HARELINES

LONDON TO SYDNEY AND EVER ONWARDS AND UPWARDS

(or round-and-round, there and back, etc.)

by David Hare

Friday 20th April 2001: Red Tape Round the World

Well, it's begun! Margaret arrived in Sydney on the 13th., and we took off from Coolangatta - thank you again, Liz - for Norfolk Island on the 16th.

Norfolk Island is slightly reminiscent of Norfolk, England - don't have enough local knowledge to say how it compares with Norfolk, Virginia. A tiny island in the south Pacific, but with a local "language", that really sounds as if a broad Norfolkman were speaking with an Australian accent. The result may be incoherent, but it sounds as if one is on just the edge of comprehension! Actually, it was named for the Howard family, but the coincidence of culture is remarkable.

Discovered by Captain Cook in 1774, Norfolk Island was settled on and off by various convict groups, but by 1856 it was again uninhabited, when a group of Pitcairn Islanders - descendants of the "Bounty" mutineers - left Pitcairn and settled here. And here they still are. An Airfield, some 2000 local inhabitants, (sharing about 5 surnames, so that the local phone directory has to settle for nicknames to distinguish them) and a smattering of visitors. Come here and Get Away From It All. Especially Senior Citizens. But we have to get Back to it All, so no time to tarry here. Fiji calls!

Fiji. The flight here involved a certain amount of EMBCB dodging, (thank you, Strikefinder) and the arrival was distinguished by being told to "report established" at about 50dme. We were asked to keep the speed up, to allow for a 737 inbound from Brisbane also CB dodging, and duly landed between thunderstorms. They tell us it's not usually like this. But they would say that, wouldn't they? Actually, this is a pretty good spot. The bureaucracy at the airport had to be experienced to be believed, - two and a half hours from brakes-on to airport exit, without refuelling, - but it feels worth it this morning. Fiji is a sugar, rice, and tourism economy, and we have dipped our feet in the warm Pacific, paddling out from a delightful little hotel on the beach, where we have a little shack all our own. Idyllic.

We are greatly puzzled by what happens when we cross the International dateline, which we hope to do en-route Pago-Pago (pronounced "Pungo-Pungo") tomorrow. It seems we get the same day twice. All very odd. We'll let you know. Passepourtout, thou should'st be living at this hour.

P.S. from Pango

Well, we arrived here after a similar brush with bureaucracy at Nadi Airport, with this difference - everyone was unfailingly helpful, and did their best to get us through. We must thank especially Treasure Marshall, who got his CPL recently, and wants a type-rating on Islanders. Good luck, Treasure.

We had a good flight here. The folk are much the same as in Fiji; all six foot six front row forwards. And that's just the ladies. The hotel is a little unusual: one doesn't usually have problems getting hold of (1) a corkscrew, or (2) a cup of tea in the average hotel. But this is not your average hotel!

We passed some very pretty-looking South Sea Islands on the way here; unlike en route Fiji the weather man let us see them most of the way. Pretty lagoons, coral reefs, etc., - just like it says in the books. And we crossed the Dateline! Actually, we sort of passed it twice: once, at the meridian just out of Nadi airport, and still overland in Fiji, and again over the "official" dateline, where it takes a kink to stay over water, at about 172 degrees 30' West. So we arrived here maybe before we left Fiji. At any rate, we're back in the Western hemisphere, and on the way home. On Friday, God willing, we get into the Northern hemisphere at Christmas Island, but more about that in our next. We couldn't get a mobile frequency or a Internet cafe open for business in Norfolk Island or Fiji, but they tell us we can e-mail from here tomorrow. If we can, you'll be the first to know!

Thursday 26th April 2001: ALOHA!

We made it as far as Hawaii, anyway! The South Pacific isn't the easiest place to communicate from, which explains the rarity of our reports so far, but we're in the relatively civilised bit at present, so things should be easier from that point of view.

We were last heard of, I think, in Pago Pago. Our next leg took us to Christmas Island (the one in Kiribati, not the Indian Ocean, though it did seem a long way, maybe we went wrong somewhere. I hadn't realised there were two of them until I started planning this trip. You can tell if you're in the right place, because this is the one where they let off various big bangs some fifty years ago, and the locals still glow in the dark) which is quite wonderful and it's a pity our schedule didn't permit a longer stay. The main airfield, Cassidy International, is open only on Mondays, which is when the weekly flight comes in from Honolulu, and at other times transient aircraft, usually ferries, go to Aeon, which is a nice little runway at the opposite end of the Island. There is a great deal of bird life here, with many species specific to the island - we met a very interesting New Zealander at the hotel, from the World Wildlife Fund, who told us all about it. At the airfield, however, the birds are mainly more common sooty terns, which seem to resent aeroplanes, and our arrival was distinguished by having to run the gauntlet on finals. Fortunately, they all broke before we did. The departure wasn't too bad - I thought birds all got up very early, but about 7 o'clock local time there weren't too many of them about.

What there were a lot of about was crabs. And crabs. And crabs. The island has the one road round it, plus a number of "car tracks", which we didn't investigate, but we were taken along the main road to the airfield, and the crabs were all waiting for the sunrise by sitting in the middle of it. They seem fairly stupid crabs, or maybe they're just not used to the traffic, but either they're all deaf, or intent on playing chicken (or crab, maybe), because they didn't always make it to the undergrowth in time. Come to Christmas Island, and Pick Your Own Crab Cakes.

The other principal activity here is sport fishing. The weekly flight brings in the fishermen and takes back last week's batch. The favourite game seems to be the bonefish, which is "hunted" with a tied fly, is quite small, and according to the fishermen the best fish in the world to fight with rod and line. The whole island is completely flat, with much of it covered with water (all of it will be before long, according to our New Zealand friend) to form, appropriately enough, the "flats", and that's where the bonefish hang out. There are other fish too, of course, including big game fish hunted from boats, but we found ourselves caught up by the enthusiasm of the bonefish specialists (maybe because three of them who especially befriended us at dinner were flyers for Delta, and quite interested in our little trip.)

So we left Christmas Island early on Saturday morning the twenty-first local time (I'm still not too sure what day it is at any particular place in the world; the sun still seems to come up and go down in the normal way) and we duly arrived in Hilo yesterday afternoon. We haven't been watching Polly Vacher's web site, and thought she would have been home by now, but we keep hearing of her a few days ahead of us. But I understand her plan was to do the long crossing from here to California, so we shan't catch her up.

When we arrived Hilo, we were assured we wouldn't get a hotel, because they would all be fully booked for the Hula festival. They were wrong about the hotel, but right about the Festival. It was indeed quite impossible to get seats in the stadium, but we saw some of it on television, and very fascinating it is. Its all done in teams of men or women, there didn't seem to be any mixed teams, and each performance tells a story. The music is performed by a small group plus singer, with all the songs somewhat reminiscent of the "Hawaiian War Dance", but all subtly different, and with an unusual yodel mixed in. We were fortunate enough to find a group of thirty or so ladies rehearsing outside their hotel, with perfect elegance and rhythm, and without their musicians. We were without the camera, so its all lost now. Subsequently, on the other islands, especially Oahu (where Honolulu is) we had the chance - forced on us, indeed - to hear more typical "local" music. Just like it is everywhere else - loud and monotonous.

The other high spot of Hilo was a helicopter tour of the volcano, and don't miss it if you're out this way. It can't be effectively done in a fixed-wing, and left me with quite a warm feeling about helicopters, even if they are inventions of the devil.

Next we moved on a hundred miles or so to Maui, allegedly the most beautiful of the islands. I'd agree with that, lovely beaches, it's own volcano (no lava flows from this one though, so it isn't so spectacular) and mostly calm seas. Horrendously expensive, though!

Today finds us on Waikiki Beach. Nothing to do but relax. Tomorrow, we hope to set off on two of the longest legs: to Midway Island, with a day there bird watching we hope, then the longest leg to Adak in the Aleutians. Don't know if we can e-mail from there, but if we get past Anchorage in a week or so we'll try to catch up.

Aloha again!

Photographs

Having been unable to use the mobiles since leaving Australia, plus spending too much time trying usually unsuccessfully to send them by other means, I am giving up the pictures for the moment. We're still taking them, and if we get to mainland USA we're hoping everything will be compatible, so we'll try again from there.

Sunday 29th April 2001: Message from Midway

We left Honolulu on Thursday, not without some hassle with Air Traffic - a most unusual thing in America, where of course flying is regarded as a perfectly reasonable way of getting about, unlike Europe where the official reaction may be described as "see what these private airmen are up to, and stop them". Anyway, this time Air Traffic in San Francisco, who control this bit of sky, decided our Flight Plan was unacceptable, despite the local Flight Service Station assuring us all was in order. Twice this happened, then since the FSS was a mere three hundred yards away just outside the airfield, we went to see them! We found a perfectly charming adviser, who was equally mystified, but at least he could talk to Control on an equal footing, so having discovered that what they wanted was nominated Lats. And Longs. every two-and-a-half degrees along the track, we put those on the flight plan. Our FSS friend said he'd never heard of anyone having to do such a thing before, and suggested we should complain. So we might, but I think we'll wait until we're outside San Francisco's sphere of influence!

Anyway, off we set for the lonely islands of Midway, where the advice of operations is to plan arrivals and departures in the hours of darkness, because of bird activity. So we did that, to be greeted on arrival by Bill Johnston, the Airport/Operations Manager, and some of his team, with cold beers in hand to sustain the weary traveller! An excellent man. He had organised for us to go on a sea-fishing trip on Friday morning, with him and his son-in-law, the chef from the restaurant here, (a charming Frenchman, and excellent chef, we discovered) and a two-man crew. The catch consisted of MahiMahi, Wahe, and other local names which may or may not translate into fish we are familiar with. Certainly the MahiMahi, which we sampled in Alain's restaurant that evening, was first class, and not equivalent to anything we have in Europe.

Mind you, this fishing business is not without it's hazards. When it was my turn to try, I took the rod and thought I was doing quite well. Unfortunately, so did a passing shark, who took my fish as bait - it was indubitably the most delicious MahiMahi to be taken in these waters these many years gone - and fought me for the next twenty-four hours or so. And to cap it all, the Captain said he wouldn't have the shark on board, so having caught it, a six-foot reef shark, they tell me, I had to let it go again! And it didn't even bite my finger.

But it is indeed the birds which are the important thing here. The Island, since the Navy left, has been run as a sort of experimental partnership between the Midway Phoenix Corporation (a would-be profit-making concern) and the Fish and Wildlife people, to see if conservation can be carried out without cost to the taxpayer. I don't know how they're making out, but it's a sound idea. Meanwhile the birds flourish, mainly Laysan Albatross, of which there are 800,000 nesting pairs on Midway. Not quite as big as the Wandering Albatross, they're still big enough to give you a nasty bump if you happen to hit one on takeoff. One actually flew into our golf-cart (there isn't a course here; golf-carts are the recognised way of getting around on Midway) and waddled off looking surprised but unhurt; if it had hit us instead of the cart I don't think we would have been so unconcerned. There are also numerous black footed Albatrosses (Albatri?) as well as Frigate Birds, Bonin's Petrel (which do fly at night, but seem to keep out of the way and aren't seen during the day, as they nest under ground), Fairy Terns which usually fly in pairs, red-tailed tropic birds, and numerous others. You have to be very careful walking or driving about, especially at night, not to step on an Albatross chick, they're very stupid, and sit around growing fat everywhere you look - even the regular tracks are full of them.

An interesting phenomenon is the prevalence of canaries. Not, of course, indigenous, but about a hundred years ago a breeding pair kept as pets escaped, and there are now some 2,600 pairs. They're starting to change colour to a darker shade than the domestic canary, and are apparently impossible to keep as pets - they just die in captivity - so they must have adapted well to the local environment. I suppose a hundred years accounts for quite a number of canary generations.

Weather!

After suffering NO weather delays, though the Biggin Departure on the 11th. March (Gosh, doesn't that seem a lifetime ago!) was a bit interesting, we had our comeuppance here! Most of the above dates from yesterday, and we were all set for departure this (Saturday) morning when we got the Adak (in the Aleutians, where we have to go next) weather. Not good puts it inadequately. So we decided that while we still had the chance we would aim for being old pilots rather than the other sort, and stayed an extra day. I can think of plenty of places worse for a marooning. Like everywhere, for example. So we have an extra twenty four hours here, watching the Albatross patrolling the beach, pairs of Fairy Terns practising formation aerobatics, swimming in the sea - I won't bore you. And now, we hope to depart here about 9 o'clock tomorrow morning, and get to the Aleutians. We'll let you know!

Friday 4th May 2001: So here we are, quite Sleepy in Seattle.

We left Midway on Sunday, having heard rumours of improving weather in Adak, and flew for eight-and-a-half hours in beautiful sunshine. As we approached the Aleutians, however, we realised how relative a term is "improving". Airframe icing was an ever-present concern as skies clouded over and temperatures plummeted. We have de-icing equipment, but wouldn't want to rely completely on it, so descended below cloud and completed about the last hundred miles or so at altitudes which would have been illegal over built-up areas. There weren't any persons, vessels, etc. to worry about! In fact, the first ship at sea we have seen on the entire journey so far was a tanker heading seemingly for the Baring Sea, which we passed about two miles away some twenty miles South of Adak. But we arrived safely at Adak, and taxied straight into the heated hangar - I expect it's that sort of little thing which accounts for the frightening cost of landing and parking here, not to mention the Avgas brought in to order only in barrels! Still, as in other places, we found some compensations - the scenery is desolate but memorable, and Kim, who provided breakfast in the restaurant - formerly a Macdonalds dating from the island's use as a US Naval Air Base - gave us some excellent in-flight rations for the leg from Adak to Anchorage the next day. Thank you again, Kim, your Chocolate Chip Cookies alone were worth the trip. I'd love to come back for some more, but I suppose to be realistic my first visit to Adak is likely to be the last. Let me know when you open a branch in New York.

The principal memory we are likely to retain of this leg is, I suspect, the serious culture shock of taking off from Midway,stifling in our Gortex survival suits, and arriving, grateful to them for the extra layer, at Adak later the same day! Our problem had been that (as I mentioned in my last) operations at Midway are best conducted in darkness, because of the birds, (not your average garden sparrows, you know!) whereas we couldn't take off for Adak too early or we would arrive before our promised weather window. In the event, we decided that braving 800,000 pairs of Midway Albatri, six-foot wingspan notwithstanding, was a better bet than Alaskan storm winds. And so it transpired.

So having spent the night on Adak, we set off again on Monday for Anchorage. We tried to do this leg VFR, flying down the spectacular scenery of the fjords between the Aleutian Islands, but within fifty miles we were getting too scared of a lowering cloud base, with embedded cumulo granitus, so we made a hasty call to Anchorage control and went IFR above cloud - the layer wasn't too thick this time. The weather was better by the time we reached Anchorage, so we enjoyed the vectors we were given, which took us up Cook Inlet to Merrill field, which some of my readers, if any, may remember with affection. The FBO we parked at last year seemed to have retired, but we found a really excellent new (to us) one with Spernak Aviation. Mike was extremely helpful, providing a ferry service to a Pilot Shop for up-to-date maps, finding us a hotel, and so on.

Having found Anchorage, and seen something of it last year, we had originally intended to take a day off at Juneau, but weather concerns decided us to make a run for Seattle, IFR. It was pretty windy when we left, and we understand that it got very windy later in the day, so we felt we had made the right decision. We took 9,000' initially, and got above the cloud and icing layer quite quickly, and after that it wasn't too bad - though we were quite fortunate to be sent up to 12000' a bit further down the coast, just as the cloud was coming up to meet us.

So we came to historic Boeing Field! We've seen the Museum, enjoyed some memorable crab at Fisherman's excellent restaurant, tomorrow more sight-seeing, and tomorrow evening daughter Mandy arrives here, God willing. Margaret sadly has to return scheduled to England on Saturday, when Mandy and I will set off across America to arrive ultimately in Toronto (not America, I know, but you get the idea) in a week or so. But more of that later!

Map of the route so far - click on it for a larger view

Margaret arrives Sydney

Approach to Norfolk Island

View from our balcony, Fiji

Date line with towering cumulus, out of Fiji for Pago-Pago

Arrival at Pago-Pago, with airstrip into the lagoon

Margaret crosses the equator Northbound, en route to Christmas Island

Christmas Island

Us on the beach at Christmas Island

The beach at Maui

Us on the beach at Waikiki

Fishing trip at Midway

My Shark

Midway Landscape with Albatri

Leaving Midway

Adak scenery

Glaciers in Cook Strait