You just never know what to expect when you are going to a new island and a new country.
Manihiki isn't a normal stop for cruisers, so our books didn't have much detail and neither did the web. Evergreen and Moondance decided to stop here anyway to help break up the trip to Suwarrow - 6 days versus 8 days - and a chance to rest up.
Evergreen arrived first - yesterday afternoon. They were very fortunate and happen to meet up with the cargo ship, Kwai, just before they left Manihiki. Remember we met the crew of Kwai at Fanning Island? Well, Captain Evey said that there really wasn't a good anchorage in Manihiki, but he very nicely let them tie up to Kwai's big mooring ball. Perfect!
Well, about 1:30 in the morning, Moondance finally arrives - along with a big scary lightening storm. Dennis and Carol have already come up with a plan - we will just raft up together - and that's where we are right now. Side-by-side with Evergreen with a bunch of lines and fenders keeping us together and apart. So far, it is working - even with the winds kicking up this afternoon.
The Evergreen crew and Captain Evey - so wonderful to always have good people watching out for you!
We finally collapsed about 4am this morning and slept to almost noon - we were pooped. After a big brunch of bacon and eggs, we started puttering around the boat doing a little organizing and cleaning. Nothing major.
A little disappointed we won't be going ashore - it looks like a very nice atoll/island. But since we are only going to be here a few days, it wasn't worth paying the customs fee plus unpacking our dinghy. From what we have read, about 500 people live here in two small villages, plus an airport and maybe even an ATM. The Customs guy came out to visit Evergreen yesterday. He said that we weren't required to pay the fees as long as we don't come ashore. Oh well.
Now, we are relaxing and planning our next leg to Suwarrow... Hope we can find a good weather window for the 36 hour crossing!
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