CRUISE VIGNETTES 13, Enna G

HAWAII
After several uneventful days at sea, we docked in Honolulu. We had been here several other times, and knew our way around, so with three other people we rented a car and I played Tour Guide, as I drove clear around the Island of Oahu, then through parts of Honolulu.

MAJURO
Several days were spent sailing from Honolulu to the Island of Majuro, in the Marshall Islands. You may have heard of the islands of Bikini and Eniwetok, where they tested Atomic Bombs — they are also in the Marshall Islands, but many miles away. I think there should be a plaque, or an award of some kind presented to the Island of Bikini for excellence in swim suit design. The days were sunny and ideal, the daily routine was well set, and all was as wonderful as we expected it to be.

However, the trip disaster occurred the morning before we arrived in Majuro. As mentioned earlier, deck walking was a normal way of life for most people. This morning the man who (with his wife) had gone with us on the trip around Oahu, dropped dead within ten feet of me, while doing his doctor-prescribed daily walk. I was sitting there with a book in my lap, and my feet on the rail (my favorite past-time, of all past-times) facing out to sea. I heard much rustling behind me as people walked, so didn’t give it a thought when there was even more noise, until I heard comments from the doctor, who had been called to help the man. His wife left the ship in Majuro and returned to Canada with his body. It often seems a trite statement, but his wife said that since he liked to travel on a ship so much, this was a fitting place for his life to end.

Majuro is an unusual island. If you imagine a clock with 12 pointing north, the portion from about 10 -- past 12 -- to 5 is almost continuous, while the rest of the circle is a few small islands, with water channels between. The highest point on the island may be about 6 feet above sea-level. At about 2 o’clock, the island may be a few hundred yards wide, but some other places it had to be widened to make room for a road.

What makes this especially interesting is that in early December 1979, they had a storm with 25 foot waves, and it looked like it. The Post Office and the Bank of America were about the most substantial buildings, and they had some damage. Much of the housing was completely destroyed. The US Government had erected tent cities for those people, and for people from other nearby islands that were damaged even more than this one.

Again we rented a car and drove as far as possible, but there are only a very few miles of roads on this island. You can’t imagine the mile after mile of acre after acre of the most beautiful sandy beach with crystal clear ocean, and not a person in sight!