Voyage of the Good Ship Westward

We have failed in keeping Marley’s U.S.A. admirers apprised of his well-being after 15,000 miles at sea—-a fact to which our attention has recently been drawn.

Marley is thriving, and is eager to sit for a U.S.C.G. mariner’s license upon our return home. 

Marley, as you may recall, is rumored to be part Akita—-a Japanese breed; he is convinced of it, and loves being in his “tierra”!

And he has been most popular in Japan & Korea; large dogs are a considerable rarity both places (especially outside the stew pot-in the latter!), Marley typically develops quite a fan-club in each port we visit and is convinced that everyone who comes down to the boat has done so to see him! 

Hugh & Teresa (& Marley!)

With brevity & haste consistent with these busy times, we last reported-in upon arrival at Shimonoseki where we greatly enjoyed a three day visit—-warm friendships and hospitality, leisurely sightseeing, provisioning & fueling, and happy times together with old friends.  Fine spring weather, karaoke, the exciting navigation of busy Kanmon Straits & pleasant coastal bicycle-navigation from Shimonoseki to nearby, charming Chofu were memorable highlights. 

After too brief a time with our many good friends, old & new, Westward sailed 13^th May from Shimonoseki overnight to Busan, South Korea. 

Following recent weeks of daylight-only navigation in Japan’s busy coastal & inland waters, it was a demanding run—-a moon-less night of thunder-storms & dense steamer traffic, illuminated by brilliant lightening and fleets of fishing boats, both Japanese & Korean, often fishing squid with bright incandescent fishing lights which easily evidenced their presence but blinded us to other traffic.  It was an important night for vigilance and for radar & AIS navigation!

At burgeoning & bustling Busan, Westward moored in the yachting center built for the 1988 Olympics there—–center-stage beneath the monument where the Olympic Flame once brightly burned:

There were abundant highlights of our stay in South Korea—-a country whose history & hospitality rivals that of Japan. 

At Busan we scoured local markets, took care of business at the World Aquaculture 2008 Convention, witnessed the start & finish (at Westward’s door-step), of the Busan Marathon (with Teresa’s spontaneous participation in a rain-drenched 3 km walk (while I awaited delivery onboard of a new battery-bank for Westward’s 24 volt DC system in the midst of the Marathon’s excitement).  We attended a concert by, and visited onboard with, charming Thibault Cauvin, a fine French classical guitarist—–idol of innumerable young Korean darlings & pal of Spencer’s—–who was performing nine Korean concerts (in nine days) as part of his peripatetic annual concert schedule (see: www.thibaultcauvin.com).

We also enjoyed a busy week-end in Seoul, conveniently reached via Korea’s new French-built, high-speed train (300 km/hr, an equal to the TGV of France).  After the (modest) deprivations of life onboard Westward, we were especially comfortable at the Seoul’s five-star J.W. Marriot Hotel, owned by wonderful friends from my early shipping days.  A special treat in Seoul was sharing all with daughter Elena with her husband, Todd Madsen—–visiting artistic & historic Seoul’s extraordinary castles, museums & galleries.  Family, dear friends, excellent foods, some productive business meetings & introductions, and even a bit of nightlife all made for a most memorable Seoul visit.

We were sad to leave Korea, where there is so much to see & do.  But we reluctantly departed Busan at midnight on the 25^th, for minimal night-time running, to arrived26^th afternoon at charming Hagi, Japan—-an ancient samuri & castle town, also rich with recent history. as home of many of Japan’s Mejii Restoration’s founding fathers.  Hagi is noted also for its many onsens (hotspring bath-houses), the nearest adjacent to our moorage.  We shall try to check them all in our few days here!!

From Hagi we will turn northeast, along Japan’s Sea of Japan coastline, on the following (approximate) itinerary:

<Ports of call>      

•  Hamada: 29-30 May ??
•  Dogo Island: 31 May – 2 June??
•  Maizuru: 3-5 June ???
•  Sado Island: 6-8 June ? ???
•  Niigata: 8-11 June ?
•  Akita: 9-12 June? ?????
•  Muroran: 14-20 June
•  Kiritappu: 21-23 June

Our ETD Japan is June 23rd from Hokkaido for Aleutian Islands and Dutch Harbor.  Frustrated with the endless challenges of obtaining permission to visit the Russian Kuril Islands, we have forsaken that objective to extend our stay in far more welcoming Korea & Japan, hoping foremost for mild northern summer weather before we brave the North Pacific to the Aleutian Islands & Alaska.

We have a great deal of Japan still to see in the weeks ahead, but our remaining time feels short; we  will be sad to leave after so much enjoyment here, from seeing many treasured friends and traveling & sightseeing along this welcoming country’s beautiful & welcoming coastlines.

All’s well aboard
Westward

East meets Westward – morning at anchor off O-torii Gate of 6th Century Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima Island, five miles south of Hiroshima, enroute to Shimonoseki.

Teresa is safe aboard and we’ve now arrived at Shimonoseki, after a 13 knot westbound transit of Kanmon Channel (separating the islands of Honshu & Kyushi) on the ebb tide from the Inland Sea.  We’ll fuel here and enjoy a few days visit with old friends from fishing days. 

Weather permitting (there’s a typhoon lurking to the south, and headed towards Japan!), we’ll sail for Busan, South Korea on the 13^th . . .  an overnight run across the Sea of Japan.

Westward

Sea of Japan, May 5, 2008

Gomen Nasai! . . . I apologize!  Where has April gone?  We last communicated with news of our early-April Tokyo adventures with Margot, soon after her arrival from Seattle on the 3^rd!

From Tokyo our three-some traveled west aboard Japan Rail’s newest “Bullet Train” (the 180 mph “Nozumi!”) to Nara & Kyoto.  These travels in Margot’s delightful company included three memorable nights food & accommodation in traditional Japanese “ryokan’s” and was a journey enriched with cherry blossom’s, in full & continuous bloom, from east to west.  From Kyoto, we returned to Westward at Shin Nishinomiya Yacht Harbor for a few days local sightseeing before Margot’s mid-April return to Seattle. 

Margot’s visit was ten wondrous days together—–spent studying Japan’s rich history & arts & crafts, exploring ancient castles, temples & shrines, savoring Japan’s delicious foods, hunting Geisha’s in Kyoto’s Gion district, and sampling mochi (a pounded-rice sweet) wherever we could find it!. 

A certain highlight of this time was the splendid company of lovely Masako Okabe whom we had met previously, at her family’s fine restaurant, on Ie Shima.  Masako is a student at the University of Kyoto and joined us for our 1^st night’s dinner at our Kyoto ryokan.  We all enjoyed the evening together and invited Masako to join us the following day for our Kyoto sightseeing tour; Margot & Masako became fast friends.  Five days later, Masako took my (round-trip) seat aboard the Nozumi Bullet Train to Tokyo to accompany Margot to her Sunday flight from Tokyo’s Narita Airport to Seattle.  .  It was a joy to watch the formation of friendship between two lovely & thoughtful young women, a marvelous inter-cultural experience for each of them.

It would delight us all and surprise no one, except perhaps Masako’s parents, if Masako joined Margot again this summer, in Seattle, for another visit!

After Margot’s departure, Teresa & I spent a few days aboard Westward, playing catch-up with duties & bright-work, before a quick trip to Seattle.  At only eight days, my time in Seattle was brief; Teresa added a visit with family in the mid-west and will rejoin Westward, in Hiroshima, on May 8^th.

My pleasant duty upon returning to Westward in Osaka on April 27^th was to organize a crew and get Westward moving again—–into the Inland Sea, to Western Honshu, and towards our goal of Busan, South Korea by mid-May. Two Japanese friends, met during our end-March visit to Ie Shima Island, joined us for a four-day, 190 mi. cruise through the Inland Sea.  Our crew was a splendid success; Hirota-san & Nakamura-san were each able & willing, and excellent guides, chefs & companions.  The pleasure of their company was exceeded only by the weather: blue skies, warm temperatures, calm seas and favorable tides (though swift in narrow channels). 

After a grand farewell dinner onboard with our new crew & Nishinomiya friends, we embarked for Hiroshima, with stops enroute at the small islands of Naoshima & Omishima where springtime was in full bloom.  It was a lovely, leisurely meander fulfilling a life-long goal of someday cruising these magnificent waters.  Comparisons of the Inland Sea with the San Juan Islands of Washington State are apt, but the Inland Sea is far more extensive and far busier with commercial traffic & shores-based industry (often shipbuilding) in the most unlikely places.  Westward’s warm & friendly welcome at each island was source of continuing delight.

A particular highlight of our passage was touring Naoshima’s quite remarkable Chichu Art Museum (http://www.chichu.jp/)—-a modern & extensive underground structure in which the works of art are component with the architecture and most artistic in their presentation & natural illumination.   Memorable, and impressive, to say the least!

We arrived at Hiroshima on the 3^rd and here await Teresa’s return.  Engineer Gary Booth and I will here attend to some of Westward’s needs and explore this now historic city—-rebuilt, beyond description, since August 6^th, 1945 and my first visit here near 40 years ago.

All’s well onboard

Westward