#117 NOW September 5, 2006 1800 (UTC -11 hours Samoa Standard Time) S13049.8 W171045.8 Anchored in Apia Harbour, Temp 81, Rain Under the wide and starry sky Dig the grave and let me lie Glad did I live and gladly die And I laid me down with a will This be the verse you grave for me Here he lies where he longed to be Home is the sailor home from the sea And the hunter home from the hill Inscription on Grave Robert L. Stevenson A cold front passed through the area and the temperatures dropped into the low 80s. I decided to take this opportunity to hike up to Robert L. Stevensons gravesite. A year ago, I had toured his colonial mansion at Vailima, but due to rain decided not to hike the muddy trail. However, today the weather was great and I took a taxi up to the estate and started the hike up Mt. Vaea. It took me 50 minutes of steady hiking through the tropical rain forest to get to the summit. Even though it had been several days since it had rained, the trail was muddy and very slippery. Stevenson chose this burial location, and it is easy to see why he liked it. The view from here is spectacular. The Samoans called Mr. Stevenson, Tusitala which means Teller of Tales in Samoan. Truly, these tales have made our lives richer. Today, I took the boat out of the harbour to empty the holding tank and to make some water. The replenished water supply will allow me to run a couple of loads of laundry. Something I have been putting off. I think I am the only one using a holding tank, thus the harbour is really polluted. It is unfortunate that others show so little concern for the environment and health of those that live here. Due to the festival there are more boats than normal, I counted 23 this morning. The canoe races will take place Thursday morning. I plan to stay for that and then leave in the afternoon for Pago Pago. It is about 80 miles over there, which will make a nice overnight run. This will allow me to arrive Friday morning and clear customs before the weekend. Pago Pago, American Samoa is a good stop for fuel, food, and crew change. My new crewmember will be flying in over the weekend and I hope that we will be able to get underway by Tuesday morning. Life is a Cruise, Larry -- Larry Rick Done Dreamin' Nordhavn 40 #33 Site: http://gricknet.homedns.org/Dads%20Web/doneDreamnHome.htm