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twenty minutes from reef to reef! 
Thats good time for a loaded canoe of the size of ours. 
I confess I felt a mild sense of relief when we finally glimpsed Aiwa's 
barrier - it would be tough to have to swim on the last day of the voyage! 
As we cut along parallel to the windward reef we surged up & down as 
tremendous waves passed under us - one minute Aiwa & its green & 
blue lagoon were all exposed before us - the next minute completely 
hidden by a rising wall of deep blue water. 
Finally we furled the sail, propped it out at a 45 [[degree symbol]] angle 
& drifted over the lee barrier. It seemed suddenly very quiet - as though 
a great commotion had suddenly ceased. Everyone relaxed 
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lit cigarettes & began to eat cold casavas & boiled bananas. The lookout 
cried "Vinaka ... vinaka ..." now & then as we drifted over the shallows. 
There were white-caps in the lagoon proper but it looked like a mill pond 
to us then! 
We drifted to a point on the SW side of the eastern island & landed. In 
less than 5 minutes I had located beautiful [[underlined]] orbitoids 
[[/underlined]] & then Willy & I explored the interior. A beautiful flat- 
bottomed basin, Ed. Cut the grass & reeds & one could ride a bicycle all 
over the interior! The flat lies 50 feet above sea level. Then climbed the 
run near our landing point - only 100' high here but very steep both to 
seaward & to landward. 
Orbitoids in all outcrops & Is. is distinctly [[underlined]] bedded 
[[/underlined]]. When I descended 
HARRY LADD - DIARY AND FIELD NOTES, 1934 - VOL. 2 
Transcribed and Reviewed by Digital Volunteers 
Extracted Oct-11-2015 06:35:03 
Smithsonian Institution Transcription Center, Smithsonian Institution Archives 
