Red Rocketing around the Bottom of Okinawa

Sunday, 0630 AM

Well, the Red Rocket is ready......

But i had to get back on board twice more 

...1- to get the lock key,

...2- to get my telephone.

Happens to you too?

Nice and early, Naha has for a change little traffic...

Of course i had to sneak at Naha Port to see what's in...

 Naha's main fishing port.

Isn't this a sweety?

Next to the fishing port is an other boat basin.

In 1991 we stayed here for a week with our 

sailing yacht Jan Haring.

(That trip: Fukuoka-Okinawa-HK-PI-Palau-PNG-Solomon Isl-Vanuatu-NZ)

 Back to the paddles again to get out of town.

By now it's already hot, there is more traffic and of course 

a zillion red traffic lights to slow me down.

 You see, how easy it can be to find a coin laundry...

Next stop: Ready for the shock?

This is Itoman, a lovely old and cozy fishing port.

In our memories!
We were here in 1991 as well because a Super Typhoon was heading for Okinawa.
(that basin in Naha was too dangarous to stay).

Now this handy By-Pass Bridge might be too low for yachts.

JH had stayed right across from this pix.

Have to admit..the new concrete walls are an improvement. 

(btw, that typhoon never came, it made a last minute 90 degree turn)

Further down south, i stopped at some castle ruins..

and got hit by a rain shower..and nowhere to shelter...

only walls, you know..

Luckily, the rain lasted only for 5 minutes. 

Not a bad possy to built a castle, look at the view!

The coast facing SW..

...and facing SE

This peace/piece of art stands next to Okinawa's most Southerly Lighthouse at Cape Kyan.

Don't you dare....

What a perfect day.

Being on an island...No need to bring a map...

Of course a got lost a few times..like here.

But that's fun. 

South East part of Okinawa. There are a few outer islands, but they are rarely visited by yachts as they are located into the wind...and as you know... 

gentlemen don't sail into the wind...

Oh yeh, they luff stones and memorials.

That was the course, according to GE a total of 80K.

The effort was made possible thanks to:

3 ice-creams, 

3 liter of juice/water, 

1 piece of cheese cake,

and the Red Rocket.

Salute.

Kerama Retto Again

The crew of Fu Kyo decided to join the yearly yacht-race to Zamami Island in the Kerama Retto.

Noticed the word JOIN ? 

 Catamarans weren't able to take part in the sail-race...
but the crew could join the Apres Race Party....

One of the racing boats, just showing off  the good conditions.

Zamami Port got loaded with sailboats that day, 

and once the last ferry had left there was plenty of parking space.

Fu Kyo was Here.

Well, the party was like the party-food: So-So

The the map of Zamami Island,

...where this beauty used to live: Marilyn-chan.

Did you read up on Shiro-kun  and his sweathart Marilyn ??

The strait between Zamami Island and Aka Island.
Shiro-kun's swimming waters. 

Facing East from one of Zamami's look-out points.

This is Zamami Elementary School, a nice rural set-up.

Zamami is famous for its watermelons....

(nope, they aint watermelons but fishnet floats from the Philippine Islands..all glass, made of old coca-cola bottles, washed up on the pretty Zamami beaches)

Papaya trees grow either male or female fruit, 

see pix above and below.

You make out what is what...

???

That's right, a garden wall.

Well, it can't be always Sunny and Shine.

After Zamami we spent 1 more night at Aka Ferry port.
The next morning was very wet for a while.

Sleeping Snoopy?

That was an other nice weekend in the Kerama Retto.

When will be the next time?

By now, Fu Kyo is getting ready to sail back to Fukuoka.
Keep you updated.

Salute 

This and That @ Okinawa

When i was back in Fukuoka last time, 

i bought a load of engine filters for Fu Kyo the Cat.

They were in my luggage...that just went trough this airport scanner...

"Whadiwhadiwha, 
this foreigner is trying to bring some dangerous items onto the airplane......."

So, the security staff asked me kindly if they could have a look inside my bag...
And of course they found the filters.

"What are these?" 

they asked me while opening a box with 4 filters.

Well that was clear as it was even printed in Japanese that they were 
OIL FILTERS

""Oh-no, you can't take them onto the airplane as OIL is a No-No"

But they are NEW and UN-used!

"No, it says they are for OIL,  that is a No-No!"

BUT they are UN-used!

"Oh, they are new?

 But, it looks like there is some grease on the rubber seal!"

So they used some TOILETpaper to decrease the seals...

"OK now"

I asked them about the other box with 2 OILfilters.

"They are okay " with-out checking them.

Pfff, ...we all have our jobs...

Then at one of the many rent-a-car places in Naha, Okinawa

 i spotted this orange shirt.

Suppose this japanese guy hadn't seen Nederland failing  at the EU Football Games...

We had dinner at this very cozy place:
 kuro butta sjabbo-sjabbo.

Knorr-knorr, Oink-Oink.

(not my favorite food, but as said...we all have our jobs;-)

That night when our guests climbed on board of Fu Kyo the Cat, 

something went wrong with 2 suitcases...

Well, the suitcases did pass their swimming test...but doing so, they also swallowed a lottt of salt water and thus: 

It Was a Midnight Affair at the Coin Laundry..

Next day, it was lunch-time @ 

Shimujyo.

One of Okinawa's oldest noodle places...

The menu?

Of course noodles with butta...oink-knorr-again!

See my belly?

Time to head back to Tofu Land!!.

Spotted this poster at Aka Shima, it says something like:

Kids should be home when it gets dark as at that time 

The Bad are Coming Out...

....All doped by karaoke, pachinko and whatever...

Mind you, No karaoke nor pachinko on the island!

Okinawa Landmarks, next to Ginowan Marina..

Working hard to produce all the AC juice for the coolers..

It's hottt these days.

What a nice place to meet Friends of Bill W,

every Sat at 9AM.

Tropical clouds over the island, 

good for the odd T & L and downpour.
Cool us down, cool us down, cool us down.

salute

AM PM

Early morning...

And at Sunset

......that was a fine day...

even here in Ginowan Marina.

Salute