American Samoa

Sailing into the harbour of Pago Pago, we were greeted by a golden arch, a giant stamp interrupting the landscape, proof of how far the 'American dream' has reached. McDonald's seemed to be the hub of the community, always full, always super size, always free internet available. Now you can't complain about the last observation!

The passage between Suwarrow (Cook Islands) and American Samoa was pretty awful. We chose a weather window, expecting consistent 20 knots and a fast sail but Mother Nature had other plans for us. We spent the 5 days at sea in squall after squall, poor Orion getting absolutely soaked, towel after towel used to stop the torrential rain coming down the companionway and drying our soggy bodies. The waves tossed us about like a cork and the wind was 30 knots or more for the whole time. Tiring, sickening and not fun although we were squeaky clean after getting power washed. With our experience of the South Pacific Convergence Zone behind us, we were most excited to sight land!

To be honest, we wouldn't have bothered with this island if it weren't for a parcel expected from the US. With American Samoa having a US zip code, shipping is the same price as internal US postage. We took full advantage and to our delight, it took a mere 4 days from when the parcel was shipped in Virginia to arriving in the post office of this remote Pacific island! Impeccable service at a fraction of the price it would have cost to get sent to Fiji so in our opinion, well worth the detour.

The anchorage was similar to what the guides say, marginal holding and murky water. It took us two attempts to set the anchor but apparently the average is 6! A tsunami hit the island in 2009 and people today are still pulling up deck chairs, parasols, even a lawn mower from the harbour floor. Most boats in the bay looked a little sorry for themselves, a place where boats go to die with the odd long term yachtie thrown into the mix. The tuna canning factory provided an interesting aroma but also a source of fascination for Dylan who's favourite programme of all time is Deadliest Catch. He was rather overwhelmed as his previous fishing experience was using a hand line with a 15HP engine in Suwarrow then he witnesses these beasts, with kilometres of nets and their own helicopter on board to spot the schools. I left him to it and preferred to wash every piece of clothing and linen we had in the cheap laundromat ($1.25 per load!) whilst Dylan stood and stared at the ships, hoping to get invited onboard for a tour (he didn't succeed).

Clearing into the country was a lengthy process involving the Harbour Office, Pier Control, Customs and Immigration each in a different office with very similar paperwork. You pay nothing when clearing in but clearing out of the country costs $150. An expensive trip as we only stayed for 4 days.

Four words to sum this place up, 'Food Stamps Accepted Here'. This country is poor yet they have developed the wants of a first world American society. Consumerism and cholesterol have found their way to this Pacific island. The average Samoan is fairly large, they drive big beefy vehicles, have and use the latest technology, yet it would appear, can't afford to buy the basic food stuffs. We saw in quite a few areas adverts for a national nutrition programme yet the associated looking people were definitely in the minority. 

On the subject of food, there is a Cost U Less. We still have a lot of food left from our provisioning in Panama so didn't need much but for those yachts running low, this would be a great place to stock up and a bus can take you straight there from the dinghy dock. It's a long ride but you get to ride on a funny looking plywood bus and see the pretty windward side of the island.

I had been eyeing up the lovely woven baskets the fruit and veg ladies use to store bananas. After another compliment on how beautiful they were, one seller offered to give me one…for free! It only takes them 10 minutes to make so I bought some bananas so I didn't feel like I was taking advantage and made a hasty retreat lest they change their mind and want to charge me for it. On our way back to the dinghy, Dylan wanted to check out a tool shop so I sat outside (tolerance for hardware stores has diminished since Panama) admiring my latest find. With Dylan gone for no less than 5 mins, I had 4 different locals stop by for a chat, sitting next to me on a step and telling me about their day. The people here are so friendly…OK it does help being a blonde female sat alone rather than with a hairy male next to me! One guy saw me trying to take a photo of my latest acquisition and came over to pose with the basket for me, kneeling on one knee and providing me with a toothy grin whilst his friend giggled away out of shot. Brilliant. 

With our mission of collecting the parcel complete, we were keen to get moving to Tonga so as soon as a weather window came up only 4 days after arriving in American Samoa, we took it and upped anchor just as dusk fell. As warned, upping the anchor was a little traumatic as it fouled and took a good 15 mins to dislodge from the bottom, great sport for the yachties on surrounding boats.

We're a nosy twosome so sailed Orion right up close to the huge tuna boats anchored near the mouth of the harbour, waving at the crew (yep we were that close), they were loving it, blowing us kisses and calling more of their friends to come on deck. All warm and fuzzy, we pointed Orion for New Potatoes (part of Tonga) and settled down for a 210 mile sail. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.