Time to Go
10 April 2013 | Majuro, Marshall Islands
Rod

It just about time to go.
After an enjoyable “off –season” here in Majuro, we are set to leave this weekend for Tuvalu. Every off-season we give the boat back what we manage to take out of her over the cruising season. She now has new varnish, filters, oil changed, greased windlass and furler, etc, etc.
We have also played and enjoyed ourselves while here, but we did not get to get out and explore the outer islands. We simply had to much to do and then we had parcels mailed from the US that we needed to wait for. Perhaps this was the biggest factor in us not getting away from Majuro. The Marshalls use the US Postasl system, and even have a US zip code, so USPS Priority Mail is the easiest way to get something here. We got wheels for the dinghy, lights, filters, etc, all of which arrived very quickly. However nothing is perfect, so our two bank cards also sent USPS Priority went missing. This seems to be the norm with envelopes, as we were told by long time residents here. But yesterday, our last expected important mail arrived, so the system does work, although it may be a bit klunky. Considering that we are in one of the most remote regions in the Pacific, it is quite remarkable that it works as well as it does.
Yesterday, we did our provisioning. With the passage to Tuvalu expected to take about 8 or 9 days (1000 miles), and then not being too sure of what kinds of groveries we will find in Tuvalu, we have stocked the pantry well. We have all of the snacks we like to have on night watch. (It is amazing how nice a little piece of chocolate is at 02:00 while you are alone with the sea and the stars trying to stay alert.)
Today is laundry day, since once we leave, it is back to hand washing, and remember that we are on water conservation mode while on passage. We have the water maker, but it costs electricity to operate and only makes 7 gallons per hour. It is a nice luxury compared to how sailors used to live on passage, but still not like ashore.
Tonight we will have a night out with friends enjoying pizza and dart playing at a local restaurant/bar called Flame Tree. One last good computer session today (as I now am doing) at the TideTable restaurant. Then later today, we say good bye to the local people we have come to know, to other yachties who we may or may not ever see again. We do the official check out of the country with Customs and Immigration tomorrow morning, then, we are off to an anchorage just inside the pass where we will clean the bottom, spend the night and depart on Sunday morning.
You will, as always, be able to track our progress by using the map on the right side of this page. Since our updates will be coming to you from over the SSB radio, there will be no photos – they will have to wait until we have proper internet again.
Thanks for being here, and it is always good to get your comments. Be excellent to each other.
Rod and Elisabeth
“Your Rock and Roll Argonauts”