Paw Paw - Log Day 195: Sticker Shock

Today was another day of running around. This time to clear out which involved another trip around the six different departments we had to visit in order to clear in. While Elaine did that, Roy took the bus to Cost U Less to get some provisioning. Then it was a quick visit to the Fresh Produce Market for fresh fruit, followed by a trip to yet another grocery store to pick up some items that Roy was unable to get at Cost U Less. While Elaine got everything stowed, Roy did a few jerry can runs to ensure our diesel tanks were completely full again.



By then it was time to lift our secondary anchor, make a quick phone call to Keenan and family and then weigh anchor at around 16H00 to set sail for our overnight passage to Apia, Samoa, where we intend to stay for a good few weeks to get some respite and take a break from the sailing.



While we absolutely loved the people of American Samoa and their cheerful, fun and very convenient little buses, we were unable to explore the island and enjoy what it had to offer. Primarily because it was too precarious to leave the yacht due to the very poor holding. The slightest puff of wind sent yachts dragging through the anchorage, so every yacht had to have someone on anchor watch 24 hours a day. With only Roy and I onboard that meant we had to divide and conquer to get the necessities done, but couldn't enjoy a trip anywhere together unless it was within close proximity to the anchorage. Also, our stay was restricted by our water supply, since the harbour water is so dirty, actually bordering on toxic, we couldn't run our watermaker. Add the smell from the tuna cannery and it really was time to move on.



The shock of the day, however, was the $152 we had to pay to the Port Authorities and Customs in order to clear out. Not only was this more than double the fees we thought we had to pay, it was a lot of money to stay in a very unpleasant anchorage for less than a week. Certainly not an island we would recommend unless you had a very specific reason to visit as we did.