Day 10 The cargo ship

The Star Heranger
Position N13º00/W117º40
St. Patrick’s Day started out like every other day. We sailed 100+ miles South West, fished without catching anything, read and napped.
At about 4 PM, Mark spotted a ship on the horizon. (see the photo page for views of it approaching). As it got closer, it appeared to be on a collision course. When it was about 2 miles away, it turned to port (left) so it would give us a wide berth.
As it came closer, we could see it was the type of ship that carries dry cargo like iron ore or grain.
We hailed it on the VHF radio and got a very nice reply. They had come through the Panama Canal and were headed for Japan by way of Hawaii. The speaker on the other end sounded Japanese. He made one comment we got a kick out of. He said with some surprise in his voice, “You are in the middle of the Pacific Ocean”. It was as if he did not expect such a small craft to be here.
As a conclusion to the day, we dined on corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and carrots - a traditional Irish meal.
By the way, the photo pages cannot be published until we get to land and find an Internet cafe, so stay tuned.