With some overnight rain not enough to change our minds about departing Io Jima we untied all our lines this morning and left for Isso on Yakushima. As usual, there was the turbulence of leaving port with the current creating lumpy seas until at least 2 NM off. We only had 22 NM 
to our destination and the current kept us on our toes as it tried to push us east. About an hour out of port we encountered a band of rain which fotunately was not heralded by strong winds. The only strongish winds came as we approached Isso as the SW wind picked up speed along the land's edge. We left the rain behind and came into the port which was a lot bigger than it looked on Google Earth or our local charts. It's always hard to know exactly what we are going to encounter on entry. We decided to tie up on the wall straight ahead and Pam made an excellent approach while Jon took care of the lines and fenders. A while later someone came to indicate to us that we should move into the inner harbour. We think he was trying to tell us that a bigger boat would be coming in to where we were. So we untied and moved inside the other section. The man and two others kindly took our lines but then they decided that it was going to be too shallow at low tide so we moved again and are now rafted up to a local boat - this is great as it means we have our own 'floating pontoon' - no need to worry about adjusting lines with the tide!
Position: 30-27.364N, 130-29.362E
Onsen by the Sea
Yesterday we decided to take a walk to an onsen - hot spring - in the rocks along the shoreline about 3 km away. The road took us between the volcano and another hill and through some
camellia groves. The camellia seeds are cold-pressed to make camellia oil which is then used in cosmetics, hair oils, as cooking oil and in other products. We had been given a small bottle earlier in the day as a gift from one of the fishermen. Another thing we saw along the way was this Japanese Rat Snake which crossed in front of us. It was almost 2 metres long.
We made it safely to the onsen at the foot of the smoking volcano. The water is rich in minerals and very hot. The top pool is the hottest and then the water runs from that to the second pool and then into a third pool which is the coolest but still hot. Here's Jon enjoying a soak in the open air.
The road through the camellia groves.
The smoking volcano from a very well maintained camp ground.
Another small Japanese yacht had arrived by the time we returned. They said they were off to the onsen as well - then we discovered that there is one right in town a few hundred metres away!
to our destination and the current kept us on our toes as it tried to push us east. About an hour out of port we encountered a band of rain which fotunately was not heralded by strong winds. The only strongish winds came as we approached Isso as the SW wind picked up speed along the land's edge. We left the rain behind and came into the port which was a lot bigger than it looked on Google Earth or our local charts. It's always hard to know exactly what we are going to encounter on entry. We decided to tie up on the wall straight ahead and Pam made an excellent approach while Jon took care of the lines and fenders. A while later someone came to indicate to us that we should move into the inner harbour. We think he was trying to tell us that a bigger boat would be coming in to where we were. So we untied and moved inside the other section. The man and two others kindly took our lines but then they decided that it was going to be too shallow at low tide so we moved again and are now rafted up to a local boat - this is great as it means we have our own 'floating pontoon' - no need to worry about adjusting lines with the tide!Position: 30-27.364N, 130-29.362E
Onsen by the Sea
Yesterday we decided to take a walk to an onsen - hot spring - in the rocks along the shoreline about 3 km away. The road took us between the volcano and another hill and through some
camellia groves. The camellia seeds are cold-pressed to make camellia oil which is then used in cosmetics, hair oils, as cooking oil and in other products. We had been given a small bottle earlier in the day as a gift from one of the fishermen. Another thing we saw along the way was this Japanese Rat Snake which crossed in front of us. It was almost 2 metres long.
We made it safely to the onsen at the foot of the smoking volcano. The water is rich in minerals and very hot. The top pool is the hottest and then the water runs from that to the second pool and then into a third pool which is the coolest but still hot. Here's Jon enjoying a soak in the open air.
The road through the camellia groves.
The smoking volcano from a very well maintained camp ground.
Another small Japanese yacht had arrived by the time we returned. They said they were off to the onsen as well - then we discovered that there is one right in town a few hundred metres away!
1 comment:
I want to go to that hot spring! That looks amazing! :) xoxoxo ej
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