27/08/2008 0735UTC 14 16.433S 170 41.620W Day 445 Up at 0630 26C, Partly Cloudy, Wind ESE 5-15 Knots.

[Above, a solitary coconut palm stands vigil on a small islet near the village of Leone on the SW coast of Tutuila Island, American Samoa.]

With first light this morning I tumbled into the cockpit and was pleased to see that the wind had dropped for the first time in two weeks. It was blowing 5-10 knots, with few gusts to 15 knots, but I figured there may not be another day like this for quite some time. I hailed my friend Jack from s/v Tracen J and asked him to give us a hand bending-on the genoa. I got the sail ready, grabbed the tools I needed and prepared the boatswain's chair.

When Jack arrived, 1st Mate and 2nd Mate winched me up the mast. Then, Jack worked the foredeck, feeding the sail into its slot in the furling extrusion; 1st Mate handled the sheets; and 2nd Mate manned the halyard winch. The genoa went up. Aloft, I used a large screwdriver and my gloved hands to keep the halyard from wrapping on the furling tube, and soon the sail was not only hoisted, but rolled-up properly, too. While I still have to finish the project when the new bearing arrives, the hardest part is now done.

That task out of the way, we headed for shore and rented a car. Our plan is to see as much of the island as we can over the next couple of days. We started by heading W to the village of Leone and then a ways up the winding coast road -- great views in this area which we hadn't seen before. After a junk food stop and a line of bowling at the local alley, we drove back around Pago Pago Harbor and turned N to cross Tutuila Island. The curvy, steep road pushed the little rental car to its limits, but the drive was certainly worth it. We went into the national park, Paka O Amerika Samoa, which is run by the US National Park Service. We were treated to thrilling panoramas of the N coast, which is a rocky, surf-swept shore with scattered sandy beaches. [We'll share these amazing sights with you after we discover, and photograph, more of American Samoa tomorrow and the next day. By week's end, I'll post a host of new photos from our exploration in the Gallery.]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~If you're into adventure in Southeast Alaska, a stop at Nugget Alaskan Outfitter would be in order. NAO has what you'll want to be wearing for most any outdoor pursuit, as well as the gadgets and gear to complete your kit. Nugget Alaskan Outfitter, (NAO for short) is located in the Nugget Mall in Juneau, Alaska, Wind Dancer's homeport. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Crew Quarters"

1st Mate: I need a new butt! I can hardly sit anymore as what little padding I have has been worn down on passages and hard-seat buses. With that wonderful news, we did rent a car today to cruise the island. The kids had a ball in the play areas at the fast food restaurants we hit today. Bowling was different in that we were the only ones there and they just lit up our lane. Grace struggled a bit as it was her first time without the bumper rail but we all had fun.

The main focus today was getting to areas of the island we haven't seen by bus. It is amazing how big this island is. It is a lot like Tahiti in how far each side goes and how different the terrain is. We saw gorgeous jungle and mountainside. The sea is majestic all the way around with huge surf and scattered rock islands. The greatest part was the National Park area that goes up 410m; we had our ears pop for the first time in quite a while. At the mountain pass, I cracked up when Grace said, "I am SO getting out here!" We enjoyed several scenic views and took some great pictures.

We plan to get the rest of our shopping done tomorrow since we have the car. I need to provision staples like oil, eggs, butter and hopefully some fresh fruit, veggies and meat. It is strange how one must shop in all the stores to find needed items. Some stores carry one thing and others another, unlike the States where every product is available in every grocery store. Mexico was a bit like this also. It is a real treasure hunt.

2nd Mate: Wildlife seen today: least tern, frigate bird, unknown species of rail and some new (to us) shore swallows.

Woke up around 0615. The wind died down again today to a whopping 5 knots. So, we turned to power conservation mode. Around 0910, Jack from Tracen J. came by to help us with our jib. We've yet to get the bearing part, but we got as much done as we could, which included hoisting Dad up in the boatswain's chair.

We went ashore and rented a car from the gas station for two full days. We drove up to the National Park visitor's center and got a map before heading into town. We got a lot of errands done. We bought some hardware parts and we got lunch at McDonalds. Then, we went bowling for the first time since Juneau! We found a bowling alley and rented a lane. We all had a blast and we all worked on our techniques.

We went back to the harbor and, after locking up the dinghy, we went down the road the other way to visit a national park. We got there and found a stunning view! It was gorgeous; and we even found a neat little nature trail that we might go down one of these days. We drove back into town and got some KFC for dinner. We haven't had KFC for a long time. We drove back and are now resting. We plan to just watch a few cartoons tonight as it's late.

Cabin Girl: The weather today: partly cloudy, light wind, the high today was 31C, the barometer is 1011 and rising, the moon is waning towards new. I woke up and had chocolate cherry coconut cake for breakfast because Mom rocks! Then we all went ashore and rented a car. We went to some hardware stores and we went to McDonalds. It had a big play area. Then we went bowling in the bowling alley! It was very fun. Then, we went back and drove up a hill and saw beautiful views. We went back to the dinghy dock to check on our dinghy. Then we went back to town and ate at KFC. I played in their play area also. Then we back to the dinghy dock and drove back to the boat.