6 WESTWARD
THROUGH THE SOUTH
SEAS: RAROTONGA, SAMOA, FIJI
“A broad reach, a quiet sea, a full moon....”
We set out for Rarotonga, capital of the Cook Islands. Although we had official permission to visit these islands, we had no idea what our reception would be—especially for the Japanese. The Cooks are possessions of New Zealand, and of course that country and Australia have Oriental exclusion policies. Moreover, we knew that World War II was still well remembered in this part of the world.
For five days we had good trade-wind sailing, then a day of calm followed by a sudden sharpening of the breeze. It looked like an easy passage. Crew relations were good, although there still remained a gulf to be bridged—either of communication or of differences between Western and Eastern psychology.
One morning, after the wind had dropped off during the night, I was awakened by the sound of the foresail boom slatting around. I went up to the cockpit where Nick, at the tiller, was staring ahead as if in a trance.
“Good morning,” I began. “Looks as if the wind’s dropped.”
Nick did not answer.
After a pause I said, “I wonder, if we rigged the foresail more forward, would it work better?” There was no answer.
“What do you think, Nick?” I pressed.
“I don’t know,” he replied, in a completely indifferent tone. (Didn’t know whether it would work? Didn’t know what I was talking about? Or didn’t want to be bothered?)