As round the world legs go, the one from Naha to Choshi has certainly proved the one with the most surprises. A longer route to avoid the worst excesses of some particularly horrible weather, including two unscheduled stops - very different, but both very welcome respites from the storm.
We arrive at Choshi marina just before 6pm local time, with a fantastic welcoming committee of people - some from engine sponsors Yamaha, others just interested members of the club here. Before we know it, Alan, Steve and I have cans of Asahi beer in our hands, and my video camera is being passed from one to another in order to get all of us in shot.
We're taken off to a local restaurant, where Alan proves the true adventurer once more with the sashimi raw fish, while Steve and I opt for the somewhat more conservative but more constitution-friendly fried variety, followed by piles of noodles. At least we're getting the hang of eating with chopsticks.
The boat is lifted out of the water on Monday morning, and transported to a large shed, where a team of Yamaha engineers gives the engine and gearbox a thorough service. It's also an opportunity for Alan and Steve to perform a few minor repairs and modifications.
It's so cold here, we're wearing long trousers, shoes and socks for the first time in well over a month, which feels pretty odd. But the real problem is that the wind has risen alarmingly. Menacing dark clouds are racing across the sky, and there's an ominous whistling in the air. The wind speed is 30 knots and rising - which means absolutely no chance of going out and hoping to make progress. It would also be pretty dangerous as the wind is forecast to get up to 40 knots.
So, we're weathered in here at least for the rest of today. We'll take another look at the situation when we get our next weather forecast, but it looks like another wait, and more uncertainty.
Clive Tully
FACTBOX
Naha - Choshi
Time of leg: 6 days 7 hours 41 minutes
Length of leg: 1,050 nautical miles
Total distance covered: 10,823 nautical miles
Distance to go: 14,220 nautical miles
Average speed over leg: 6.92 knots
Fuel consumed: 1,973 litres
Average fuel consumption: 1.88 litres / nautical mile
Next stop: Muroran, Hokkaido, Japan
ETA: Wednesday (maybe)
Copyright Clive Tully ©2002
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