History

We snorkelled with great visibility near the reef at Suwarrow (Cook Islands), seeing the usual fish but very few shells. But an interesting item on the ocean bottom just inside the reef was remains of the keel of a sailboat which could be clearly seen. Wonder what the sad story behind that is?

A chore before our next passage had Jordan diving to clean certain parts of Sea Turtle's bottom and her propeller. As soon as he splashed into the water, an overly inquisitive 4-foot black tip shark was a menacing presence that he had to chase off several times. Yikes! They are not known to be the dangerous type but it still makes you uneasy when they are not near the reef.

Harry and Ants (the 2 Park Rangers) agreed to give a talk on the history and culture of the Polynesian and Cook Islands. With an inquisitive Question & Answer session, a lot was learned from these 2 gentlemen, including that it is considered an insult to say No when requested to dance with a Polynesian! After the discussion, the cruisers then laid out their potluck treats for everyone to enjoy.

We weighed anchor with difficulty at 15:00 on September 10th. The sandy bottom was scattered with small coral heads that our anchor chain kept grabbing as it was being raised. Bill of SV Watermusic jumped in the water and continually pointed us in the right direction so our chain could be dragged clear with as little damage as possible to the coral. Thanks Bill!

Jordan preparing to weigh anchor

Leaving idyllic Suwarrow behind