Tag Archives: republic of the marshall islands

The Return to Majuro

Leave a reply

It was time to return to Majuro after spending a month in the States.  We started our long return trip back to Monday on Monday and arrived on Thursday.  It is not as bad as it seems.

Texas to California

We woke up in Boerne (San Antonio, TX) at the Melnar’s house.  Matt and I drove the 1 hour 45 minutes to Austin.  We enjoyed our last TexMex meal at Maudie’s before we went to the airport.  We had a 3hr15min flight from Austin to Los Angeles where we arrived at 7:30pm.  Finally, we collected our 3 bags totaling 150lbs and went to Kimberly’s house.

My sweet sister made a delicious meal for us and then we spent the next 3 hours repacking our bags.  I had left one bag full of new stuff at her house.  We had to make sure each bag weighed less than 50lbs.  It was tricky but I managed to get each bag right in at 50lbs!  Lucky me.

Kimberly took us to the airport the next day.  We ended up having to pay for one extra bag each on United.  A mere $200 to go with the other $300 in baggage fees we’ve paid.

Our flight from Los Angeles to Hawaii was 5.5 hours.

Honolulu, Hawaii

We arrived at 5:00pm, collected our 4 bags plus our 3 carry on bags.  The Pacific Marina Inn sent their shuttle for us.  We had just enough time to Uber to dinner on a pier.  This is not a particularly nice place to stay, but they have a free shuttle, are close to the airport and have wifi.

The next morning we left the hotel at 4:00am.  We could not check in online and we had a ton of bags so we wanted to arrive early.  We were first in line but by the time the desk opened there were 50 people behind us.  See photo below with the carts filled with coolers.  Thank goodness we arrived early.

The flight to Majuro is 5 hours.

Majuro, Marshall Islands

We made it!  Matt with our 7 bags weighing in at over 250lbs.  I am so glad we made it back with all of our luggage.

Welcome to Majuro

Welcome to Majuro

Oh No!!

We get back to the boat and it is a HOT MESS! 

  • The waterline and bottom were disgusting and covered in growth. 
  • The inside was moldy and smelled dank.

This all despite the fact that we hired a friend to come to the boat daily.  

It took me 2.5 days to go through our bags and stow the junk.  Then I spent another day cleaning the interior of the boat.

We decided to go out to eat our first night back. 

While we were at dinner a massive rain storm hit Majuro.  Winds were blowing upward of 40-50kts, trees were blowing sideways, streets were flooded, and the power and internet went out. Gesh! 

Of course we had a 1/2 mile to walk back to the dinghy and mile dinghy ride to the boat. We were soaked.

When we got back to the boat we discovered a massive leak over the master bed. Great.  Everything was soaked through (sheets, pillows, mattresses, topper).

A trip to the laundry place was in order.  Luckily they have decent machines and it only cost $8 to do 2 loads of laundry (wash/dry).

We have a washer machine onboard but our water tanks are low and it keeps drizzling outside. 

We provisioned at two different stores to prepare for our upcoming voyage.  Then we left for Enemonit.

Cleaning the Outside

We wanted to use our pressure washer and wash down pump to clean the anchor chain as it came up.  We knew it would be filthy based on the waterline of the boat. 

Unfortunately, the wash down pump didn’t start so we had to bring the chain up dirty.  Not ideal!

We motor sailed the 5 miles to Enemonit, picked up a mooring and called it a night. 

The next morning there was a horrible fish smell in the house. 

We could smell the anchor chain – oh goodness! We quickly dropped all of the chain on the sea bed so we could clean it later.

It was time to clean the waterline and the bottom of the boat. I’m in the water at 7:30am and spend the next 2 hours cleaning. 

I scrubbed the chain as it slowly came up.  It took a long time and I was exhausted!  I spent 4 hours in the water.

We prepared our passage meals, got out our passage safety gear and headed back to town to clear out.

Meal Preparation

One of the things we’ve learned along the way is that having pre-cooked meals prior to leaving is a must have. 

Matt and I spent the better part of a day preparing and cooking the following for our 3 week trip:

  • Pulled pork (perfect for tacos, migas, and sandwiches)  (4 meals x 2 ppl)
  • Gumbo (just add rice and it makes a healthy hearty meal) (5 meals x 2ppl)
  • Butter Chicken (with curry) (4 meals x 2ppl)
  • Pot stickers (great for a snack or light meal) (2 meals x 2 ppl)
  • Eggplant Parmesan (1 meal x 2 ppl)
  • Snickerdoodle cookie dough (just bake)
  • Peppermint cookie dough (just bake)
  • English Muffins

We have to eat through all of our meats, dairy (milk, butter, cheese, eggs), produce (fruit, veg, onions, potato’s, fresh garlic), nuts, popcorn, honey and any seed product. 

None of these things are allowed into Fiji.  So, we either eat it or feed the fish.   

Checking out of Majuro, Marshall Islands

We returned to Majuro at the beginning of April 2025. 

Be sure to read our blog post “A Magical Wedding.”

Enemonit Amusement

Leave a reply

We had a month to amuse ourselves before heading back to the States for a visit.  We would have preferred to be in the outer atolls during this time.  However, the weather dictated a hasty retreat to the main atoll.  We spent most of our “waiting time” at Enemonit Island which is far prettier than the Majuro anchorage.

In between boat projects we find different ways to amuse ourselves.  Matt practices his “winging.”  It is an ordeal for him.  It takes about 45 minutes to get all of the gear out and set up.  He has to have 12-15kts of wind with no swell and little boat traffic.  He is just figuring it all out and adverse conditions make it difficult.

I keep an eye on him as he needs a ride once he gets too far downwind.  He has not mastered winging upwind yet.  So, Matt preps the dinghy for me to be able to jump in, start our 25hp outboard, and zoom to him.

He does better than he did before, which is always good.  He is goofy footed so it is easier to go one direction than the other.  Right now he is just trying to balance on the board while using the wing for forward motion.  However, the wind kicks up and occasionally forces him up on the foil.

Snorkeling and Free Diving

We do lots of snorkeling on the multiple wrecks (DC3, 2-Huey Helicopters, and a double decker ferry).  Matt sits in the DC3 pilot seat which was ejected before the boat was scuttled.

Matt free dives, I snorkel, the many bommies and coral patches around Enemonit and Eneko.

Dinner with Sweet Ruca

Matt and I caught (2) Yellow Fin tuna while we were sailing in the outer atolls.  We invited Curtis and Kate from sv Sweet Ruca to come over for some tasty tuna sliders!

We had some stellar sunsets, sunrises and rainbows.  Enemonit is truly a beautiful spot in a not so beautiful atoll.

Our blog posts run 5-6 weeks behind actual live events.  Activities at Enemonit took place in late February.  Did you explore the Alele Museum with us in our last blog post?

A Day at the Museum

Leave a reply

The Alele Museum is small but impactful.  It is located in Majuro and showcases artifacts, traditional tools, fishing gear, an outrigger canoe, navigation guides, and historical photographs packed into this museum.

I visit the museum with my friend Kate on sv Sweet Ruca. The museum is free but they do accept donations to help maintain it.

Visitors can view historical photos along the hallway walls.  

They can also learn about the destruction of the atomic bombs and the significant milestones of each atoll.

The museum displayed a beautiful female chief with traditional tattoos and an intricately woven skirt. 

Next to this display were clothing articles from the early 1900’s.

Tools of the Trade

The Marshallese women learn how to weave at an early age using the pandanus leaves. The women weave purses, bags,  fans, crafts, mats, and jewelry.  

The Marshallese traditional basket is called the Alele basket (lower left photo). 

The basket holds the family’s most valuable possessions. The eldest female in the family is responsible for the basket.  

Officials named the Alele Museum after this basket.

The locals made their fishing hooks and tools using shells and sticks. 

Tattooing

The Polynesians across the Pacific used the same traditional method to do tattoos . 

Men and women endured this extremely painful process to get tattoos.  We call it “tattoo-ow!” or “tap tap ow!”

Locals used bamboo to make the handle ( “ni” or “tooth”), which was 25-30cm long.  This handle had a small tattooing chisel with 3-5 fine points (teeth) attached to the top.  The chisel created the fine lines and dots. 

The artist would use the central rib of a coconut palm frond to make the mallet (jub or kade), which was 20-30cm long.  The artist used the mallet to hit the handle to pound the teeth into the flesh.

They used a coconut half shell to hold the pigment.

Artists made pigment (mamoj) from charred coconut fibers and water.  Later, they made the pigment from the pure black carbon soot that came from the lantern chimneys. 

Sailing and Navigating

Marshallese used traditional canoes with outriggers and hand woven sails to travel.

Unlike modern sailing vessels, these boats do not have a bow (front) or stern (back).  The captain simply turns around in his seat and adjusts the sail in the opposite direction.  Pretty nifty!

Satellite images of each RMI atoll were posted on the walls in this room.  Along with a small version of the traditional outrigger canoe.

Marshallese have are known for their navigational skills. Captains memorized the routes and did not bring or use any navigational tools.

However, “stick charts” were originally created as teaching aids to preserve the navigational knowledge.  They use shells to indicate the general direction of the atoll.  Captains memorized the routes and did not bring stick charts on passages.

The charts depict the wave and current pattern around the atolls.  The Marshallese traveled the ocean, maintained courses, and determined positions of the islands by using of the stick charts.

The Nuclear Bombs

The museum had an entire wall dedicated to the nuclear bombing and its effects on the population. 

The photo on the right shows the migration path the victims had to endure while finding a new home.

Our blog posts run 4-6 weeks behind actual live events. 

We visited the Alele Museum around mid-February.  Check out our last blog post as we snorkel a pinnacle at Eneko.