The Misty Islands : Sailing the High Latitudes in Tzu Hang 0679512004

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Kagomil,

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mist Aleutian Islands, peeps through the dark

MILES SMEETON

Th e Misty

Island.

'From

the lone shieling of the misty island Mountains divide us and the waste of seas

DAVID McKAY COMPANY, INC New York

To in

all

Tzu Hang's

many

friends

parts of the world

© Miles Smeeton First published

1969 by

Nautical Publishing

Company

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or parts thereof, in any form, except for the inclusion of brief

quotations in a review. First

American Paperback Edition, 1978

ISBN: 0-679-51200-4 Library of Congress Catalog

Number 78-19971 :

MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Contents

1

3

The General gets his Sword

4

In search of Winter Quarters 44 Winter in Mori 59 To Attn Across the Bering Sea 74 Sea Otters, Sailors, and Foxes 94 The Misty Islands 1 1 The Photogenic Bear 128 Back to B.C. 144 Down the West Coast 155 Up the East Coast 1 72 Across the North Atlantic 200

7

8 9 10 11

1

i

To

5 6

1

T.^M//(a;2^ arrives in Japan

2

the Inland Sea

—

14 27

ASIA

Tzu Hang s track AUSTRALIA

from

JORTH ^

VIERICA

SOUTH AMERICA

By

the

same author

Once is Enough

A Taste of the Hills A Change ofJungles Sunrise to

Windward

Maps and

Illustrations

MAPS The Japanese Islands 2 The Aleutian Islands 79 Queen Charlotte Islands

141

West Coast of North America 156 Panama to Cape Cod 1 73 Nova Scotia and Newfoundland 195 Iceland

205

ILLUSTRATIONS Frontispiece

Between pp.

1

22 and 23

2

38 and 39

3

Kannon Sama

4

Fishing boat suspended in the Inland Sea The curiosity ofJapanese students

5

6 7

8 yo and 71 I

Kagomil, in the Aleutian Islands, peeps through the dark mist Miles Smeeton, in the centre, with Beryl on his left, having language problems in Japan The Water Arch of Itsuku shima

9 o

I I

Packing seaweed in Japan Squid boats in Hokkaido At Omatsuri The harbour of Mori in Hokkaido, North Japan

Tzu Hang is hauled ashore for the winter Food and livelihood from the sea

THE MISTY ISLANDS Between pp.

86 and 87 118 and I ig

12

13

14 15

16 134 and 135

17

Ainu carvings in the Akan reserve Chikagof Harbour in Attn, Aleutians Yoke Bay in Great Sitken Island, Aleutians Clio and Beryl with Pwe and Kochi land in Yoke Bay Theresa Prokopeuf, an Aleut girl from Atka Back in the fir trees on reaching Queen Charlotte Island, B.C.

18 19 182 and 183

20 21

22

Anthony Island totem in British Columbia Beryl and Pwe enjoy the sun Under temporary arrest at San Salvador Hollowing out a dugout at Portobello Tzu Hang anchored off Gloria Castle, Portobello

ig8 and igg

North from Rekjavik

23

Sailing

24

Isafjordjap in northern Iceland

25

Landfall on the Butt of Lewis

Tzu Hang

arrives in Japan

When Tzu Hang anchored outside the breakwater at Kagoshima, at the southern end ofJapan, it was Hke being suspended in space between two worlds. Behind us was the long restless passage from South Africa; ahead was Japan, with whatever pleasures or frustrations it might have in store for us. For me all would be new, but Beryl had been there before, years ago, before the war, before we were married, an unshared experience.

The sun went down and the shrill bird calls of bos'n's pipes twittered across the water from the three Japanese frigates that shared our anchorage. For a few moments the smoke from Sakurai Jima, the volcano above us, glowed redly. Then lights

began to shine from the ports and galley doors of the small ships anchored round us. *What about a drink?' Beryl asked. Every night at sea, at about the time of sunset, we have a drink, and it would have to be bad weather or an empty locker before we would forgo it. I find myself looking forward to that drink as if I were an alcoholic. We have one drink only, a vermouth for Beryl, a gin for me, or if rum is in the locker our favourite tipple

is

a

rum

sour,

made with

fresh limes or lemons.

and a glass of wine for lunch and another for supper, helps to compensate for the discomfort of a small ship at sea. Tonight, however, was a night to be celebrated with an extra drink before dinner, for we were at anchor; we had arrived. Our dinner was out of a tin, both meat and fruit, helped by a Californian Burgundy from a case that we had bought in Okinawa, and during it we talked about the future. T think we should spend a year in Japan, and not hurry on to

This,

Canada,' said Beryl, 'then we could really see something of the

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200

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