gear. Our little Aquapro and 9.8HP Parsun looks and performs more like a Hong Kong water police boat and barges its way through the water at less than desirable speeds with more than 2 bodies aboard!

Cheers and we look forward to updating you with more info and photos soon. I have chosen the most poignant photo, that of the Japanese remains. My wedding ring is there for judging size. He was well blown up judging by the bone damage.

Kev and Irina.