Letters
initial seismic waves and many were driven ashore, or
driven under by loose tuna boats.
After about three hours, we felt it was finally safe
enough to return to the dock. All we had were lengths of
old line and we were short a couple fenders. We were the
first to go in and we started un-tangling lines and helping
others get back along side the concrete dock. All of the
store-fronts along the water are destroyed, roving mobs of
kids can be seen looting, the fence around the dock is gone,
every boat on stands in a nearby boatyard were washed
away. Big fishing boats are now in parking lots across the
street. Absolute destruction is seen everywhere along the
shore.
Phones and power are down but we got back online
right away and I immediately went back to the recent
earthquakes website to see if things have been calming
down in the center of the earth. A number of aftershocks as
strong as 6.0 have been recorded over the past few hours
- but thankfully no more wave action has been noticed.
We’ve been making Skype calls to our families and letting
others use the computer as well to phone home.
Online news reports say that the earthquake lasted
three minutes and the highest flood rose 25 ft above
normal! There are 20 confirmed deaths... including our
neighbor who was swept off the dock. Most fatalities
occured in and around the harbor where we live. Boats are
battered and nerves are fried. One friend wound-up on his
boat nearly 1000 feet away from the water after breaking
from his anchor and sailing right down Main St. taking
STARPATH
®
power & telephone wires down with his mast! Some people
S c h o o l o f N a v i g a t i o n
lost everything... including their lives. We came through
Online Home Study Courses
remarkably well with only minor damage sustained to our
Work at your own pace, on your own schedule with these
toe rail when the dock lines parted and to our fender basket
comprehensive courses in all aspects of navigation and
which was the only point of contact with that drifting
weather. Each includes access to instructors and fellow
wreck. I never felt any jarring loads while we were hurtling
students through discussion forums and our interacive
around above & below the concrete dock, so I believe our
online classroom. All required printed and electronic
hull, keel & rudder suffered no damage from the wildest
study materials are provided.
boat ride I’ve ever been on.
We’re all okay... and very lucky. And we’ve adopted a
Courses include...
tiny kitten. And that’s the way it is.
• Celestial Navigation
• Coastal Navigation
All the Best - All the Time,
Kirk, Cath & Stuart
• Marine Weather
s/v Gallivanter
• Navigation Rules
• Radar
Follow up email from Kirk: Been four daze (sic) now and
things are slowly rising from the rubble. I’m doing my
part by covering the graveyard shift driving the picket
boat guarding a US Navy frigate and personally repaired
the water supply to the dock yesterday. Things are getting
better little by little. But I feel like I need a vacation. To life!
John and Amanda Neal, “Mahina Tiare,” were also in Samoa
when the tsunami hit. Their story is in Amanda’s column (Galley
Essentials with Amanda) on page 38.
www.starpath.com 1-800-955-8328
48° No r t h , No v e m b e r 2009 Pa g e 11
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