Republic of Marshall Islands

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The Republic of Marshall Islands (also known as RMI) is located in the North Pacific about 800km (500 miles) north of the equator.  It is made up of two parallel island chains.  The Ratak (Sunrise) island chain in the east and Ralik (Sunset) island chain in the west. 

These island chains consist of 29 atolls and 5 islands spread across over 800 miles from the Northwest to the Southeast.  Roughly 97.87% of its territory is water which makes it the largest proportion of water to land of any sovereign state.  The total land mass is just 181 square meters (or the size of Washington, DC).

RMI is located in Micronesia, which literally means “small islands.” It is a group of coral atolls and islands in the North Pacific Ocean about one-half of the way between Hawaii and Papua New Guinea.

Being mostly atolls, the highest elevation is a mere 10 meters (30′).  The total population in 2011 was 53,000 people with over 27,000 living in Majuro and 15,000 living in Ebeye (Kwajalein).  That means that less than 11,000 are spread out over the remaining 27 atolls and 5 islands (of course many of these are uninhabited).

The main economic driver is the production of copra and fisheries.  However, over 60% of the GDP is provided by the U.S. under the Compact of Free Association.  Which basically says that the U.S. can use these islands for military use in exchange for subsidies (lots and lots of subsidies).  The average worker makes $4.00 an hour including government officials, police workers, and sanitation.

The United States, Japan and Taiwan have diplomatic missions in the Marshalls.  So, you will often see signs “donated by” the country who donated the funds.  The problem is the countries donate the funds to build the buildings but not the funds to maintain them. So, often you will find derelict buildings left to rot because there are no funds to maintain them.  They just get more funds to build a new building, rather than maintaining the existing buildings – it makes no sense.

History

Japan occupied the islands at the beginning of WWI in 1914 but then the U.S. kicked Japan out and took over the islands during WWII.  Then between 1946-1958, the U.S. conducted 67 nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll and Enewetak Atoll.  The fallout from the nuclear explosions is immense.  Many displaced Marshallese have severe health issues that have been passed from generation to generation.  The atolls where the tests took place are still uninhabited to this day with contaminated soil and sea life. See this website for more fall out on the nuclear testing.

In 1979, the U.S. gave the Marshall Islands independence and recognized its constitution and president.  The Marshalls are one of only four atoll nations in the world and are also one of the world’s youngest nations, independent since just 1986.

The United States provide defense, subsidies, and access to U.S. based agencies such as the FCC and the USPS.  The American dollar is the main currency and we can receive mail, packages, and deliveries from Amazon!

The U.S. Army occupies Kwajalein (also known as Kwaj) which surrounds the world’s largest lagoon.  They use this as a missile testing range even today.  Our country pays dearly for the right to inhabit this atoll – to the tune of $37 million annually.

The Anchorage in Majuro

We arrive in the Majuro atoll, which is a very industrial lagoon covered with at least 30 large fishing vessels (20-30m long), several cargo ships, and various private yachts.  Not exactly what we imagined. Of the 16 sailboats, only 5 are transient (like us they are “visiting”), 3 are derelict and 3 are for sale.  Many Americans have sailed here and have zero plans leave.

The amazing thing is the water is crystal clear.  We can see our mooring, the fish, and the abundant jelly fish in the water.

Ashore are several grocery stores, a US Post Office, museum, public library, and several restaurants.  We spend a few weeks getting to know the “lay of the land”, doing a little shopping, applying for inter-island permits, opening a PO Box (so we can get mail and parcels), and eating out.

We join the local yacht club, Meico Beach Yacht Club which offers discounts at a few places and free moorings at two of the neighboring motus on the north coast of Majuro.

Majuro, the Atoll

Remember, this is an atoll. An atoll is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon. There are usually coral islands, motus, or cays on the rim.

You have a small strip of land where everyone lives and on one side you have a lagoon and the other side you have the North Pacific Ocean.  The top image shows the atoll of Majuro and the bottom right shows the island of Majuro which has two towns Uliga and Delap.  Everything is squished onto the motu of Majuro (which is the far right motu of the atoll).

We have walked up and down the streets between the two towns of Uliga and Delap.  It is about 2-2.5 miles one way along the single main road with no side walks.  The cars are fairly polite, but the dogs (sleeping under the cars) will try to bite you.  So, caution must always be taken.  In addition, when it rains, which has rained a lot, the streets flood.  So, the only place to walk is down the center of the road with the cars.  There is good reason why nobody walks in this town. Most people just take a shared taxi for $2/pp.  But we like to walk so endure it all.

Cover Photo:  The cover photo shows Sugar Shack at anchor in front of the town of Uliga.  We have all of our canvas up as we attempt to keep the house cool.  It is a feeble attempt but it does help keep it a few degrees cooler.  Have I mentioned it is super duper hot here!  So very hot with little breeze and we have NO aircon on the boat.  And we can’t jump in the water because it is full of jelly fish.

Permits

In order for us to sail to the outer atolls we have to obtain inter-island permits.   Well, evidently we have to receive permission from the local government of every atoll we want to visit.  We visit the MOCIA (Ministry of Culture and Internal Affairs) office to complete 9 applications each with various associated fees that are paid to the local mayor upon arrival at the atoll.

Typically, we don’t like to have a schedule or a set plan.  However, we are forced to come up with an outline of a schedule and plan in order to get the permits.  We can only get the permits in Majuro and we do not plan to return here until we clear out of the country in March.

So, our “rough plan” is to make a giant circle around the two island chains.  We only have 3.5 months to explore so we have to manage our time at each place.  

The Plan and Schedule

We will spend roughly two weeks at each of these atolls: Maloeap, Wotje, Likeiep, and Ailuk.  This will be a slow northwest journey starting at Majuro and ending at the most NW atolls.

We will then head to Rongerik, Rongelap, and Alinginae where we will spend 1.5-2 months. If we can, we may stop at the famous Bikini Atoll where the U.S. detonated 23 nuclear devices between 1946-1958.  

From here we will search for the elusive weather window back to Majuro.  Evidently, during January-March it is very difficult to sail in this direction.  We may try to go straight to Majuro or we may try to go to Wotho, Kwajalein and Namu (which are south) before heading east to Majuro.  We applied for permits to all of these atolls to keep our options open.

Kwajalein is a military outpost and we have to find a sponsor to be able to visit this unique atoll.  We are searching for one with the hopes of being able to visit.

Best laid plans in sand during low tide….which means it can and probably will all change.

Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events.  This blog post occurred during the last week of September 2024.  Check out our 1300 mile passage from Vanuatu to the Marshall Islands in our last blog post.

240 Hour Passage: Vanuatu to Marshall Islands

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As you know, our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events.  This passage occurred toward the end of September.  We have been playing in Marshall Islands for the past 2.5 months so keep reading and enjoy these adventures.  

We left the Rowa Islands which are part of the Banks Island Group in Northern Vanuatu on a bright, beautiful sunny day.  Our goal was to arrive Majuro in 9-10 days.  We hired a weather router, engaged the Passage Guardian, and had our very good friend, Donald feeding us weather updates daily.

Our weather gurus picked a fairly benign weather window knowing we would have at least 2-3 motor days.  We decided to take this window because the SPCZ would be fairly calm.  This is good as it is known for being a center for thunderstorms and unsettled weather.  We did not want any of that on our watch.

Day 1

Our first day brought us really nice winds, low seas and a slight current in our favor.  We were able to sail for the first 6-hours before the wind died and we ended up motor sailing the rest of the night.

  • Fish:  Caught and released a Skip Jack Tuna and a blue marlin
  • Miles Travelled:  130nm
  • Avg. Speed: 5.4kt and max speed: 9.7kt

This marlin gave Matt a really hard time, but we finally got the hook out of his mouth and released him to the sea.  Our freezers were full and could not accommodate this big fish.

Day 2 & 3

Talk about “low wind” days.  We had glassy waters out in the middle of the South Pacific  Crazy how calm the seas were.  We did something that we have never done before – we flew the drone off our moving boat.  Taking off and flying were easy, but the landing was a bit of challenge.

  • Fish:  caught another blue marlin, but this guy was able to do water dancing which wiggled the hook out of his mouth.
  • Miles Travelled:  130nm each day
  • Avg. Speed: 5.5kt and max speed: 9.7kt

We did manage to get a few periods of sailing and it was glorious!  We were full sail, pinching hard to the wind and making good progress at 7-8kts.

  • Fish:  No fish
  • Miles Travelled:  130nm
  • Avg. Speed: 5.4kt and max speed: 9.7kt

Crossing the Equator

Matt and I have crossed the equator once before so there were no “rituals” but we did enjoy seeing the Latitude go to zero.  We left the southern hemisphere and are now in the northern hemisphere.  Whoop Whoop!

The good thing about rain storms are the gorgeous rainbows that follow.

Playing Dodge Squall and Dodge Boats

What a pain in the arse.  We encountered 6 different fishing fleets.  The fleet consists of 6-8 fishing boats and their individual FADs (fishing aggregating device), and a mother ship.  Most had AIS tracking on but a few did not.  It required constant surveillance. 

If we are not dodging the fishing boats we are dodging the squalls.  Makes it an entertaining day/evening trying to avoid both.

We always hope to have a full moon on long passages but we certainly don’t plan around it.  However, this time we got lucky and had the bright moon during most of our passage.  

Of course the moon could not have all of the attention. The sun had to show off its beauty as well. My favorite images are those that have the glassy seas and the reflection of the sun and moon in the water.

Almost There, But we Slow Down

On day 8 we realized that we were going to arrive at the pass after dark. This is never a good thing when you are not familiar with the pass or its conditions.  So, we decided to slow down.  We would miss daylight hours by 2 lousy hours.  Why is this a big deal?  Well had we arrived 2 hours earlier we could be at the anchorage and enjoying a solid night sleep.  But instead we are out at sea for an additional 24 hours.  

We ended up dropping the sails and shutting the engines off.  Sugar Shack just drifted for 7 hours.  We have never just drifted on a passage or anytime for that matter.  We still maintained our watch schedule and had all of our alarms set.

Our first sighting of land.

As we arrived to the main pass we noticed 3 large fishing vessels waiting to enter as well.  They had to wait for a pilot boat so we stood off to the side to let them enter first.  Funny to be in a traffic jam on this remote island.

Summary

  • Total Miles Travelled: 1,339.22
  • Total Hours: 240
  • Average boat speed: 5.5kt
  • Max boat speed: 10.4kt
  • Hours Motoring:  136 hours or 5.6 days
  • Fish:  We caught and released (1) skip jack tuna and (2) blue marlin
  • Books:  11 books read (Christine)
  • Movies:  2 movies (Christine)

Formalities

The officials, Customs, Immigration, and Biosecurity came onboard Sugar Shack and it was truly the easiest clearance process we have ever experienced.  They were incredibly friendly and efficient, asked a few questions, signed a few forms and stamped our passports.  Sweet As!

The officials clear us in to the country with the easiest formalities yet!  Super nice group, a wonderful welcome!

Even though we motored more than we ever have on a passage, this was still considered a good trip.  We would much rather have no wind and calm conditions than face massive thunderstorms, squalls, and bad sea conditions.

Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events.  This passage occurred from 9/15-9/25.  The previous blog posts was written by Matt during our passage.  Prior to our passage, our last blog post highlighted the Banks Islands.

The Banks Islands: Northern Vanuatu

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The Banks Islands are in the Northern tip of Vanuatu.  They consist of 7 main islands and several smaller islets.  The three largest islands are Gaua (formerly Santa Maria), Vanua Lava, (with the capital of Sola) and Ureparapara. 

This post will cover our beautiful visit in Gaua, Vanua Lava, and the Rowa Islands.  

The first island we visit is Gaua which has a rugged terrain rising to an active volcano called Mount Gharat in the center of the island.  There are many fresh water lakes.  This is the most popular island in The Banks because it is known for its stunning landscapes, active volcano. In addition, it hosts Vanuatu’s largest lake and highest waterfall.

Vanuau Lava is taller than Gaua at 946m and it too has an active volcano. This one is called Mount Suretamate.  What sets this island apart is its lush rainforest, waterfalls, and active volcano.

Ureparapara is the third largest island and is to me the most exciting.  This island is an old volcanic cone that has been breached by the sea, forming a bay, known as Divers Bay and we will get to sail into the volcanic crater!  And if you look at the photo below this island looks like Pac-Man!

Gaua Island

The first island we visit is Gaua (formerly known as Santa Maria).  Our primary goal was to see the famous Water Music, but we also wanted to hide from an upcoming weather system.  We anchored in Bushman’s bay and had the anchorage to ourselves which was good as we moved all over the place with the high winds.

We went ashore and to our surprise found out that there are four villages in this small bay.  Two are on the main beach directly in front of the anchorage and two are located to the East behind the beach and trees.  We just happened to stop at the main village where we met Chief Willy, his wife Charity and daughter Samantha.  They were so very welcoming and kind. We had a gaggle of kids and the chief greet us with floral leighs.

Find Bushman’s Bay on No Foreign Land.

The village was by far one of the prettiest villages we have seen in Vanuatu.  The homes are raised above the floor, the grounds are clean and orderly, and the bamboo siding was gorgeous.

They are in the process of building a new primary school (top) and a new Anglican church.  Unfortunately, the church and government do not participate in the costs so the village has to raise the funds to get supplies to build both buildings.

The women were preparing for a wedding by weaving baskets, siding, and flooring for the special occasion.  The chief will marry the young couple.  A week later they will have a second ceremony at the church.  The village was in the process of also building them a new home.

Exploring Gaua

Matt and I attempted to walk around to the next village which was about 3 miles and in a different bay.  You can only access it at low tide and you have to traverse over lots of rocks, boulders, and fallen debris.  We didn’t make it all the way around, but we did see lots of beautiful black sand beaches and caves.

Water Music

Water Music is a unique artform and a sacred practice performed by women.  Watch and listen, in awe as the ladies move their hands beneath the water creating an amazing range of sounds!  Originating and perfected in Gaua it is a rare gift to see it performed.  The women gather in the shallows of the lagoon and prepare to wow their audience.

A small troupe in Efate will perform a type of Water Music in a green pool which completely takes the magic and mystery away from this cultural tradition.

At first we did not know what to expect despite seeing a few clips.  This was an unofficial performance where the ladies gently placed flowers in their hair and casually walked into the water wearing their regular clothing (no costumes).

They make different sounds by cupping their hands and going lower in the water (bottom picture), slapping the water, swishing the water, and pushing the water around.  It sure looked like they were having fun, despite being soaking wet.

The entire village came out to watch.  The children sat with Matt and I and the men sat under the tree.

Matanda Bay (Gaua Island)

The winds gave us a break and stopped blowing 35-40kts which gave us a small opportunity to move to the next bay over where we could more protection.  We moved less than 2nm to Matanda Bay and it was so much more comfortable.  Find Matanda Bay on No Foreign Land.

Chief Michele and his father, Chief Richard are absolutely the best host families we’ve met.  Their village is located up the small hill to protect it from the elements.  They have a very abundant garden, a beautiful Anglican church, lots of animals roaming around, and colorful homes.

We greeted them with a bag full of reading and sunglasses and a small bag of assorted medical / health items.  In return, they gave us pamplemousse, papaya, green beans, green onions.  They asked us to fix a boom box and small charging device.  Unfortunately we could not fix either of them, but Matt tried really hard.  They then gave us more green onions and stopped by to give us 3 freshly caught lobsters.  They were literally hunting bugs right behind the boat (see the flashlights in the water)?

Outgiving with the Locals

Well, we could not let that be given without giving them something in return.  So, we gave them a soccer ball, sewing needles/thread, and some batteries.  The morning we left, Chief Michele came by and gave us an entire stock of bananas, sweet potatoes and taro root!  Seriously, they win!

Here are some drone shots of Matanda Bay:

We enjoyed a beautiful walk over to another village 4 bays over.  Came across a lot of stone carvings and some paintings.  We actually found a street sign in the middle of the jungle…this totally cracked us up!

And we found a beautiful blow hole to cool us off.

Vanua Lava

We stop at Sola the main town at Vanua Lava.  Our main purpose was to clear out of Vanuatu and see if we could get some diesel.  Lucky for us, we were able to do both fairly quickly.  The anchorage was really uncomfortable and rolly so we stayed less than 24 hours.  No fun photos as the village, beach and community was kind of dirty with trash around.  However, the locals were incredibly lovely, friendly and super happy to see us.

Find Sola, Vanua Lava on No Foreign Land.

The Rowa Islands

Just 12nm from Vanua Lava are a group of uninhabited islands called the Rowa Islands. The islands are a natural border between Melanesia and Polynesia and are said to be the most beautiful place in the South Pacific.  They are a vast system of 15 coral keys or atolls and reefs.

Find the Rowa Islands on No Foreign Land.

It was far too windy to fly the drone but this would have been an ideal shot to capture from up above.  We managed to go ashore to the beautiful long beach and enjoyed one night here before heading to Ureparapara.

We enjoyed a beautiful walk around a few of the islands on their white, soft, sandy beaches full of beautiful, colorful sea shells.  Came across 16 crabs and critters eating off of this one coconut shell, Matt lounged on a tree stump and then posed as a tree.

We ventured to another one of the uninhabited islands and to our surprise found a turtle nest!  First we discovered the mother’s tracks up the beach (she came at mid-tide), then the tracks down the beach (she left at high tide).  And her nest awaiting the little beauties to rise.

Find Ureparapara on No Foreign Land.

Stay tuned for our next adventure where we embark on a 1300nm passage from Vanuatu to the Marshall Islands.

Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events.  This blog post occurred in the first week of September.  Did you read about our visit to Ambae, the Volcanic island?