Land of Giant Statues

As close as Aspen can get to land at Easter Island, Rapa Nui, Chile

Aspen anchored at Easter Island!

Easter Island statues, taken with a long telephoto lens!

 

S/Y Aspen – December 3, 2021 – Log #178

Aspen Position: 27 degrees 08’ S, 109 degrees 26’ W

Easter Island, Rapa Nui, Chile

 

2,414.8 nautical miles in 20 days!  It is a long way to this rock called Easter Island or Rapa Nui.

 

Sunrise on my 20^th day at sea found me just off the North Coast of Easter Island, where the ancient people first landed.  Giant stone statues line the shore, symbols of a failed society from historic times.

 

I sailed around the island to the only settlement, called Hanga Roa and anchored in the roadstead. 

 

There is no harbor, marina or anything protected on the island for an anchored boat.  Aspen pulls on her anchor, rocking and rolling constantly with the big Pacific Ocean swells that sweep in.  Oh, the price one pays for adventure.

 

Well, my voyage hit an unforeseen obstacle, hmmm, well an insurmountable wall, when I arrived.  The Easter Island government decided NOT to permit me to land, go ashore or even clear into Easter Island.  It was forbidden.

 

I had received permission to arrive and go ashore on Easter Island before I left Panama.  Now the officials changed their minds with nothing specific noted or cited.  Ah, never mind they just said.  We don’t want you.

 

Mainland Chile has decided to take the same tack, no vessels are allowed into the country, even in Patagonia.  We don’t want you here either, for any reason, the politicians declared.  

 

The world has gone mad, I believe.

 

Maria likes the expression, “Life is fired at you point blank.” 

 

It seems Aspen and I have been in front of a firing squad here at Easter Island.

 

My Father-in-law miraculously survived a Kamikaze attack on his ship in the Pacific Ocean during WWII.  His outlook became, “Man’s inhumanity towards man.”

 

There seems to be very little in the way of humanity or compassion left in the world.

 

You can follow Aspen’s tracker to see my route: https://forecast.predictwind.com/tracking/display/SV_Aspen

 

Sail on, sail on Aspen…

 

Fair winds,

Steve

PS - More pictures can be found at:  http://syaspen.blogspot.com/

1. Aspen will also have a Garmin tracker working so you can follow along:  https://share.garmin.com/SYAspen

2. Our updated sailing book, Voyage Into Hell, is available at Amazon.com (www.voyageintohell.com)

3. And the new edition for the book, Leadville Trail 100; History of the Leadville Trail 100 Mile Running Race is also available at Amazon.com (www.LT100history.com)