The wind dies completely as I approach my next island but the volcano is beauitful, gently puffing out smoke just after sunrise. I weave among the little wooden boats and the fishing platforms anchored in 200 metres of water. Then the Boling Strait five miles long and leading me to the anchorage. It should be called the BOILING Strait. Whirlpools and 4.5 knots of current against me at a time when it should have been slack water. It takes two and a half hours to get through. By that time I am suffering from nervous exhaustion.

Another boat has arrived before me. I anchor nearby and in evening watch about 75 boats anchor on the other side of the bAy for a night of fishing. They have bright lights and big noisey single cylinder engines, most with no gear box. Manoeuverring is a problem! Next morning I get the usual uninvited visitors. These ones are a bit more than curious and have to be warned off. Another boat arrives and we settle in a different anchorage, not as comfortable, but with better facilities to go ashore. And fewer uninvited visitors.

I meet the head of tourism, get the lowdown on trips and he brings me to the harbour master who tries to explain the current in the channel. There are 47 more boats to come through and I want them to avoid my experience...

This is a whale fishing island. Unesco and Greenpeace have tried to stop it but the villagers are adamant that this is their heritage. The whole affair is based on a religous ceremony and all whale meat and whale products are bartered, not sold. Their boats have no engines and the harpoons are all thrown by hand. Very traditional stuff. Five of us make the 15 mile journey to the whale hunting village. It takes two and a half hours in a four wheel drive to get there. They try to double the price of their demonstration given that we have gone to so much trouble to get there. We cancel the demonstration; they get no money and we tell them nobody else will come to visit. They try to go back to their original price. We drive away but not before having whale meat for lunch.  HORRIBLE!

In the meantime we have a security problem at the dinghy dock. It is explained to me that they have no staff to solve the problem. I explain that if the problem is not solved nobody will go ashore for the welcome ceremony and that will make the officials look very, very stupid. A guard arrives 20 minutes later...