Chapter 40

Had I known how much learning to fly was going to cost ... lessons ... for three ... aircraft ... fuel ... insurance ... two minor mishaps (Anything you walk away from is minor. Ambulance is major. ER is serious.) ... annual inspections ... thousand hour majors ... I would have swum.

Flying to Tokashiki we splashed down outside the mole, motored in and beached at the fishing or small boat ramp on the north side of the basin. Flying there was a good idea ... I was in time to be advised that I had ruined BOTH Cummins diesels and they needed replacing.

This may NOT have been my fault. Number 7 spent most of her humanitarian aid time under power and not under sail. A sailboat has Auxiliary power. The engines are not supposed to run constantly ... just now and then.

When I had that lightbulb moment I asked to use the boat-yard phone. On the spot, I called Mahiro Sato. He picked up.

“The Diet ruined my engines,” I said.

“I’ll call you back,” he said. He hung up ... there was no Click.

In 1991 DoCoMo, a spin-off of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone, offered its second-generation service known as Personal Digital Cellular.(Wiki)

Ring

Since I held the phone I answered, “Kon’nichiwa?” I said, “Tokashiki-kō do no yō ni denwa o kakemasu ka.”(Hello. Tokashiki Harbor. How may I direct your call.)

“Good afternoon JW. You sound almost official.”

It was Sato-san.

“How did you do that?”

“What?”

“Call me back.”

“I have caller ID on my cell,” Sato-san said, “Stay by the phone. I called to make sure.”

No Click.

Twenty minutes later... Ring.

The boatyard operator answered and handed me the phone.

Mahiro said, “What engines?”

“Cummins 355 hp.”

“Order them done. Let me speak to the Yard manager.”

There was a short but terse conversation that ended with the manager at stiff attention saying, “Hai, Sato-san.”

Suddenly ... We Were Somebody!

And just like that ... SVSurprise out of Pentwater, Michigan had a pair of Military Duty uprated Cummins Turbo diesels ... one right hand ... one left hand. Complete from tanks to props. They bolted in but they weren’t replacements. These babies were built for the Navy. Can you say “Go Fast?”

SVSurprise?

Si’alei had no difficulty calling the Michigan Department of State. They, in turn, had no difficulty issuing the necessary numbers. She presented her bonafides over the phone. She spoke a bunch of nonsense numbers and other proofs. We had to release funds from our bank.

• Title: All watercraft with an inboard engine or length of 20 feet or greater must be titled. Proof of ownership required with title application. Annual Fee - $5.00.

• Registration: All sailboats and motorized watercraft must be registered. Hand-powered watercraft over 16 feet are also registered...

• Part-time and non-residents must be in possession of a valid title.

We released 60 bucks. 12 years registration. The boatyard had the necessary people and equipment. Si’alei flew away. The boat splashed.

We called Cora Jo.

“You ready to go?”

“What? Now?”

“Yup,” I said. “We’ll pick you up.”

“But?”

I tipped each workman 11 thousand yen, the yard people responsible for the sea-trial run boarded and we were off.

South out of the boat basin, port turn and past Jijitsuru Island and its attending reefs port turn again and south to Sound Beach and Cora Jo. She was ready.

The boatyard people were satisfied with the performance and left us at Sound Beach. I sported them to dinner. Color me gone. Next stop ... Taiwan.