//WL2K - Pihon Prepares to Race

Dear Friends;

Before we go on and tell you more of our adventures, let us just say we are writing from Pihon Island, a large island on the eastern shore of the Ninigo lagoon about 12 nm from where we first anchored. After a trail getting untangled from a coral bommie, we motorsailed on Wednesday against a soft tradewinds, dodging shallows, to come to rest just NW of a reef extending from the island's northern tip. We sent the story of our bommie wrap to our blog at: http://sv-carinablog.blogspot.com/

As we said already, we have been very very busy. Most of the activities that have kept us hopping during our stay have involved the distribution of the supplies we have brought. In addition to specific gifts sent to individuals, donated used clothing, wound care and school supplies, we left a supply of topical meds at the health center at Mal for treatment of such maladies as scabies (yuck, we read cause and the ingredients for treatment!) and head lice - and have packages for outposts up-lagoon. We have dribbled knives, toothpaste, toothbrushes, combs, elastic bands, sunscreen, bug-dope, books, coloring books, puzzles, games, documentaries and children's movies, and other supplies to individuals as we see needs.

Though islanders still use traditional navigation methods, following wave direction and zenith stars, one supply in hot demand are hand-held GPS units (and compasses). We bought, brought and gave away two used Garmin units and we have had inquiries for about a half a dozen more. Those with wages - primarily the teachers and health-care workers,- have bought them, sometimes at criminal prices, from passing yachts. The need makes sense really, even for the canoes that often cross between islands at night, sometimes across the open sea outside of the lagoon, and who have serious canoe-crunching reefs to contend with.

We gave one of our GPS units to the people of Mal Island for use by whoever might need it; to be shared. To ensure its use, we had an active day aboard Carina with Michael, the ward councillor, setting up waypoints for the entire region and entering them into the GPS. Meanwhile Augustine, his son, and Arnold, his younger brother, scoured the navigation programs on two tablet computers, intent on teaching themselves electronic navigation. We gave the second GPS to Justin, a teacher on Longan Island, for sharing amongst the islanders there. Not too long ago, Justin was in a skiff that flipped over off of the Hermit Islands and he and his companion were adrift for two days after ditching two outboard engines to save the boat. He lost his GPS in that accident.

One project we have enjoyed while here is the Ninigos is the sending and receiving messages for families who are anxious for contact with yachting friends of the past - typing written letters for emailing and writing out long-hand emailed letters back. Through contacts on the outside we have also tried to help a lovely young family of five struggling with the mother's health problems. Thankfully we had the medications aboard that were recommended by the first world doctors in the USA via email intersession efforts of Behan on sv Totem. Behan had met the woman during Totem's visit here and was quite anxious (as we are) to help cure her a condition that makes it difficult for her to manage her small household (three children under five) in a small village far from medical help. Now out of touch with her because of our move, we are waiting on information as to whether the meds we gave her were effective. We hope to get word when we are next anchored off Longan next week where her relatives reside.

The reason we came to Ninigo at this time of the year was to attend the 2016 "Great Ninigo Races" sponsored last year by the national government of Papua New Guinea. When we first arrived we were surprised that there was some hedging during discussions as to the schedule and format for the races. A charter flight of dignitaries including an Australian woman who'd lived here 45 years ago, had been canceled, though this was due to her illness and other extenuating factors. We made frequent inquiries but only got oblique answers; the islanders knew we had come to visit specifically during race time.

As an aside, without the sailing canoes, it is doubtful the islanders could continue to live here; petrol is 200 nm away and prohibitively expensive, and their food is located in the sea among large distant reefs and in gardens that are scattered around on small motus throughout this large lagoon and even surrounding atolls. Kelly Lui, VP of the local level government, has promised to tell us the history of these out-rigger canoes during the races here at Pihon.

So, after many discussions and getting to know the islanders better, Michael shared with us that the funding from the national government never arrived to the local level government; the funding necessary for logistics and cash prizes so sought after. BUT the out-rigger sailing tradition is strong and the will to preserve it is intense here and the race committees were determined that the races would be held. What evolved was that we proposed 28 prizes (places 1-4 for seven race classes) and a whole list of smaller consolation prizes that came to Ninigo aboard Carina, the 10 meter sailing cargo ship. Prizes include: sail-making kits (tarps and a used sail plus needles and heavy hand sew thread), fishing gear packages, rigging gear - lines, blocks and cleats, tools, packages of collared shirts + hats + polarizing sunglasses, copper and stainless steel nails in pkgs of 68 -85 each (poundage), snorkeling gear, knives, LED lights, headlamps, footwear, etc. (What you might describe as humanitarian supplies were of course excluded, health, medical, educational, etc.)

The islanders seemed ecstatic and one - the school headmaster - commented, "The items you propose as prizes are very valuable to us, so yes, we will race to win them." No one really had to tell us of the enthusiasm for the new plan, everywhere we went someone was working on their canoe and the sense of competition was in the air.

At Mal last week, we had the first set of races with almost 30 canoes including a huge contingent sailing over from Pataku, an island outside of the large Ninigo lagoon. These canoes were driven back by intense squalls the morning of the races but in the end all arrived safely and the competition began. Kiribai Papi, the gracious chairman of the local canoe race committee, had our hand held VHF in the committee skiff eight miles away at the starting line (presumably using the community's petrol), and we had Kathy, also of the canoe racing committee, aboard Carina monitoring our VHF for instructions, and a support skiff piloted by Paul shuttling us about. The finish line was between Carina and the big styrofoam float with a flag. What great fun everyone had on boats and ashore! It was chaos of course but in the end the races were well organized and the sailing just beautiful.

When we arrived at Pihon, there were teams here already training for the races, intently buzzing Carina as we shot photos. Teams all waved only briefly and then turned their attention to focus on the next canoe ahead to chase. Friday we went ashore and had a hoot of a visit in the village. Adopted by a merry lady with brown kinky hair naturally highlighted in blond named Wendy and a little beauty named Renita and a whole battalion of munchkins, we got the grand tour of the village that sits on a narrow sandy breezy spit on the north end of the island. Houses here are bigger than at Mal and often with multiple rooms defined by woven panels and with slightly less pitch on their roof, but are also made of the important sago palm fronds. When we asked Wendy how many people lived on the island, she grinned and said, "Too many". That was as much information as we could get!

We also met Silas during our tour - a curly haired salt and pepper grey round-faced man with Japanese blood and a sly grin, clearly a village leader. Silas, Wendy's father, pulled us into his over-water bungalow - for rent for 150 kina per night - and tried to sell us an ancient VHF radio. Still works but it's pretty crude. Seems a yachtie of an ethnicity we will not name sold it to him for 500 kina! About $170) Grrrr. Maybe it's the same boat that sold Chris Omen (headmaster of the Pataku school) a Garmin Etrex handheld for $1,400 kina! Taking advantage of people makes us grumpy.

We later learned that the yacht in question had wrecked about a year ago in the nearby Hermit Islands. The single man aboard had salvaged as much from the yacht as he could and loaded his inflatable dinghy and made it ashore. He then sold the items he was able to salvage to any islander who offered money. Alas, the islanders in some cases paid way more than the items were worth. Word has it that the captain eventually boarded another yacht on Manus Island and sailed away with them. We do not know the wrecked yacht's name but are hoping to find out more information.

Saturday, sabbath here on the SDA island, we wandered again through the village, delivered a new LED module to a lady named Honey whose LED light we had attempted to repair (and who later gave us a treasured gift: five hen's eggs). Honey led us to meet Murry of the race committee, her brother in law. We found his family enjoying a sabbath rest in the shade of a large tree at the water's edge on the breezy eastern shore. We talked of the races and showed photos of the heats at Mal and made plans for today's races. We are to go ashore at 10 am but nothing will happen until the canoes from Catholic Amix Island (a few miles N) arrive after church. More later...

Your friends of the yacht Carina,
Philip, Leslie and the spirit of the fat cat, Jake
Pihon Island, Ninigo lagoon, Papua New Guinea

website: www.sv-carina.org



At 8/25/2016 and 6:17 UTC (GMT) our position was: 01°17.06'S / 144°20.57'E

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