Suwarrow feels like a yacht haven. It is officially a Cook Island National Park, and two caretakers live here from April (I think) until November to check boats in and keep an eye on things. We arrived three days ago already, on Wednesday, September 19, after a short and relatively uneventful passage from Manihiki. We saw over a dozen sailboats already anchored as we came through the pass. Although the atoll consists of very little land-it is mostly submerged reef and very small motus-the anchorage is protected from the swell and it feels wonderful to be here. Having heard there were many boats in Suwarrow (which is uninhabited), Mark and I were a bit apprehensive about coming and hanging out with a bunch of yachties. Our apprehension couldn't have been more misguided. We have enjoyed the company of everyone we have met and we continue to be astonished at how generous, interesting, and friendly people are. Not that we expected them to be miserly, boring, and mean, but still. There were about 15 boats here, ranging from 26 feet long to 110 feet long. Several have left today (including the 26-footer and the 110-footer); only seven of us remain. Our first day, we were informed that there was usually a gathering ashore in the evening at which people shared their daily catch and other dishes. So we grabbed some tuna, leftover rice and a thermos of wine and headed over round sunset. We met people from Australia, New Zealand, Panama, Brazil, New Brunswick, US, and Canada, among other places. Most people are on their way to New Zealand for the summer, like us. Most, unlike us, have come through French Polynesia. We also met the two caretakers, Manihiki natives Harry and Anthony. The next morning, we went for a snorkel and communed with an enormous manta ray. As we swam alongside, over, and under it, we marveled at its slow, gentle elegance. It was significantly bigger than Mark; we easily could have touched it. It swam in slow circles with its cavernous mouth wide open, so we could clearly see inside it. There were little "cleaner" fish inside and out which seemed to be grooming. We'll post some pictures when we get online. That evening, the shore festivities were canceled due to rain. Many people (including us) took the opportunity to spread out their salt-encrusted clothing on deck for a fresh-water rinse. Others simply rinsed their skins. Mark and I played some music, ate more tuna, and read from our current book, The Misty Islands. Yesterday morning, there was a call on the radio asking if anyone had a ½ inch socket driver to lend. I responded that we did, and Mark headed over to a fancy looking 50-foot catamaran to drop it off. When we went back later to pick it up, we stayed for a cold beer and a visit-wow. Washing machine, televisions, cushioned navigation station from which to stand watch, 3 heads, walk-in shower, unlimited fresh water, two big freezers and fridge-an entirely different experience. I have to admit I was envious of the washing machine. Joni and Ken have been living onboard for 4-5 years. They spent several years in the Caribbean, came through the canal, French Polynesia, and are headed to Hawaii for the winter/hurricane season. They were interested in our experiences in Manihiki, Fanning, and Palmyra, as they are headed that way. We stayed for quite a while, then headed home to finish preparing our roasted pumpkin to bring to the potluck onshore that night. We also brought the guitar and ukulele. There were two other guitars, and both Harry and Anthony sing and Harry plays. Harry sang a Cook Island Maori farewell song that he has agreed to teach me. We met the crew off the fancy 110-foot boat Silvertip. They were here for a very short stop on delivery from French Polynesia to their home base in New Zealand. As I was waxing poetic about the catamaran's washing machine to Anna, she invited me the following morning to do a load of wash on Silvertip and have a cup of tea. It's a date! So this morning I headed over in the dinghy and chatted with the crew on deck while the load ran-it brought me back to my yachting days. Most of the crew stayed onshore quite late last night and were moving pretty slowly this morning �... but they left for Fiji shortly after I left with my clean laundry (and a few eggs that Anna tucked into my bag!). We planned on catching up in New Zealand. Mark and I dove on the anchor this morning and attached a float on the rode to keep the line off the bottom. As we were working, several sharks approached us to observe. They look a whole lot bigger when you're in the water with them! Shortly after, I got an invite to join a scrabble game on another boat-two dates in one day for me! While I played scrabble with the ladies, Mark scrubbed the waterline and did other productive things. The game was just about over when it was cut short by a squall, which drove us back to our own boats to batten down hatches and secure loose items on deck. It seems like it might be another quiet evening in. Mark is playing the fiddle, I just took the bread out of the oven and may attempt to accompany him on guitar.