Tradewinds

Jimmy Buffet once sang about being the son of a son of a sailor. The song doesn’t apply to me. My family’s relationship with the sea has mostly been limited to days at the Jersey Shore. That being the case, the tradewinds never meant much to me until I moved to Micronesia.

Now, I wait for the tradewinds like I would an old friend coming to visit. There are few sounds prettier than a dry wind blowing through the mango and banana tree leaves. I lay in bed listening to that sound and know relief is coming. The tradewinds are a dry wind and bring the gift of relief from the humidity that at times settles over the island like a blanket on the bed. It is a seasonal weather pattern that usually begins in November or December. This year it waited.

November seemed to be especially rainy and humid which is no easy feat on an island that easily receives over 100 inches of rain in the dry areas (the interior mountains can get up to 400 inches). Hence, we’ve been waiting, first patiently and then impatiently. November drifted into December and still no change.

As the month shifts from beginning to midpoint, the wind seems to have been picking up. The house smells a little less musty. Surf tourists are showing up to surf the world class waves that break over the reef. As I type, a dry wind flows through the house and pillows are outside on the laundry line offering up their dampness to the wind and sun. Hello tradewinds my old friend. Welcome back.