After 12 days in beautiful Ishigaki, we sailed out late yesterday afternoon for Ikema Island in the Miyako group of islands. As it was a passage of just over 80 nautical miles (160 km) to the northeast, we opted to sail overnight to ensure arriving in daylight. We had the engine off in just 30 minutes, the moon was up and the waters flat while in the lee of the island. Once clear of the island the seas became a bit lumpy and slowly the wind dropped meaning we then had to motor the rest of the way to Ikema after six and a half hours of just the sound of the water going past. A long line of thunderstorms to our northwest flickered away all night with dawn revealing heavy rain beneath - it looked threatening but kept clear of us.
We motored into the harbour just before 9:00 a.m. and tied up alongside the wharf which was covered in the usual barnacles and oysters below the mid-tide level. We will stay here for two nights so hope to enjoy the sights of another tropical island and Japanese hospitality.
Position: 24 deg. 55.488N, 125 deg. 14.842E
