#63 NOW July 7, 2005 1630 Zone Time UTC -11 hours (Western Samoa) Temperature 89, no wind and very humid----- HOT!!! Hello from Western Samoa, We finally got out of American Samoa after spending a whole week there. It rained most of the time and of course, all the government offices were closed down for the long Fourth of July weekend. After considerable running around from one office to the next, we finally had all the papers we needed to exit the country. We loaded the dinghy back onto the mother ship and started to pull up the anchor. What came up was a little history of Pago Pago harbor. Attached to the anchor were pieces of wire, old plastic bags, and about 100 feet of 4-inch rope completely waterlogged and as muddy as can be. I finally cleared the anchor of all this rubbish and we were off to the fuel dock to top off the tanks with 471 gallons of diesel. The price, at $1.97 per gallon, was not too bad in this day and age. We departed the fuel dock around 1530 for an all night run to Apia, Western Samoa. It was good to be at sea again and we enjoyed the warm tropical breeze and the steady rhythm of the engine as we made our way through the night. I have been having considerable trouble using the charts around Samoa as the Datum (reference from which everything is calculated and charted by) is unknown. Our GPS position seems to be off by about ½ a mile. This is not too much of a problem during the day when you can see the coast, but at night, it becomes more of a challenge. I took many careful bearings by radar as I approached the reef fringed shore of Upolu Island. It was obvious that there was considerable discrepancy between my chart plotter and radar. Of course, radar wins out every time. You cannot argue with reality. As the sun streamed over the horizon, we enjoyed a great view of the island. By 0830, we had pulled up to a large ship dock and tied Done Dreamin’ to one of the giant bumpers. The Port authority met us and gave us some papers to fill out. He said that custom would be along at 10:30. Western Samoa has very strict rules about not leaving the boat until you are cleared by all agencies. Not even the Captain of the vessel is allowed ashore. 10:30 came and went. At 11:30 I called on the radio, and was informed, they would arrive shortly. By 1:30, I called again. Once again, I was told to wait. Carol tried calling on the radio around 3:00 – No answer. Around 4:00, the harbormaster came by and asked if we had been cleared. He seemed surprised when we told him we had not seen anyone. He told us that we would have to wait until tomorrow. At 9:00 AM this morning things started to happen. First customs, then immigration, then quarantine officials, then the health department, and finally the Port authority cleared us in. I took down the yellow quarantine flag and we were finally able to disembark. By this time, it was almost noon, so we walked into town and headed straight for the huge government office building and applied for a special permit to cruise to the island of Savaii. We were informed to come back tomorrow for the permit. Western Samoa is beautiful, clean, and friendly. It is much nicer than American Samoa and the people seem so much happier and friendlier. If you can just put up with their bureaucracy, it is a great place to visit. To soothe and restore our patience, we enjoyed a great lunch at the famous Aggie Grey’s hotel and restaurant. On the way back to the boat I picked up 2 liters of Hokey Pokey ice cream—all is well!! Life is a Cruise, Larry and Carol -- Larry Rick Done Dreamin' Nordhavn 40 #33 Site: http://gricknet.homedns.org/ Email: donedream@pacbell.net http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ws.html http://www.merriewood.com/pacific/wsamoa1.html http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/pacific/samoa/