Sunday 17 October 2010

Picton Castle at anchor at Bwatnapne Bay, Pentecost, Vanuatu; Sunday 17 October 2010 בס"ד

I woke up and I just couldn't take the nasty stank on my pillow, so I got a bucket and put bleach water in it and agitated my pillow in it for half an hour. I then took the pillow out, rang it out as best I could, and shook it on alternating sides until no more water was coming out of it, and hung it up to dry. I cleaned my bunk out and got items ready to trade, as there was a scheduled trading fair today at 1230. I brought out the big stuff this time, as I heard that the trade was better here. Frying pan, sleeping bag, some lengths of gangion, a claw hammer, and other stuff that was pretty much just taking up room in my bunk. I went ashore on the 1130 skiff and set up to trade. As soon as I set up my little booth, people came up and started putting stuff on layaway, asking me to reserve it for them. They took the 1230 commencement time quite seriously, anxiously awaiting the local honcho to announce when trading may begin. At exactly 1230, the whistle blew and people came flocking. Baskets were the big sellers here, and my first trade was for a grip squeeze workout thing for a colorful handwoven basket. I traded the hammer and frying pan each for an entire boar's jaw, complete with two tusks each. Things went quickly here, and before I knew it I had a dozen baskets and two animal jaws. I gave the smaller jaw to Dapper in exchange for a screwdriver, which I thought I might get a good return on. Besides, what am I going to do with two boar's jaws? I ended up getting a huge basket in which I could store my smaller baskets in with it. I went back on the skiff at 1430, hands full of baskets. Ducky told me we'd probably be stowing momentarily, so I stuck around and harnessed up. Sure enough, the call came, and I went up on the fore. I was surprised to find Niko next to me, as he hadn't been aloft since shortly after Canada because of a scooter accident injury. I worked with him refreshing him on the finer points of stowing and we got several sails done. I help set up for dinner upon the quarterdeck, and we had pizza, or “white fella laplap,” as the Captain described it to some of our local friends (lap lap is pretty much a concoction of whatever ingredients are on hand mixed together and served in pizza-like squares). I went back ashore at 1900 for a smaller kava dance than yesterday, but still fun. Bracken said something to a few of us about how it would be awesome to sail the Monomoy to the next island. We all agreed of course, and fantasized about Monomoy expeditions around the world. Afterwards, I returned to the ship and passed out.