Waiting on Shipments

Our time in Majuro seems to be a waiting game. We make a daily trip to the Post Office waiting for the arrival of parts. This routine entails heading to shore in the dinghy, tying up and walking across a parking lot to the Majuro, Marshall Islands Post Office. You look on a list to see if the boat name is on it – if it is you then head back to the customs office behind the Post Office and wait in a long line. You hand them a note with the boat name and your name and sooner or later, they will find your package. Recently, we have been waiting for the SSB radio to be returned from ICOM after it was sent in for some repairs. It did arrive, but they left out one critical connector. A tiny bit that we clearly asked for and had the e-mail to prove it (and they replaced the other end on the radio!) So we are now waiting for that connector to re-install the radio. We really can't leave the Majuro area without this "mission critical" piece if equipment. When out of internet range it is the only way to get e-mails and weather. So we wait. We are also waiting for a replacement camera and have no idea when that will come. It hasn't even been shipped yet as far we know.

We did a sail project the other day on the "stage" in an area near the boat. It is a large, relatively clean and covered area that we got permission to use for a day. Our new genoa came without a foam or rope luff so after talking to lots of folks and doing some internet research, Michael figured out how to install a rope luff and we worked on that on Sunday. It took most of the day . It has been too windy to get the sail re-installed though, so we are also waiting to get that back up and off the deck.

It was laundry day today at the local laundromat. That trip took us through an area of town that was quite damaged from high tides, known as "king" tides around here and heavy waves on the ocean side of the atoll. Water had clearly crossed the atoll where it is quite narrow and we understand a few homes got destroyed. There was a lot of debris, trash and household goods in yards and across the road. These narrow atolls that merely a few feet above sea level really take a pounding when high tides and big seas occur. On the lagoon side, where we are moored, you could feel the impact as it was much rollier in the anchorage throughout the night. The laundromat got crowded as the morning went one with people who had clothes, towels and bedding that was soaked from the salt water intrusion.
We are anxious to get away from Majuro – but we wait...trying to be patient.

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