This morning it looked like the high wind would continue today. It was gusting to 18 in the morning and the lagoon was filled with whitecaps. But by 10am it had come down a bit and by 11am it was only blowing 10k and the lagoon had calmed down considerably. We put the hard dink in the water and attached the motor and Kate and Jonah made the first foray to land since we arrived here. I stayed behind to do chores: put on the mainsail cover, fix the leaking Zodiac inflatable and other minor cleanup and repair jobs.

After lunch we all went to shore and had a little fun exploring, playing with the swing which hangs from a coconut palm and chatting with the caretakers and other cruisers. One guy has been here 38 days! I think he may never leave. The caretakers are here only for 6 months of the year, during the cyclone season the island is deserted. I learned I have been mistaken about one thing concerning the island. The name Suvarov is not the name of the captain of the Russian vessel who found the island, rather, it is the name of the ship itself.

I also asked the caretakers about why the name was changed from Suvarov to Suwarrow. As I expected they said the reason was due to the difficulty the Cook Islanders and Kiwis have pronouncing the name, though I'm not sure why. They also said part of the reason was anti-Russian feelings during the cold war period. Seems like a silly reason considering the Russians who discovered the island in the 1800s had nothing to do with the Russians the cold war was about, so why corrupt the name and rob the rightful discoverers of the honor? Seems silly to me. I plan to continue to call it Suvarov, except when I am around the caretakers<g>.