Although one of us spends quite a bit of time in Saipan, he's never travelled there by boat before.
Leaving Rota and heading North was both exciting and scary. We'd already gone offshore farther than we ever had before, but this was to be a much longer stretch...and overnight. The winds weren't too strong, but they were coming from a bit farther North than ideal. There have been many comments about our "lightning bolt" path. Had we kept on our original heading we would have ended up miles West of Rota. So we tacked East to get a better/more direct heading (rhumb line). *In navigation, a rhumb line (or loxodrome) is a line crossing all meridians of longitude at the same angle, i.e. a path derived from a defined initial bearing. That is, upon taking an initial bearing, one proceeds along the same bearing, without changing the direction as measured relative to true north
**I honestly thought it was "rum" line. You know, the direct path to port where the rum is...I was close.
What a great name for a Nautical Bar!!
This was also my first attempt at cooking at sea. For Christmas I got some potholders to hold stuff on the stove when it's a bit wavy out (may seem like a lame gift to you, but it was very thoughtful).
It's hard to go into the cabin while the boat's underway, but I took some Bonine (meclizine) earlier in the trip - just in case- So I felt comfortable heading down below to boil water and attempt ramen noodles. The potholders worked extremely well. As the water built to a boil I readied three bowls with the signature curly noodles and powder required for proper ramen. I made the mistake of assuming the bowls were going to stay where I put them. Luckily one of the bowls stayed on the counter instead of being launched to the port side of the cabin like its counterparts. Funny thing about ramen noodles is they absorb humidity very easily. So easy in fact that they don't even require water in the liquid state to soften. The humidity in the air is ample.... Even the best seasick medication will do nothing for you when you're inside a hot, rocking, heeled-over sailboat cleaning mushy ramen off the deck.
As this was our "shakedown" cruise, we were obliged to break at least one thing on every leg of our journey. This one was no different. At least it didn't happen at night or while we were in a tight spot. It happened 5 minutes after Nick went down below for a nap.
As it turns out, the autopilot was not the only project that should have been
completed before our departure. For several months I have been attempting to
fix the clew of our jib (picture). The stitching that holds the vital clew ring
in place has been letting go for a while. This seems to be the time for that to
happen in all of the stitching that has been in place on bot the outside and
inside of the boat. Without taking down the jib, fixing this problem involves
unfurling the jib just enough so that I can reach it (over my head) and have
enough leverage to stick a fat needle through the thick layers of webbing. A
band-aid at best. In order to fix it properly, the whole thing needs to come
down and all of the webbing and stitching replaced properly. I did not have
time to do this (although it WAS a priority). It appears that I did not have
time to apply a proper “band aid” either. I had hoped that the bit that I
managed to re-stitch would be enough. Obviously if I’m writing about it in such
detail here…it was not enough. Several hours after leaving Rota (5 minutes
after Nick finally decided he could relax enough to take a nap…. The jib clew
ripped loose. Leif and I hopped into action, re-furling the jib (because at
this point we had our autopilot back). Without a jib, our boat was not fast
enough to keep up with the other two boats with us, so we had to turn on the “iron
jib” (the diesel engine) and motorsail through the night to Saipan.
Upon arriving, Customs officers came to check us out, and we showed them the documents we received from Rota Customs. The officers didn’t know if they could accept the document from Rota. The Rota officers had stated that we wouldn’t need to clear customs in Saipan, and they would notify Saipan Customs we would be arriving. Rota and Saipan are both in the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands (CNMI) and their residents are all US Residents. However, if you’ve ever tried to deal with a small-town government you will understand our plight.
After being cleared to stay at the Fish and Wildlife dock (the transient dock is being used for commercial traffic 😡😡) We "rafted" the three boats from Guam and a smaller boat from Australia who had landed there due to engine trouble. They had a much rougher time with the different Saipan government divisions because they were Australian. Another Aussie boat crew traveling with them was removed from their boat in handcuffs. I do not know the details...however there are thousands of Chinese WORKNG in Saipan without proper visas...just sayin.
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| Sumay Rafting in Saipan! |
The "rafting" situation was great...a bit like camping in close quarters where you have to walk through your neighbor's campsite to get to yours, but he offers you a beer on the way through and you don't make it back to your own for several hours....
We had ONE night of this...the next morning we were informed that side-by-side rafting is NOT allowed. Some VERY nice people in the marina next to us moved their boats around so two could fit into their slips for a couple of days. The two remaining on the F&W dock were later asked to shift back to the end of the dock (during low tide, which means our keel was TOUCHING THE BOTTOM.) Sorry, No va a pasar. We left the next morning to go back to Rota, "The Friendly Island".
While in Saipan, we got to do a few touristy things. We finally cooked and ate our Rota potatoes. I had not heard of "Rota potatoes" before this trip. Others on the trip made sure to get their potatoes before leaving...here's what I learned from my internet search...
Okinawan Sweet Potatoes
The origin of the Okinawan sweet potato reads like an adventure novel. Believed to have come from Aztec South America with the Spaniards to the Philippines and China in the 1490s, the plant did not reach Japan until the 1600s. The initial planting was in Okinawa, the southern island of Japan, before they were cultivated all over Japan. Eventually, these purple tubers ended up in Hawaii and became a part of the native menu, where they are also known as “Hawaiian sweet potatoes.” https://www.friedas.com/the-ultimate-purple-sweet-potato-guide/
This story follows the history of the area, so I'll stick with it.....They WERE good.
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| The Grotto. Pictures do not do it justice. |
We also got to visit some Historic WWII sites in our short Sapian visit. Among those locations were Suicide Cliff and Banzai Cliff. Near the end of WWII when the US took control of Saipan, hundreds/thousands of Japanese (men, women, and children) jumped to their deaths because they had been led to believe Americans would torture them. A somber and sobering (yet beautiful) location. Perfect for selfies.
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| Banzai Cliff. Can you count the selfies? |
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| Everywhere we went, Asian tourists were taking selfies with their American muscle cars... |
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| Make America Great Again...in Saipan |
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| Pacific Islands Club in Saipan...like the one in Guam, but better. |
If you're interested in learning more about WWII history in Saipan, the History Channel has a great series on YouTube.
Stay tuned for my next installment, "Rogue One", where shit gets real...
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