Stopped at Guam, relaunching on Monday

Day: 128 — Position: N13 27.2' E144 37.2’
Odometer since Waikiki: about 3,566M

OCEAN ROWING RECORDS AS RUNNING TOTALS
Solo career total in days: 1,053 (New World Record)
Overall career total in days: 1,137 (New World Record)
Solo career total in miles by Waikiki: 22,173M now about 25,492M (New World Record)
———
Overall career total in miles by Waikiki: 25,153M now about 28,472M
* Ralph Tuijn (NL) leads this with 35,635M
** Circumference of the Earth along the equator is 21,600M long

———oOo———

I brought my rowboat to the Apra Harbor entrance on the west side of Guam on Friday evening (Feb 12th) then accepted a 3.3M tow to the Marianas Yacht Club further inside, guarded by shallow waters with coral heads. The adjudicated time that it took for me to reach the point where I hitched the tow from Waikiki, was 127d 13h 53m.

I wrote about major live fire exercises which were declared along my approach path to Guam. As a huge gesture, the military planners changed their exercises to use the live fire airspace to the east of Guam specifically to ensure my safety, then gave me the clearance to proceed on my declared course between the islands of Rota and Guam. Over the few days that it took waiting to receive said clearance, I was drained of patience on para anchor as the ocean carried me west. I was slowly losing my positional advantage…

It was essential that I fight to remain on course. I was tempted to aim for the south coast of Rota Island on Wednesday night to drop anchor and have a good long sleep. In the end, I talked myself out ot that idea and proceeded toward Guam taking advantage of the clearance that I was offered. I slept a total of 5 hours in one hour increments that night then only 1:15 during the night before arrival. There was no turning back, I was committed…

The afternoon winds on Friday were gradually increasing as I descended down the NW coast of Guam. In a phone exchange with the USCG Sector Guam, I received information that I could take advantage of a longshore current if I stayed within a mile of the coastline. However with the westerly extending breakwater of Apra Harbor, I soon realized that I had created a lee shore problem. So began my relentless struggle to register westing until I rounded the very end of the breakwater. 

When I reached the end of the breakwater, the winds were 20 knots and gusting from the northeast, the current was well established, moving my rowboat at 2.2 knots without rowing. The escort vessel I expected to find by the entrance channel was not there, somehow we had missed each other. Anticipating to meet them at the entrance, I had removed my chain and plow anchor from my ground tackle, leaving just the rode line to hand them. With the swift seas, I didn’t have time to reattach these so rowing into the channel to drop anchor quickly became a nonoption. We had been communicating by cell phone—losing coverage right at the entrance was no help. In a timely manner, the Apra Harbormaster raised me by VHF and relayed messages to direct them to the south side of the entrance channel where I was. A wet tow ensued to the Marianas Yacht Club.

I was glad that we had built a retractable rudder for my rowboat as we approached the club’s mooring buoys past the shallows and coral fields. A sizable group had gathered to receive me. They included club members, uniformed Customs officers, Port Authority officials and members of the media.

My high school friend Sandy and her husband John Leipheimer who would later become my hosts were among them cheering me ashore around 5:30 pm. John later left to pick up Nancy at the airport who stayed here until yesterday. It had been over four months since we had last seen each other and now we were going to spend Valentine’s Day together.

I was made to feel so welcome on Guam and received such gracious help and hospitality that simply expressing gratitude does not feel adequate. I will relaunch in the morning my heart full and my rowboat propelled by all the goodwill that the Guamanians are directing my way. 

Thanks to Guam from the bottom of my heart.

Erden.