Yakushima

After Amami island we had what started out as a nice passage to Yakushima Island. But the wind died down early on and had to motor. Then at about 0100 in the morning the motor started sounding funny and we lost most of our forward momentum. We searched with a spot light and could not see any lines or nets but did see seaweed. In retrospect looking at current charts we strayed into an area where I think seaweed is probably being concentrated

So I have two choices. We either float and drift with the current as the wind is less than 3 knots or I go swimming. I opted to go swimming. The water was a little cool but very clear. The propeller was not even visible for all the weed wrapped around it. It took two dives under the boat to get it all off as I only had one hand to work with as the other had a flashlight.

After the prop was cleared we started motoring again. In a few minutes the same thing happened. So back in the water. Decided there was too much weed to motor, so we sailed, making about 1/2 knot, in not exactly the right direction. After a few hours of this I could not see any weed with the spot light so started motoring again but soon, yes you guessed it, prop fouled again. This time I kept sailing for an hour and let the sun come up and then dove the prop. Noticed a huge ball of weed on the center board also and that came off with raising the board. Now though it was daylight and we started motoring and steering around the larger weed patches for the next 10 hours.

Finally after two more dives under the boat I am putting on fenders to come in to the dock. Relieved after 5 dives to rest and warm up! I have never had to dive to clear seaweed off of my prop in 9 years until now. The seaweed in the Caribbean I think is shorter and so does not tend to wrap around your prop as much. I have looked up this seaweed and it is called”jamamoku, jama means nuisance in Japanese as it gets entangled in the propellers of boats and ships”. It supposedly travels with the Japan Currrent, the area of which we are leaving, so hopefully we will not have to deal with it much longer.

Ashore in Yakushima there was a nearby shrine, there seems to be a shrine of some sort just about every where.

We took a walk on the seawall. Japanese harbours have rather sizable seawalls protecting them as they can get hit with rather severe typhoons

Yakushima has beautiful forests and we found a couple nice hikes. After getting deep in the forest this trail ended at a stream

Another hike to a waterfall

Well, the sun is setting as we head back to Illimité and an early morning sail tomorrow