There were 3 boats in the anchorage when we arrived. 2 had come from Hawaii so didn't have to deal with the weather we had from Bora.
SUWARROW, What an incredible place!
This is a real life Gilligan's Island. The 2 Park Rangers are dropped off in May with minimal supplies and are picked up sometime in November. Whenever the Navy gets time. They exist on what they can get from the islands and the cruisers. We donated lots of gasoline, booze, and food to them. They provided a welcome atmosphere with beach fires, island tours, and in general, a nice anchorage and a sandy piece of land to party on.
Harry, the Ranger, was like 'The Skipper'. His assistant, Charley, was 'Gilligan'. They were so welcoming and friendly to us all. Harry played guitar and sung at the many Pot Lucks and Happy Hours that we had ashore. I did a little Harmonica accompaniment one night. Charley took us on a day tour to a bird rookery on one island, and another island where we saw the most incredible thing, the Coconut Crab. I have seen them on TV but did not expect what I saw. The big ones are probably 4-5 pounds, look like a giant Hermit Crab with a tail like a Slipper Lobster. They have claws that will crush a finger. They climb, dig, live in the trees, or under the roots. They will shred the husk off a coconut to get to the coconut meat. Quite amazing animals.
Peter Rice called us 'The Professor, and Mary Ann" in an email which was very appropriate. I fixed the ranger's Boom Box that had water damage. Booker organized the beach events. Enoch, from GABBER, and I, worked 2 days and made a Suwarrow Wifi Intranet so all the boats could do file sharing. It worked alright but could have been better if we hadn't been in the middle of nowhere.
We snorkeled alot and were always visited by sharks. They didn't bother anyone unless there was a speared fish on a speargun spear. Then you had a competition to see whether you could get the fish to the boat before the sharks tore it to pieces.
Blacktip Sharks were always swimming on the surface around the boat and even in the shallows of the reefs.
We wish we could have stayed longer but it was so sad to leave as it was. We were addicted to Suwarrow. If we stayed another week, we would still be there at Christmas.
Harry and Charley, If somehow you get to read this blog after you return to reality, please email us. You guys are great people.
Cheers, Dave and Booker
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