Tarao, Maloelap

Tarao was a big Japanese base during the war. The Americans bombed it nearly flat. It is simply littered with airplane pieces that were blown up along side the runways. It seems like 3/4 of teh island is covered in what used to be ashfalt and concret. The bomb craters are still visable, everywhere.



Trinda, kids and ladies making bead necklaces and such. They rotated through all day.
A supply ship came with passengers and to buy copra (dried coconut for processing or oil) while we were there. They loaded gunney sacks of copra all night.
The church ladies group gave us these at the welcoming meeting. 5 papia, squash, coconuts to drink and boiled pandanes all in these nice baskets made from palm leaves.
We anchored next to a sunken Japanese ship, 2 masts nearly rusted off after 60 some years.
Reverand Cam and his model outrigger. They have tournments sailing these.
After we had the constable and his family out to spaghetti dinner, they gave us a couple of coconut crabs already cooked, still warm. I almost forgot to take this befor we ate them!An old hit'n'miss engine and a winch with a rope capstan just in the constable's yard. He knew nothing about it even though it has been there his whole life.

A Yanmar diesel left by the Japanese. Must be a 12" cylinder.
A sunset from the anchorage before we left.