Ahnd on foot

If you think all Pacific islands have beautiful white sandy beaches and palm trees you would be mistaken. Now most of the islands in Anht Atoll are uninhabited since Copra production has ceased, they are reverting back to jungle. Where there are no people to keep the undergrowth clear, it is now growing out to the waterline.

At low tide most of the islands have some sandy beach exposed as you can see in the photo above, but at high tide there is just a small amount of white coral beach patches left. We have spent most of our time anchored at Wikalap Island. In the morning when the tide is low we have a nice stretch to go for a walk along. There are still places where we need to wade in the water but the water is warm and pleasant and it is quite enjoyable to walk in and stretch the muscles a bit. In comparison to the photo above, here we are at the same place when the tide is in….doesn’t make for such a romantic picture.

I tend to wear my reef shoes because there are sharp bits of coral to cut yourself on. We have both suffered cuts to our feet that we have tended with care due to infection risks. Only a few of years ago a family sailed here on their catamaran SV Skye. Within a couple of days of returning to Pohnpei the otherwise healthy man had died of overwhelming infection. No-one can enlighten us as to what kind of infection. The locals were all in shock, and we heard the owner of the Ace hardware bought the catamaran which is something like 75ft long, off the widow because he felt sorry for her and she wanted only to return home with the children.

The boat is still sitting at the port at Pohnpei. We had a paddle around it and while it is still seaworthy I fear it won’t be for long. The sails haven’t been stowed below and are rotting, and it doesn’t look like it has been moved since it was moored there. So sad they haven’t sold it on to someone who could bring it to life and love it. I think if we ever return it will probably still be blending in with the rest of the abandoned boats surrounding it. So if you know anyone in the market for a huge cat, you know where to point them!

Anyway, back to Anhd. The first island we explored was Pasa. Rickson showed us around the little settlement. The owners have a simple house near the beach. There are some places that are more like a sleeping platform with sides and a roof, and these wooden squares that you can prop open for airflow that are screened. All of the the structures have a corrugated roof so water can be caught in barrels as rain is the only water supply. The rangers keep the area neat and tidy and the gardens look nice.

One of the big execs from Google visited the island some time ago. Apparently he just loved it, and gifted them a desalination plant. While this was a really nice thought, basically it is a useless gift in these circumstances. It needs huge amounts of diesel to run, and why would they use it when they can bathe in the sea, catch water, and top off from Pohnpei as needed?

There is a rough path straight to the otherside of the island that takes about 2 minutes to walk, then you can choose left or right to walk around. Surrounded by the pack of dogs we chose left.

The dogs knew where they were going and if it was best to walk on the beach or in the water. They would sometimes stop to hunt fish or chase birds and finally they got sick of following us, until only two remained that stayed with us for the rest of our walk.

There was lots of stuff washed up on the side of the island exposed to the reef. Dean found a really good quality aluminium ladder washed off a boat that he put up above the water line so Rickson could retrieve it later. We found fishing buoys and even a coil of huge rope that must have come off a ship.

But by far the biggest single piece of litter was plastic drinking bottles. Please, if you have the choice, fill up your reusable bottle with water out of the tap rather than buy a bottle of water. The rubbish isn’t overwhelming, but still better off not here. But other than that, the actual water is amazing. I mean look at the clarity of that water!

As we rounded the corner, so looking back into the protected side of the lagoon, we found a fallen tree that was a perfect seat for us, to have rest and have our morning tea.

We knew there were people coming to the island, so while we were still in seclusion had a swim. As we were about to get into the water we saw a ray was rubbing its belly in the sand right up on the waterline and a fish was attending to its grooming. What a fascinating sight.

When we returned to the settlement, we got to meet the owners who are just lovely. They were bringing their guests over for a visit. And of course Kumar was also there because he seems to be related to everyone! And yes, the owners wife is his half sister. But the most funny sight was of some of the children in the swimming enclosure with a heap of fish and about five or six reef sharks happily circling them.

Apparently they did allow a resort to be built many years ago. It was Japanese built, completed, then before its grand opening a huge storm came through and detroyed it. They took it as the gods sending them a message and decided not to have it rebuilt. I am glad. Maybe it’s selfish as someone who has had the means and opportunity to venture here, but such a pristine wilderness should be left alone.

One blue sky day we decided to explore a new island and took the yacht over to Pamuk Imwintiati to do some snorkelling. We took the dinghy ashore to have lunch and used the photo opportunity of a white sandy beach to take a photo. I am sure you just love my snorkel suit! The backs of my legs and my ass were just copping a bit too much sun and needed a rest!

It was just a little exposed to anchor the night over that side of the lagoon so we retreated back to our anchorage at Pasa. It is such a gorgeous place. Even when it is raining and the sky is grey, the water is still aqua blue. If you spend anytime out on deck you will see schools of fish swim by and jump across the water. The reef sharks regularly swim by on their patrol of the lagoon and it isn’t unusual to see the rays gracefully fly by.

Dean took himself and his axe over to the island to explore inside a bit. Personally I hear too many coconuts thumping to the ground to feel comfortable traipsing through that. I am content to play with the hermit crabs which provide me with endless hours of fun! While I would never have one as a pet, I can see why people do. This fellow was getting too big for his battered old shell so I hunted around for a new one for him, but by the time I found one, I had lost him. Sigh…

During his exploring Dean did find another huge coconut crab. He first saw a pile of coconut husks about ½m high then saw him in a hole in a tree. It then retreated up the inside of the tree trunk. He said it would be worth a lot in a restaurant, but private island, not our property, so he was left to carry on and hopefully make more coconut crabs. We will keep the location of his lair secret so nobody else will find him easily.

Sadly we did need to return back to Pohnpei to resupply and also extend our visa for a bit longer. It is so lovely here we have decided to stay longer in Pohnpei and decrease our scheduled time in Guam. We had a lovely journey back and just as I was about to pull in my line so we could motor through the passage, I got a strike. It was a big fight and I nearly handed over to Dean because my arm was aching so much, but I powered on, and yay, finally we got our Mahi Mahi.The big police launch went by so they got a view of our catch!

Because we were so close to our anchorage Dean decided to clean and fillet it once we got back in, where it is calmer and safer. Port control asked us to wait for a plane to take off before giving permission to enter so we floated around for about 10 minutes So by the time I got my photo the fish had actually drained of its beautiful green colour, but you see the pretty dorsal fin in the photo above that Dean has stretched out, but is actually retracted in the photo where I am holding it.The fish tastes amazing and I was able to vacuum seal and freeze five meals from that one fish.

When we got back in we found three new yachts had arrived while we were away, Aussies, Swedish and American. We met them all at the bar that night and it was nice to have some new conversation and hear stories of different adventures. While we still have things to see and do on Pohnpei we hope to return to the atoll in a few days.