Majuro, the capital of the Marshall Islands, is 17 hours ahead of Florida time, so my favorite holiday—Thanksgiving—has already begun here!
The Marshall Islands: An Overview
The Marshall Islands has a total population of around 80,000 spread across many atolls. While small in population, this country boasts the largest water territory in the world. Majuro hosts embassies from the US, Japan, Taiwan, and Australia, alongside consulate offices from other nations.
Majuro is known as the world’s busiest tuna transshipment port. Commercial fishing boats bring their enormous catches here, reflecting the region’s importance:
“The entire Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) region, where the Marshall Islands is located, accounts for approximately 50-60% of the global tuna catch.”
Life on the Atoll
Nonstop flights from Hawaii take less than six hours, and the official currency is the US Dollar. US citizens can live and work here without a visa. Although many groceries are imported from the US, prices—especially for fresh fruits and vegetables—are significantly higher. We were thrilled just to find good clumping cat litter!
A Close Call at Sea
Two nights ago, we had a hair-raising moment. After safely mooring for three nights in a nice snorkeling spot, our mooring line snapped around 3 a.m. when the wind began blowing at 30+ knots from the SSE.
Fortunately, luck was on our side: our anchor alarm immediately sounded, allowing us to act quickly.
For the next few hours, we battled the strong winds and the dark, rainy night, attempting to pick up another mooring ball. After many failed attempts—and losing the boat hook on the final try—we reassessed. I was lucky enough to rescue the floating boat hook. We then ran the engine and circled in the lagoon until the sun rose, finally making our way back to the town mooring field.
Celebrating on the Move
Delayed by a day due to the incident, we are now setting sail overnight for another Atoll.
This means our Thanksgiving meal will be a day late. We have most of the ingredients, but since we are close to the Equator and our freezer struggles to stay cold, I no longer buy meat. Hopefully, we can catch a meal-sized tuna for us and the cats!
Happy Thanksgiving to my friends and families!
