Day 330, Year 1: Getting Ready for Justin and Lynn to Arrive
Date: Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Weather: Another Beautiful, Sunny Day—No Rain
Location: Apia Harbor, Upolu Island, Samoa
Today really was a beautiful day in paradise. It seems we haven’t had many days recently without at least some rain, but we had no rain all night or all day today. We really don’t mind some rain, but it is such a hassle closing all the hatches and then reopening once the rain has ended. In a climate this hot, having to close the boat for rain means it gets really steamy down below, so it was a treat to have the boat open all day.
Early in the day I heard Quantum Leap calling the Apia Port Captain. I immediately got on the radio to say hello. We haven’t seen Tom, Bette Lee, and Kathleen since the night I broke my leg, and we have missed them. They are great folks and they are now anchored right behind us. It really is exciting when friends you have made come into port unexpectedly. Kathleen, crew on Quantum Leap, is a musician, and I know our son Justin will enjoy jamming with her.
It is just about 6:30 PM here and only eleven hours until Justin and my niece Lynn arrive . . . at 5:30 AM in the morning. It has been a very long time since we have gotten up that early, and we are actually going to have to set an alarm clock so we can get up to meet them. It’s been almost a year since I have heard an alarm, and I don’t miss that one little bit. Justin and Lynn will arrive at the airport and take a bus into Apia. The airport is 45 minutes away, so we figure it will be almost 7:00 AM before they arrive here. We are meeting them at Aggie Grey’s and will probably be bringing them back to the boat to crash. They flew straight through from Boston with only one change of planes in Los Angeles, so unless they both are good airplane sleepers, they will be exhausted. We spent the day aboard Windbird getting ready for their arrival and we really can’t wait to see them.
We went out to dinner with Bette Lee and Tom tonight and heard all about their experiences in Penrhyn in the Northern Cook Islands. Tomorrow night many of us in the anchorage will be going to Aggie Grey’s for the Wednesday night Fiafia. This will be a great introduction to the South Pacific for Lynn and Justin.
