Sunday, June 15, 2008

The Tinian peace memorial


It doesn't do it justice, but the hills have a beautiful red tint to it from the flame trees


Tinian IS the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Tinian Turquoise Blue Triathlon & Reef Swim


The participants warm up




A rainbow sets the mood...
They gather to begin their first leg--the swim





After the swim came the bike ride





Some were there just for the swim


The clinic staff relax while the race continues



Finally came the run


The winner talks with his wife


Third place (from Tinian) comes across the finish line!




Our ship came in! Off-loading fuel so the lights don't go out



Today they had an annual triathlon at Taga beach. There were three groups:

One group was doing a triathlon: First was a two mile swim, starting at Taga beach and going around a course of buoys, about a mile. Then they showered, got on bikes and headed up the hill towards suicide cliff--they rode to suicide cliff, back past Taga beach and out past the airport, then back to Taga beach--twice! Then they started their run: up to suicide cliff and back to Taga beach, where the finish line was located.


A second and third group just did a longer swim. One group swam twice around the buoy course and one group swam three times around the buoy course. So there were lots of things going on at the same time. I'm not sure how they kept everyone straight, as after a short time everyone was strung-out along the course.


Terri and a group of nurses was assigned to be at the beach in case of injury. The day turned out to be perfect for the triathlon: a little shower in the morning provided all of us with a beautiful rainbow just before the start of the race, and the water was very calm and smooth for the swimmers.


They started at 7am and the first person crossed the finish line about 2 1/2 hours later.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

The hills are alive












Met some Bovary friends on my walk today. Most cattle on the island are very nervous, and won't let you near them. These two seemed to enjoy the company!

The weather has turned much warmer lately--the actual temperature hasn't gone up much (88 degrees as opposed to 85 degrees), but it feels like it is in the 90's, and it doesn't cool off at night like it did before.

Terri has been working very hard this week. Dr. Toledo is on Saipan for a few days, and Arly is on vacation, so Terri is covering everything--day and night. Last night was very busy! We will both be ready for our vacation to Europe next week!

Preventing flu...again






Once again the flu shots are being given out on Tinian. Terri and I were here last year (our very first visit to Tinian), when they had the entire island turn out to receive flu shots in the High School gym. Terri was involved in helping to organize and give shots to the local residents--even though she was simply here for a job interview!

Now, a year later, Terri is here again to help. This time they held it in the air-conditioned Elementary School cafeteria. There was not the same response as last year--just a few hundred turned out, instead of a few thousand (they are trickling in to the hospital to get their shots).

Terri and I got our shots, with no ill effects. Now we are ready for the birds...the bird-flu, you know?

One last note about Jim Bell's swim

No one who has not lived here can understand how dangerous the channel between Saipan and Tinian really is--there is a white cross (actually, quite a few white crosses) at the north end of the island to pay respect to those who have lost their lives crossing this channel.


The following is the most recent article from the Saipan Tribune about this feat:


Saipan Tribune, Wednesday June 11, 2008
Thursday, June 12, 2008
By Rik and Janel Villegas

Superman returns to Saipan


With all the doom and gloom that dominates the news, it's refreshing to learn about someone doing something inspirational. Last Saturday night, we met a mild-mannered gentleman who returned to Saipan to complete a superhuman roundtrip feat that has not been accomplished by anyone.


We asked James H. Bell if his first historic swim across the Tinian channel 27 years ago was submitted to the Guinness Book of World Records. He said that it was, but they decided not to print it because they felt it was too dangerous and they didn't want to encourage others to attempt to swim across the channel. The strong currents and shark-invested waters make it difficult for even small boats to make it across.Jim was in the Navy and stationed on Guam when he tried to get leave to swim the channel the first time, but the Navy denied his request when they discovered his intentions. Undeterred, he waited three months to retire so he could make the trip as a civilian in July 1981. When he left the shores of Saipan, the weather was good and the tides were favorable; however, it didn't take long for the currents to change and turn the waters into a dangerous torrent. Jack Angello was living on Saipan at the time and covering the story for the Pacific Daily News. He remembers the incident well when Jim took off from Ladder Beach Cove. Jim had predicted it would take six hours to complete the trip, so after that time passed he was declared missing at sea and a search and rescue effort was made to find him. Jack got on a boat piloted by Captain Cabrera and headed into what he described as “the perfect Tinian channel storm.” With waves as high as 12 to 15 feet, the boat would go to the top of a wave and then teeter over the edge to the other side. It was Captain Cabrera's expert boatmanship that kept the boat from capsizing, but it didn't keep two other men from passing out. The search was eventually called off because of the danger it posed for those in the boats.


Some concerned people on Tinian started a prayer vigil for Jim at a shrine on the north point.


The memorial was dedicated to Tinian residents lost at sea. Several years earlier, some individuals had tried to haul freshly cut beef to Saipan in a boat. A trail of blood from the beef dripped into the water, which attracted a group of sharks. Rough waters capsized the boat, and when the beef hit the water there was a feeding frenzy among the sharks that left few survivors. Even though the search was called off, Jack was still determined to find Jim. He took the search effort to the air in a Cessna 150 aircraft with Glen Seglum at the controls while Jack acted as a spotter. Luckily, Jim wasn't in the “washing machine” but had been pulled out toward Forbidden Island by the current, and then he swam an arc pattern where he was carried by the current until he eventually ended up close to Tinian. Jim was finally spotted from the air, but Jack saw a huge whirlpool behind Jim that was pulling him back into the channel. The plane flew low enough to get Jim's attention, and then Jack hung out of the plane window and motioned the “cut” sign by moving his hand across his throat, and shouting for him to get out of the water quickly. Glen landed the plane on the north field, taxied through the boonies, and Jack jumped out of the plane to locate Jim on foot. Jim had understood Jack's message and swam to some rocks where he climbed out of the water and was greeted with a helping hand from Jack, who still remembers the huge smile that was on Jim's face, even after 12 and one-half hours of constant swimming in one of the world's most dangerous waters. The welcoming party that had assembled many hours earlier to greet Jim on Tinian had turned into a somber vigil to pray for his body to be found. He was taken to them and as he approached, they were dumbfounded that he had survived the ordeal. Jim said that one lady even brought her baby for him to kiss, and the child would be about 28-years old by now.


Twenty-seven years later on Monday, June 6, 2008 Jim Bell turned 70 and would once again enter the waters he had exited on his last heart-pounding adventure. As a youthful 43 year old, he had built up his stamina for the channel crossing by spending many Saturdays swimming for miles along the Guam shoreline. To prepare for this adventure, Jim spent the last couple of years swimming one mile every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. He planned to arrive on Saipan early enough to start practicing in the ocean and build up his stamina over several days until he could easily swim 3 to 4 miles per day. He left the U.S. a couple of weeks early using free space available flights that the military offers to retired individuals. The only problem is that these flights are the lowest priority, and are only available if there is space. So, after spending a week-and-a-half sleeping in terminals and inexpensive military housing while waiting to catch flights, Jim finally flew into Saipan on Thursday night, less than four days before his 70th birthday. Adjusting to jet lag and not having practiced in the ocean like he planned, he was still determined to accomplish his goal, so he left for Tinian on Sunday night to get some rest for the next morning. At 6:48 a.m., Jim entered the water with no escort and just his swimsuit, goggles, tee shirt, and a lot of suntan lotion. He said, “The normal current is east to west and it can be very strong. When you swim, you have to assume it's going to be that way. I swam straight north, and I took a position check and found out that I am going straight north, so there was no current. So I just headed for one of the beaches. “I headed for the radio antenna, and I wasn't making progress. I realized that the current was flowing west to east. At this time I was really tired. The waves were beating on the rocks. I saw a small patch of beach near the golf course. I hit a rip current that kept me back, so I started swimming to the east and looking ahead.”


After finding a safe exit point, Jim climbed out of the water at 10:38 a.m. at Coral Ocean Point, just 3 hours and 50 minutes after he started the five-mile swim. While walking along the golf trail he was met by a worker who took him to the clubhouse, where they recognized him because the Tribune newspaper had a front-page story about him that day. This channel swim was less eventful than the first, but no less amazing. When asked why he wanted to do something like this, he responded: “I wanted to do something that hadn't been done before. I want to be an inspiration to others (I don't want to encourage people to take up channel swimming), but being 70 shouldn't keep you from doing what you want to do. You don't have to look at things as if they are written in stone.” With more adventures planned in the coming years, Jim is not letting age slow him down. So what's keeping you from accomplishing something you've always wanted to do? The next time you don't believe you can accomplish your goals, just remember the day that Superman Jim Bell returned to Saipan to brave the Tinian channel alone. Anything you want to do should be easy, safe, and fun by comparison. God bless you Jim in your amazing life adventures, and thanks for bringing us a ray of hope that is so needed now.


I feel quite priviledged to have been a small part of this feat of daring--especially since I told Jim the night before that I thought he was crazy! I fully expected to hear that he had been swept out to sea, eaten by a shark, or simply 'gone without a trace.' I was astonished when I got a call from Dell Benson (the Branch President of the Mormon Church on Saipan), that Jim had made it, and was already giving an interview with the local TV station! Will wonders never cease!

Monday, June 9, 2008

Jim Bell's death-defying swim

I was witness to an amazing feat of bravery today as an ex-military man by the name of Jim Bell swam from the north-west shore of Tinian to Saipan. Many have died traveling by boat across this channel, so it is quite a story to witness someone SWIM this treacherous channel. Add to that the fact that Jim was 70 years old... and you get a feel for the accomplishment!


Jim had made this death-defying swim once before, in 1981, and decided it was time to try it once again. He is one of a handful that have even tried it, and one of a few that made it across alive. Well, he did it again today! Last time, when much younger, it took him 12 hours to make the crossing. Today he did it in less than four hours!


The following is the story that ran in today's Saipan Tribune about his attempted swim:


Saipan Tribune, Monday June 9, 2008

Bell tries to repeat historic swim
70-year-old swims from Tinian to Saipan today

By Agnes E. Donato
Reporter


Turning 70 today, James H. Bell will attempt to repeat his feat of nearly three decades ago by swimming across the Tinian channel.In July 1981, Bell marked his retirement from the U.S. Navy by swimming alone from Saipan to Tinian. He now wants to celebrate another milestone in his life-his 70th birthday-by swimming the same waters in the opposite direction.


“I want this adventure to be the beginning of the rest of my life. And what better place to start than where I left off 27 years ago?” he said yesterday.


Bell found his love of the open water in the early 1970s. He was on active duty with the U.S. Navy in Hawaii, and spent much of his leisure time snorkeling or scuba diving.


His military job next brought him to Guam, where he would undertake his first major swimming “project.” Every Saturday beginning in the early part of 1980, he swam four to eight miles around the island’s shoreline. Before the year ended, he had swum all around the island.


Bell said his Guam adventure was miraculous. “Completing it was more than a test of endurance. There were so much danger, so many things about the shoreline of the Guam reef that made it almost impossible,” he said.


But the danger only fueled his desire for adventure. In April 1981, he took leave from the Navy to swim the Tinian channel. The military initially approved his request for time off, but withdrew its permission after learning of Bell’s plan to swim the channel alone. At the time, Bell was only a few months away from retirement. He decided to wait.


His chance came on July 2, 1981, his second day as a civilian. Bell braved the choppy waters between Saipan and Tinian with little clue about the surf and tides, much less a clear strategy for getting around them. The only thing he was sure of was his goal, and that is to get to the other side, alive.


“I make it a point of not over-researching things. I like the challenge of the unknown. I prefer figuring things out as I get there,” Bell said.


A few things did go wrong. He had planned to swim up the channel and avoid being swept out to the ocean. After swimming for a couple of hours, he ended up miles out in the ocean and had to spend the rest of day swimming back to Tinian. He also had originally projected the swim to take about 12 hours, but at the last minute told people he would be done in six hours. When he did not show up on the Tinian shore at the expected time, a search and rescue mission was launched. Even the press joined the search, with then Pacific Daily News stringer Jack Angello renting an aircraft to survey the waters.


Bell was found eventually, and finished what he set out to do. After 12 hours of swimming, he reached a beach not too far from Tinian’s North Field.


“My feeling was pure exhilaration. It was not really relief that I was out of danger’s way. It was pleasing to know that I had the endurance to do what I did. I felt good about setting a goal and having accomplished it,” said Bell.


That great adventure was his last in a very long time. Save for climbing a few mountains in Colorado, Bell had done nothing he would describe as spectacular since the Tinian channel. After retiring from the Navy at age 43, he did not settle in any second career. Instead, he volunteered his service to the Mormon church, tried to earn a master’s degree in geology, and held various odd jobs.


As he now enters his eighth decade, however, Bell wants to see if he’s still got the resolve that pushed him across the Tinian channel 27 years ago. But his plan goes beyond duplicating his earlier feat. To make his latest effort even more interesting, he will start swimming at 7am today from his previous ending point, and attempt to make it to Saipan-anywhere on Saipan-in eight hours.


Ever the daredevil, he is not checking the tide charts nor calling for a safety escort. “There’s more incentive if you know you have to make it because your life is on the line,” he said.


Bell expects the strong current and the jellyfish to pose the biggest challenge to his mission. But he would rather keep his eyes on the rewards: a possible next swim across the Torres Strait between Papua New Guinea and Australia, and some serious suntan.


You can see more info and video of Jim's swim on Youtube. I took video of his departure, but couldn't get it to transfer on this site.


My part in this adventure was a small one: when Jim and his companion Limson Souelian (from Saipan) came by ferry to Tinian the day before Jim was to swim, I met them and gave Jim some updated info about the island. When Jim was last here, the island was covered by grass and fields, rather than jungle and brush. We studied a map of the area to try to determine where Jim had gotten out of the water after his first swim 27 years ago (he wanted to try to start from that point on his return swim). But the landscape had changed so much, we had no choice but to simply choose an access point that was available--which ended up to be Unai Lam Lam.

My wife Terri opened her computer and went to Google earth to give Jim a bird's-eye view of the island as it was today. We settled on Unai Lam Lam as a starting point, and set a time for 6am to meet, and travel to the other end of the island.

The next morning three of us--Jim, Limson and I--traveled to Unai Lam Lam beach on scooters (Jim and I shared a scooter so that we could get them back after Jim left for his swim). Once on the beach, I videotaped Jim, who said a few parting words before donning his snorkel-mask and heading out to sea. Then Limson and I traveled back to the village on the scooters.

Limson left on the 1pm ferry for Saipan, with the intent to meet Jim on the other side, and film his arrival on Saipan. To our amazement, Jim arrived on Saipan before the ferry even left Tinian! Limson took a copy of the film I had made of Jim's departure from Tinian, part of which was played during the local sports show that evening--Jim having now become a local sports legend with his daring swim across the treacherous channel!

The following is a follow-up article that was on the front page of the Saipan Tribune about the swim (note: there is one error in the article--Jim left at 7am not 6am, and made the distance in 31/2 hours not 41/2 hours as reported in the article):

Saipan Tribune, Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Bell swims Tinian-Saipan channel under five hours

By Agnes E. Donato
Reporter

A 70-year-old man who sought to repeat the historic swim he made nearly 30 years ago successfully crossed the channel between Saipan and Tinian yesterday morning, swimming the five-mile distance in less than five hours.

James H. Bell was celebrating his birthday when he made the crossing early yesterday morning, with no escort and no knowledge of the tides and surf.

He left Tinian at 6am and waded ashore on the beach of Coral Ocean Point Resort in Koblerville at 10:30am, completing the swim in four and a half hours. He had expected the crossing to take eight hours. His previous effort took 12 hours. “Maybe I'm getting better,” said Bell.

Nature, he added, made his crossing a little easier. He had prepared to swim against a strong east-to-west current. But he found the current flowing in the reverse direction, carrying him ever closer to his destination.Even the jellyfish, which had been his other worry, proved to be nothing but a mild annoyance. He got minor jellyfish stings during the swim.

“Everything has turned out very well. I'm very happy. I've been thinking about doing this for a long time. It's nice to do it and get it done,” he said.

As for his next goal to cross the Torres Strait from Papua New Guinea to the Australian mainland, he said, “I'm too beat to think about it right now. That one is going to take a while, and the conditions have to be right. My plan is to play it by ear.” In July 1981, Bell marked his retirement from the U.S. Navy by swimming alone from Saipan to Tinian. He spent most Saturdays of 1980 swimming around the island of Guam's 120-mile shoreline.

Bell resides in Boulder, Colorado.

Wow! What an experience!

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Our day trip to uncharted territory

Our trip begins...
The trail was waist-deep, sometimes, head-high with brush!


One of the few openings we found along the trail where we could see the ocean, and Saipan



The trail would open up a little, then get very thick again


On the north side of Pina, we begin to travel back down


Arriving at Unai Masalok beach





There are at least three small beaches at this location



We found one fishing with a rod and reel

And one fishing with a net

Then it was off again, on a much better road


We arrive at Long Beach


Saipan in the distance

We discovered an old bunker at the beach

Work at the new casino is going very slow--not much to show yet
The many colors of Tinian!


Ouch!

As Terri is off call this weekend, we decided to take a scooter trip along a road that travels along the east side of the island--at least there was a road that showed up on the map! When we got there, like many of the 'marked' roads, it was very overgrown and looked impassible. As I hesitated a little, Terri urged us on (as we had traveled similar roads before, with no ill effects).

The first part of the road was up a steep hill called Pina. It moved up and then around the hill until we got to the east side. Then we traveled north along the same hill. The road was thick with brush and the jungle was thick on either side, so we didn't have many opportunities to see out to the ocean.

When we finally came to the north side of this long hill, we finally came to Masalok Beach. There are three secluded beaches there, and are supposed to be some ancient Latte stones in the area, although we didn't see any. We visited the beaches and discovered some fishermen there, using both a rod and reel and a throw-net. The only fish caught were small fish caught in the net.

Once we arrived at Unai Masalok, the road became much better (as cars travel to and from the beach coming from the north). We continued to follow the road north until we arrived at Unai Dankulo or Long beach. We have been to Long beach many times, but had never noticed the connecting road we had been traveling.

We went back to Broadway and traveled up to see the progress on the new Casino--not much happening there...but the view from the scenic overlook was beautiful, and the color of the ocean was particularly good today.

It was a great adventure, along a long trail, but there wasn't a lot to see, as the road was so overgrown.