宝島 Treasure Island

Here is a SPOT record of our trip so far. To follow our progress live, track us via SPOT.　現在位置はスポットで見てください。

According to legend, scores of years ago, the English pirate Captain Kidd came to this island and hid a treasure. The locals say there is not an ounce of truth to this fairy tale, but that that does not stop certain visitors from searching high and low for it. As for us, we have found our own treasure: 3 brand new fancy computers with high speed internet! And now for an update...

伝説によるとこの島で昔はキャプテンキッドと言う海賊が宝を隠した。島人によるといくら探してもないけど、この小さい公民館で新しいパソコン3台ブロードバンドもあることは宝ものでしょう！


Many people have asked, how do you take a pee while crossing 60km of sea between islands? Well, here is one way. Leanne takes a swim many, many miles from shore.
気持ち好い休憩。小便もしているかも。


Our traverse from Amami to Yokoate(65km) took 13.5 hours. We battled side winds, cross currents and 3 meter swell on an exciting but rather slow crossing. As the sun set we were still 10km from target, leaving us to tackle potential tidal races and a difficult landing in pitch darkness. Finally around 10:30, we made landfall on a rocky beach on the northside of Yokoate, the island's only available landing point. Landing on Yokoate at night was very creepy as we could feel the utter isolation of this uninhabited volcanic island surrounded by a wild sea.


奄美の名瀬港から出発して、横当島までの65キロの横断は13.5時間かかりました。横風、海流、3メートルのうねりもあった。　日の入りの時まだ横当島から10kmぐらい離れた地点で、残りは暗闇の中でのアプローチ。港もない火山でできた無人島の北側のごろった石のビーチで10：30頃上陸。うねりと黒闇でちょっと怖かった感じ。その夜ぐっすりと寝ました。


The next morning after sleeping the sleep of the dead, we finally pushed off around 10am into the same swell and unpredicable currents. This time we had the wind in our back, and Leanne enjoyed hanging on to the sail for most of the day, pulling us ever onward. Along the way we managed to navigate toward the intersection point of 29.0N latitude and 129.0E longitude. (It is such points that people like Rick actually collect and publish pictures about on the internet). We arrived at Treasure Island around 5 o`clock on a sunny afternoon, adjusting to our new surroundings: our first inhabited Tokara island. After 2 days of rough seas and barren volcanic rocks, it was, as usual, somewhat startling to readjust to civilization.


次の朝9時頃やっと目が覚めて、準備してから出発した。　南西風を利用、リアンはセールを使って、僕だけ漕いだ。行く途中緯度経度の交差点を訪れて、ゲットしました。『リックはそのことを集まっている、特別なサイトに出版する。』　宝島に午後5時ごろ到着しました。

Already bathed in sweat, this morning the walked up the steep hill to the village branch office for the internet. Here in mid-summer, even arly mornings can be hellishly hot and it's usually best to be at sea or in the shade. Rick is here topless in front of the computer checking out various forecasts and scheming about the best way to move north up this chain of islands. There is a pool of dirty sweat slowly spreading onto the computer desk from under his arm, all the more reason to sign out and get the show on the road. We will be leaving in the afternoon for the nearby Kodakara Island ('Little Treaure Island'). The wind is howling and the sea will be rough - wish us luck.

今朝公民館に行くために急さかを登って、暑くて暑くてたまらない。汗ビッショリなってきました。リックは今パソコンの前で裸になっている。運がよくてさきほどやさしい地元の人にあってドライブで島を案内するって。午後から小宝島に向けて、荒れた海と強い風で、がんばっていきます！