Legacy of War and More

The Majuro lagoon is filled with wrecks and the shoreline lined with ancient (WWII or earlier) and not-so-ancient ruins of boats and vehicles.

Garbage Goes to Sea

And it's not always garbage that will decompose...presumably this 'frig has a plastic liner.

Brick House Re-Masted!

Friends Rebecca and Patrick had spent well over six months in Majuro replacing their mast that they lost 500 miles south in Kiribati. This was the day they finally sailed out...you can see the joy on their faces as they pull away west towards the pass.

SSCA Hosts

Carey & Karen on Seal are the SSCA Cruising Station Hosts in Majuro. We had corresponded with them for a number of years before ever meeting them. They also hail from the Puget Sound

Waan Aelon in Majel

Meaning "Canoes of the Marshall Islands"...the "WAM" center, a non-profit, helps to keep the traditions of canoe building and sailing alive. Canoes race in club races.

Canoes

The Marshallese were perhaps the best sailors of the Pacific. It was here that the stick charts were developed to help illustrate the location of the atolls. These, combined with location of celestial bodies and the reading of swell characteristics and bird life, helped Marshallese to navigate with ease amongst the atolls that stretch across the NW Pacific.

Mieco Beach YC

The local yacht club (clubhouse is a corner of the restaurant at the Marshall Islands Resort) hosts a learn to sail day for crew interested in club racing. Here Wakataitea and Hawkeye tack back and forth with students aboard.

Learn to Sail Day

Here Karen on Seal helps explain sailing theory to one of the college students participating in the Mieco Beach Learn to Sail day.

Island Rose

Barney, a brilliant, retired aeronautical engineer, lives on Majuro atoll with his wife Mary. Granddaughter Zoey from Kansas is a freshman at the College of Marshall Islands. Barney is vice-commodore of the Mieco Beach YC.

Making Rather Merry...

for Christmas. Yachties and friends gather at the Bokanake for a holiday feast.

Renova

Captain John's brother Ron was visiting from Vancouver

Lovely Marshallese Siblings

Eugene, Anastasia and Violetta....

Dancing Beauty

Violetta, known as Cowrie to those familiar, danced shyly for us at Christmas.

Another Dancing Beauty

Her older sister, Anastasia or, as she is known to her family, "Honey", also danced a lovely Polynesian dance.

Carina's Crew

sans Jake the fat cat, Christmas 2011 Majuro

Raynad Leaving a Clean Wake

SSCAers John and Kristy aboard Raynad made the "mistake" of agreeing to take provisions to the island of Ailuk that had been without a supply boat for four months. 1500+ kilos of supplies arrived at the dock along with all of the relatives of the islanders who reside in Majuro. They arrived in Ailuk two days later and received an equally warm welcome there.

Race for Barney

Between the time we began this photo gallery and today, Feb 19, 2012, our good friend Barney passed away. The last race of the season for the Mieco Beach YC was dedicated to his memory. Claude and Jackie of Celsius acted as the race committee boat in Barney's absence. Pictured are Molly II and Seal along with one of the canoes from WAM.

A Day in the Life....

Leslie pulls away from "Shoreline" dinghy dock with a large parcel, headed towards Carina. (Christina Fowler photo)

And the sun goes down...

With spring came spectacular sunsets, so pretty it was hard to notice the nappies floating by...