A Short Stay in Pago Pago, American Samoa on a 30ft Sailboat

Hello friends my name is James and this is my 1965 Alberg 30 sloop Tritea. We are on a mission to sail around the world and see as much of this beautiful planet as possible. We're currently working our way through the South Pacific. I can't wait to show you everything we see. This is a bonus episode for American Samoa. I was only in Pongo Pongo for a week and about half that week I was stuck on board because of bad weather. I didn't film a ton while I was there because of that. So this is the best I could do for an episode for you guys. It's only like 13 minutes long. I did have like some amazing experience with some locals there but they weren't comfortable on camera so I didn't film any of that but interacting with the local Samoan people was the highlight of my trip for sure, my time there. So here's what I have to offer. Check it out and I hope you enjoy this little bitty glimpse at American Samoa. Hello friends we're here at Pongo Pongo in American Samoa. I've been anchored a few hours and the clearance dock just opened up for customs and I got the call to head on over so hauled up the anchor which is hard work and now we're heading over to the clearance dock. By yourself? Yeah. Clearing into American Samoa was the most unpleasant clearing I've ever experienced. I had to deal with 12 different officials and the whole ordeal really soured my view on American Samoa. Not to mention I was informed that I was not allowed to anchor anywhere else around the island but inside the harbor at Pongo Pongo which has notoriously bad holding. I would never encourage other yachties to visit this place. Okay I'm all cleared in. I did not film any of that because there was zero chill in that process and it was the most absurd clearing process I've ever experienced and I'm an American citizen in American Samoa but that's behind me now. Here in Pongo Pongo, American Samoa, drug anchor pretty bad last night. I wasn't really concerned until we started getting close to this. This is a Polish flagged boat after us but I had my track on and everything. This like the holding here is notoriously terrible and even when I set the hook the two different times I've set the hook it sounded like it was dragging across like a sidewalk for a good distance before it grabbed something so last night I was watching it drag just waiting for it to catch something paid out more scope I think I have like eight scope out at this point and we're stuck now as far as the hook is stuck now so but this morning when it was like dragging I warmed up the engine and everything just in case we had to like drive and haul up the winds are blowing like I don't know 20 22 knots or something right now it has been dead calm the whole time I've been here I've been here like three or four days and just kind of resting recouping and doing some boat work and um yeah the plan was today I was gonna go on a hike do some filming we're gonna go try to see some birds and stuff but if the wind's blowing like this and the boat's dragging anchor I might be stuck on the boat all day which is fine I got plenty to do but so that's how my night went and uh it's time to get back into my coffee for the morning so it is still very very blustery here in Pongo Pongo but I have to get some stuff done this is Saturday everything closes on Sunday so we need to get ashore and get water and provisions for the trip to Fiji which is going to take place uh hopefully we leave on Monday Monday or Tuesday but I'm going to try to clear out Monday morning and leave that early afternoon um so we're going to brave the blow and take some trash ashore the jerry cans for the water and um bags granny cart all that stuff and try to go get some water and provisions from the local market so let's get to it got tied up in the lee of the wharf with the dinghy and uh almost lost my cart and almost lost my cart and both my jerry cans the wind made it roll um now it's time to go find the market and um get taken care of so that's how we're going to fill up our water tanks here because I was advised against drinking out of the tap at the peel dock 250 per gallon pretty cheap so I'd have to make a couple trips we have three quarters of our 35 gallon tank full now so I'll probably do these two put those in the tank and then come back get two more as my backups got all my provisions cost me a hundred dollars versus two hundred dollars in uh Bora Bora so the food was as everyone said way cheaper here so that's good so all over on the streets here in American Samoa hanging in trees you'll see these empty gas canisters like welding cylinders um and at like just before 6 p.m every night and just before 6 a.m every day they ring them for what's called SA which is family prayer and you're supposed to be under a building like this is called a fale traditional fale you're supposed to be under a roof for I think 15 minutes technically you're supposed to go in your home sit quiet and pray with your family during that time and they have these people kind of like prayer police that stand on the streets in yellow shirts that like you know tell you oh you you can't be out here you need to like get undercover or sit down and be quiet or whatever and I guess the deal is to if you're driving through the village during SA you can keep driving but you're not allowed to stop and go somewhere um and again that's like 15 minutes at 6 a.m and 6 p.m and you'll hear them ringing all over and then at 10 around 10 p.m they ring them as a curfew to tell the kids they have to get inside for curfew um pretty interesting first day I walked around I saw them hanging everywhere and I was like what in the world is happening here and then did some research and found out and then you'll you can hear them from the boat ringing in all directions I guess they also ring them as a communal alarm like if there's a tsunami coming or something um but I'll try to get a recording of it being rung uh before I leave had to stop and do an emergency repair on my granny cart the axle bent and I had to like bend break a piece of wire off the cart and put it up in this thing and bend it and get it get it back in working order the water is too heavy for it so but I need it to get back to the boat so all right let's get back on the road someone was nice enough to give me a ride because my cart broke all the way so nice of them to pick me up I was like damn it was going to be a bummer guess I got to think of a plan plan b if I well I was just going to call a taxi but my little cart broke the wheel broke all the way off and these water is heavy there's a lot of work okay now to get back to the dinghy and transfer fuel and then bring the jerry cans luckily the fuel station is just right here so I don't have to I don't need the cart anymore let's get it done so it's Sunday morning here in American Samoa in Pongo Pongo and this is probably the last full day here in American Samoa hopefully I clear out in the morning and push for Fiji but I've been invited to a traditional Samoan family lunch Sunday lunch where the whole family gets together and they cook and and spend time together and I'm super stoked to get that experience if you've watched the channel since like Hawaii you know who Captain Mike is Captain Mike asked his friend Char who's I believe she's from here or she's at least like Samoan culturally and he mentioned that I was coming here and she said oh my cousin Jed is actually there right now at his house in on American Samoa and Jed was nice enough to pick me up and take me to lunch and then drove me to show the show me his family's village the other day and I met the chief their chief of the village who's his older sister Jane who was really sweet and then they brought me back and invited me to dinner or not to dinner to lunch today so I'm very excited about that and look forward to getting a little bit of like authentic culture here in American Samoa so now it's time to head ashore and get the day started my hosts were not comfortable being on camera so I was happy to put the camera away and just enjoy their company and soak in as much as I could and I had an absolutely wonderful day and thank you so much Jed for showing me around and the invitation and after only being at American Samoa for one week it was time to get everything prepared for another ocean crossing and make way for Fiji if you enjoy the content on this channel and would like to contribute you can consider joining the patreon crew thanks for watching fair winds until next time