Opals and Romeos

Today we're in Pago Pago, American Samoa. It's located 1600 miles northeast of New Zealand and 2,200 miles southwest of Hawaii. Pago Pago is pronounced 'Pango Pango.' It's the only urban center in American Samoa and it sits on Tutuila Island which is 52 square miles in size. The island is one of 5 volcanic islands and 2 atolls that make up American Samoa.  American Samoa is a U.S. territory considered to be an 'overseas possession.' People born in American Samoa are American Nationals with the right to live in the US but they're not American citizens unless one of their parents is. Pago Pago's harbor is one of the world's largest natural harbors and it has the highest annual rainfall of any harbor in the world. There was a rain shower as we sailed into the harbor so we were greeted with a rainbow! Then the sun came out.  We took a private tour of the island. Beautiful scenery! On the dock, we were greeted by Miss American Samo

We crossed the equator at approximately 6:30am this morning and late this afternoon there was a 'Commemoration of Crossing the Equator' event.  According to tradition, any ship crossing the equator must pay their respects to King Neptune to gain his acceptance. As part of the ceremony, King Neptune comes aboard the ship to exercise his authority over his domain. Nobody knows how or when this tradition started but it dates back over 400 years in western seafaring. The ceremony also marks the rite of passage from slimy Pollywog (a person who hasn’t crossed the equator) to a Shellback (a person who has crossed the equator). Here are a few pictures of the ceremony. In this case Pollywogs had to kiss the fish! King Neptune and his wife Kissing of the fish! Lots of people came out to watch the ceremony!        One more sea day and then we'll be in Pago Pago, American Samoa.

Today we're tendered at Fanning Island in the Republic of Kiribati. It's located 262 miles north of the equator, 500 miles north of Tahiti and about 1000 miles south of Hawaii. Kiribati is comprised of 33 coral atolls and isles many of which are unpopulated.  Although you may not have heard of Kiribati, you've probably seen it because it was the site for the closing shots of the Gilligan's Island TV show.  Much of Kiribati is no higher than 6' above sea level. Unfortunately it's predicted that because of the warming of the ocean and the rising sea levels, it may no longer exist b y 2100. We weren't sure what to expect when we tendered in. The place is relatively untouched by civilization. There's no electricity, no running water and no plumbing . But the color of the water surrounding the island was gorgeous! We were greeted on the dock by a large group of children and adults singing to welcome us. There was an area on the shore where they