Web entry- sv encanto
2007 November 9
Pago Pago, American Samoa

Saturday, 11/3/07

John spends time everyday, sitting on deck, starring out to the landscape, and quietly contemplating the world. Over my mumbles, sometimes my grumbles and my Chinese tendency to be perpetually actively engaged, “hard working Chinese isn’t that the stereotype”, I am often blinded by his assumed laconic state of being. It prevents me from realizing that his “sitting on deck”, “sitting on butt” time is in fact, “productive” time. Time he uses to solve problems, to consider his environment and to piece, a whole from the fragments shattered before him. Our contrary personality tendencies and approaches to a situation has become our marriage’s asset. We are clearly a team who without our complimentary and sometimes contrary approach to problems, just wouldn’t be as well resolved or executed without both of us being fully involved. It is an oversimplification to state that he sits, I move; he ponders, I act; he teases, I giggle.

Obviously, his “deck time” paid off. Left alone, he realized that we are sitting next to, one of the busiest shipyards in the Pacific and if the shipyard here can’t repair our steel boat, who could? For once, I think there was a pause to all his usual cursing about Encanto being a rust bucket. At least with a steel rust bucket, we can go anywhere in the world to have it repaired since 98% of the big boats in the world are made of steel.

A Canadian cruiser has been in American Samoa since September and works at the shipyard as ”Mr. Fix-It” of all types of large machinery. Like folks in China use to be, Latin America is now and the Pacific Islanders can be, we can make the generalization that, these people spend the capital investment on machinery and equipment, but the skill and propensity to maintain the equipment is lost on them. Much of what he is doing is fixing machinery that have been worn down and abused. With a new President at the helm of the shipyard, all this might change, on the other hand, in any corporation in American Samoa, there are cultural norms of nepotism, lack of skill, and in bred cultural work ethics that are deeply seeded obstacles to American Capitalism and efficiency even after 200 years of American and European presence.

Anyhow, our fellow cruiser was able to direct John to the shipyard’s President to discuss options for repairing Encanto. As often is true, it isn’t what you know but whom you know.

Wednesday, 11/7/07

John buzzed across the anchorage to the shipyard where he met Bob, the President of the shipyard (MYD Samoa). An American, Bob, has been in American Samoa for three months, coming from roots in the Midwest. John and Bob shared stories and then, three hours later, began the process of understanding our situation and our needs to repair the boat.

MYD Samoa is a major shipyard. Large tuna purse seiners pull up for repairs, as do other major boats. The shipyard is tucked in between the Samoa Power Authority’s Plant and the Empresses Can Factory (they make the cans). Further down, about a quarter of a mile on the north shore is the StarKist Tuna canning factory. Yes, StarKist, just like on your local American grocery shelves. Next time you’re in the store, see if the can says, “Processed in American Samoa”.

Bob assures us he has a quality team of welders and that his team can do the job; both fabricating our new parts and welding them in place. It will take several days to complete the job. Labor costs are at USA prices, $65/hour.

To confirm the scope of the project and prepare a cost estimate, John motored over in our dinghy to pick Bob up at the shipyard, and then ferried them back to Encanto. Huddled on deck, they took a mere ten minutes to confer. Then, Bob came below. He imagined a cramped, dark, overstuffed boat for four people. Claustrophobic thoughts were abandoned the moment he cocked his head, to avoid the companionway hatch and stepped down the three rungs into our Main Salon. Like many, his positive reaction surprised even him, as he scanned the room’s light birch interior, the spaciousness of the Main Salon with our 13’ long table, filled with school papers and books and the ease to which we have made this boat, “our home”. Later, he would learn that the entire interior was built and designed by John, which left Bob appropriately impressed.

Bob stayed a bit longer aboard than even he expected. Of course, he took the normal boat tour, from tool shed to the four bedrooms. But then with that out of the way, he promptly pulled up a chair, sat down, and began to “get to know the family”. He started with a line of queries about our lifestyle. Captivated by our charms or the intermittent rain showers of American Samoa, he lingered aboard. Even the frequent jingles from his cell phone could not distract him from his enthusiastic curiosity, a cup of java, handfuls of cookies and chocolate kisses, as he wandered aloud about our cruising lifestyle. How can four people live together on a boat, day in and day out, for nearly five years? Over the next two hours or was it three hours, he chatted with us, bantered with the girls and challenged them about their interests, their schoolwork, and their life on a boat. Hearing that the girls are reading two John Steinbeck novels, Bob insisted that the girls are living on Cannery Row and must read that novel. Alas, it is one of the few Steinbeck novels that we do not have aboard. No surprise, coming as he does from the middle of the country, he was unfamiliar with people who choose this lifestyle. First impressions are always dangerous, but I think we are safe to say that Bob is an intellectually curious man, quick of wit and charming in the way that President’s of companies can be or should be.

On Thursday (11/8), John raised our anchor and motored the half a mile from the anchorage to the north shore. It was a calm morning and the Captain pulled up anchor without his crew, only later calling us on deck to handle the lines as we slowly approached the shipyard’s waterfront. Well, it isn’t as glamorous as a waterfront, more like an edge of a concrete dock. The shipyard is a shipyard; full of scrap metal clangs, derelict rusting boats, the occasional sight of welding sparks, smoke ascending from pipes on the roofs of sheet metal warehouse structures, and the usual roaming cat, dog and probably large rats. Yuck.

Line handling assistance came easily from those working at the shipyard. Even when we had a minor problem with the lack of any cleats on the dock, the workmen figured out a way to secure us. Obviously, there is great potential for the shipyard to handle small boats. Maybe we’ll plant an idea with Bob for the cruiser’s need for a quality small boat haul out operation in the South Pacific?

Additional, good news, while in the shipyard, we should be able to get hooked up to electricity and water. Several of us look forward to daily showers and abundant power to use the computer or watch movies.

We are tucked in between the power plant and the cannery. This is quite a different landscape view from the anchorage. However, early morning does bring us songbirds, the ever-abundant Myna birds and endemic starlings. American Samoa has an overpopulation of these unwelcome pest birds, the Myna, who are known in New Zealand, Hawaii, Fiji and the Cook Islands for their damage to fruit crops, spread of disease, and may compete with native bird species. They are often confused with the other starlings on the islands, the endemic Samoan starlings and the Polynescian starlings. Both are delightful songbirds. In addition, behind the shipyard is Mount Alava ridge, where we watch as the white terns soar in the hillside, clusters of three, four and six.

Encanto is positioned behind the shipyard warehouse buildings. The buildings buffer us from the constant drone of the power plant. We still get the occasional whiffs of the tuna factory farts; tolerable-- for like farts, there is the instant whiff that twists the nose to stand to attention, then like being in an elevator carrying only two passengers, the culprit is quickly identified but accusations are unnecessary.

Repairs will take a few days, maybe even a working week, to cut the deck, fabricate the parts (new chain plate/stem head fitting and associated parts), then grind and weld the parts in place. Not a simple task, but it must be done. We continue to be pleased with the good news, that John discovered the woe before a disaster happened.

We’ve been doing our research, chatting it up among ourselves, weighing all the pros and cons for what happens once repairs to the boat are completed. Do we scurry (1,500 miles in two weeks) to the Marshall Islands? Thereby, miss visits to many of the islands in between, including: Western Samoa, Wallis, Tuvalu, and Kiribati, then sit in the Marshall Islands from December to March? Once we pass the Pacific islands listed above, the currents, winds and the timing are not favorable to travel back south and then north to visit the islands.

OR, alternately, do we stay here in American Samoa. Hunker down for cyclone season, then leave in March to explore the northern islands from Apia to Midway. We would spend less time in the Marshall Islands, instead visit them, as we would the other islands, a few days here and there. All of these islands are reported to be as wonderful for seclusion, healthy reef life and excellent snorkeling, as the South Pacific (except possibly the port at Tarawa, which is acclaimed to be the armpit of the Pacific-where diapers and sewage drift with abandon.)

We have made our decision.

We've decided to stay in American Samoa through cyclone season. This is not necessarily due to the boat repair project, although we hope it doesn’t take any longer than a week to fix the boat. Optimistic aren’t we? Instead, our decision is for a variety of other reasons.

This island is a good stable place to concentrate on the girl's schooling since it is the last year we'll be able to really influence their curriculum. John and I hope that the girls will finish most of their schooling in the next five months so they can truly enjoy our travels from March to May without the responsibilities of their curriculum studies. (In May, we leave to make the 5,000+-mile passage across the Pacific to California)

In addition, there is access to the Internet and public library resources that could help our schooling efforts. At the shipyard, John met the manager, Ethan, of Blue Phone Inc. From their conversations and budding friendship Ethan helped re-establish Internet Wi-Fi at the local café for free. We don’t know if this will just be for the month of November, as a new system is being considered but not ready for release and execution. The Island Café is the site of the wi-fi support and the owner is excited to hear that the free Internet has been extended another month. The Island Café has the best fruit smoothies, my favorite being the Mango madness, and according to John, delicious, tall Café Lattes (better than the newly opened competitor, McCafe in Tufuna). Obviously, wi-fi, Internet access will enable the girls to supplement their schoolwork and support their Internet habit: Sami’s love of Runescape and Gaby’s to People OnLine.

In addition, we hope, we’ll be able to get access to the Public Library, which is within a bus ride (2 miles) from the dinghy dock. Obtaining an American Samoa Library Card. What fun! Access to books we don’t have aboard. What fun! Ok, maybe this doesn’t sound like much to those of you who have such resources easily available to you, but remember we live on a boat in remote places. We don’t get current magazines, daily newspapers, and assortment of books or current affairs information. For us, this is like discovering the mother lode; a wealth of easily accessible current information is new for us that we don’t take for granted.

In addition, staying here will enable us to get other deferred projects done on the boat. The list as always, is long including repairs and maintenance items.

Most of all, we will have time to explore more of the seven islands that compose American Samoa. Tutuila is the largest of the islands and where we will spend most of our time. Maybe, we’ll make the time to hike the ridgeline of Mount Alava, or hike through Rainmaker Mountain National Natural Landmark or visit Vaiava Strait in the National Park on Tutuila?

Pola island rises more than 400 feet straight out of the ocean just off of Tutuila, and is a bird nesting site for many seabirds, including White Tropicbird with red tail feathers, frigatebirds and boobies. We never tire of visiting bird nesting sights.

And even though I am only an amateur birdwatcher, I am fascinated at finding out that American Samoa is the refuge destination of birds that annually make the long flight from Alaska, flying 3,000 miles, non-stop then stopping briefly to rest in Hawaii then continuing on to fly and arrive in Samoa, another 2,000 miles. Flying 5,000 miles for summer vacation on two wings. Wow! These shorebirds cannot land on water to take a rest, their feathers are not waterproof, if they did; they would drown. Coming from Alaska and the northern Canadian tundra where they live with the likes of caribou, grizzly bears, mountain sheep and golden eagles, these shorebirds: Golden Plovers, Wandering Tattlers and Ruddy Turnstones, make this annual trek in late northern summer. Last week, I was fortunate to see plovers strolling on shore, totally unaware that they had come so far for their southern hemisphere summer get-a-way. Their amazing physical ability is an incredible navigational feat. In April/May, most return to Alaska for their northern summer. Can you imagine living always in perpetual summertime by flying from one hemisphere to the next?

Perhaps, we will be able to stretch our funds to fly to the nearby Manu’a Islands, 60 miles east of Tutuila. Ta’u, one of the reef islands in the Manu’a, is where Margaret Mead did anthropological research. Perhaps like her, we can experience the Samoan Culture on these sparsely populated and remote islands.

Rose Atoll is a U.S National Wildlife Refuge, a coral atoll, but we understand it is not possible to visit them. The National Park Office is down the street and easily accessible to us. Friendly and very generous with their time, the staff is gathering information to preserve the natural habitats of the islands, monitor their health and stability, and then educate all of us. I’m not sure how many of the Samoan’s care about the National Park Service’s (NPS) presence; it may just be like all the other US Agencies that preside here with their abundant funds and American agendas. I suspect the NPS has a tough job ahead of them, navigating and integrating cultural preservation with the natural landscape preservation aims.

Did you know that the US Secretary of the Interior has total jurisdiction over these islands? With a single pen stroke he/she can change the face of these islands. The funds that keep American Samoa afloat is 90% US sourced. If every the US decided to pull the plug, this island would sink.

Alas, these kinds of findings have us enjoying our stay. We feel like we are living in a superficially simplistic island life (Hey, Dude, ain’t island life, Tight!) with a philosophically complicated reality. Quips come to mind as fitting American Samoa, such as: “big fish in a small pond”, “able to stand apart or able to make a difference”, “seeing the ordinary amongst the extraordinary”, “cultural independence surviving financial dependence”, “big guy, little guy”, “corruption and deceit, win all or lose all?”

Perhaps, we remain tourists on our honeymoon, but the longer we stay, the longer we find something, clearly intriguing, about this place that fascinates, us. Essentially, isn’t this why we could spend our lives, traveling to places we never thought we’d visit? We have taken “the road less traveled”. Bravely, gratefully, cautiously, we have chosen this path, even with the unknown dangers that may lie ahead.

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