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July 10, 1999

Hawaii to Tarawa Voyage, Update #72

SUPPORT TEAM REPORT 3
Tarawa, Kiribati

Since landing in Kiribati I've been reading Paul Theroux's book "The Happy Isles of Oceania." It's a chronicle of his paddling through the South Pacific in a small collapsible Kayak. Definitely recommended reading for those following Expedition 360 as the expedition is headed toward some of the same destinations.

In the book Theroux talks about the ocean being much like outer space with the islands as tiny clusters of stars. When Jason arrives I'll be interested to ask if he made the same analogy while at sea.

We talked again yesterday by satellite phone and we are planning for an arrival here on Saturday, July 17th. I could sense a feeling of relief from Jason that this leg of the journey was winding down. At the same time there will be the culture shock of being around people again.

There is a good deal of curiosity about why someone would do what he is doing. Ian Garside, an Australian who is in charge of the patrol boat, RKS Teanoai, which would be sent to Jason's aid if he needed it, has been plotting Moksha's progress since it entered the territorial waters of Kiribati. "The guy must be bloody out of his mind" he observed as we were looking over the large chart laid out in his office. But I think I could also sense a feeling of admiration from one sea guy to another.

The official Kiribati Independence Celebration begins today. There was a big track meet at the stadium in the center of town with schools from many of the outer Islands competing. There seem to be a lot of people arriving on the Island and food stalls are being set up along the main street in town.

The big event I'm looking forward to is a midnight fireworks display sponsored by the Chinese government, which is beginning to establish a presence here.

There are five days of planned events, traditional canoe races and other competitions highlighted by a big music and dance competition. Traditional music is a big part of the Island culture and this event apparently is looked forward to all year.

So I'm off to do some taping.

From Tarawa
Tia bo (goodbye)
Maurice Jacobsen
Expedition 360 Support Team

Posted on July 10, 1999 5:47 AM