The Central Pacific - Pacific Crossing Notes: A Sailor's Guide to the Coconut Milk Run - page 298

The Spice of Life: What's the Rush?
One reason we went cruising was to escape the ticking clock. And we succeeded: looking
back on our 7,000 mile Pacific crossing, I can count the number of times we've had to
hurry on one hand. So what were we rushing off to in Suwarrow, an uninhabited atoll 2,000
miles west of nowhere? Not to a cruiser's potluck, nor the afternoon highlight, when the
two wardens of this Cook Islands National Park toss food scraps to windward and whistle
the sharks in like a pack of darting dogs.
No, we were rushing out for a reef walk while the tide was still low. Hopping, skipping,
and jumping, we waded along the half mile-long reef extending west from Anchorage Is-
land. Fish darted through miniature gorges where colorful Christmas Tree worms spiraled
and plump starfish stretched their arms wide. A line of surf roared at our right, a reminder
of the power of the sea. Topping a list of new sensations was the iron grip of a coconut-
sized octopus that suctioned our feet, then wobbled away to another part of his kaleido-
scopic domain. A mesmerizing hour passed until we noticed the water swirling more vigor-
ously around our ankles: a sign of the rising tide. Time, alas, to hurry away - twice in one
day!