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July 4, 1999
Hawaii to Tarawa Voyage, Update #64
Tarawa, Kiribati
SUPPORT TEAM REPORT
Flying into the Island of Tarawa from Nadi, Fiji the immense size of the ocean is striking. There is nothing but a carpet of shades of blue, from the crystal purity of the sky to the aqua marine reflections of the ocean.
Then this sliver of land appears, just a pimple really, in the vastness of the Pacific. But it does exits with its own latitude and longitude co-ordinates. This is the point on our planet where Jason is headed.
I, Maurice Jacobsen, am here in a small way to help Jason into safe harbour. To help make life a bit easier for him when he walks on solid ground for the first time in 70 odd days and to document the journey, both for the Internet and the video documentary series in production.
The Air Nauru flight, a Boeing 737, touched down at the Tarawa Airport with it one room terminal only an hour late. For this part of the world it was on time. The weather was clear and a steady, relatively cool breeze greeted those of us getting off this once-a-week flight.
Most of the passengers were flying onward to Australia. Those who got off were mostly native Islanders coming back from Fiji with worldly goods in tow, boom boxes, computers and such. There were also a few Brits, New Zealanders, Aussies... businessmen, government workers or relatives of same. There were no easily recognized tourists.
David Craddock, who is from England, met me at the airport. He's been on the Island, two and a half years with his wife Anne and three young kids. He works as an administrator with the Tarawa Technical Institute, a local trade college. He found the expedition from a posting on the Internet that Jason put up before he left Hawaii. David's been a great help getting me situated at Mary's Motel, one of only four public places to stay, and generally making me feel comfortable.
My most immediate task has been to get organized logistically. Luckily Internet and cellular phone service have, within the past four months been initiated on the Island by TSKL, the local phone company. I met its CEO, Sturt Eastwood, an Aussie, last night at an informal party. He joked they had the Internet installed just for the expedition. But it's that kind of place where the head of the phone company is downing beers with the local crowd at a seaside bar in shorts and T-shirt.
Of course, my most critical task is to make sure Jason has safe passage into the Island. But people here seem more than willing to assist and there will, no doubt, be a small armada to travel out to sea and guide Moksha around the reefs into Betio Harbour. Sebert Lewis, Jason's father, who is a retired Lt. Col. In the British military, has been closely monitoring Jason's position and has faxed detailed suggestions for Moksha's course of direction. I'm now checking up-to-the-minute wind and current information and am relaying all that is know to Jason.
So for all of us the adventure continues. I'm looking forward to meeting more people on the Island and sharing the experience with all of you following Jason's progress.
Maurice Jacobsen
Expedition 360 Support Team
Posted on July 4, 1999 5:30 AM