New Year’s Eve was another trip to Eastern Island — an incredibly successful and satisfying day.

Between our two teams of six counters in each, and with the addition of two very much appreciated FWS extras, we finished off the sectors that we’d left half-done on our last trip, E9 and E7, and completed two others, E6 and E2.

A four-sector day is a big accomplishment, especially when they are Eastern sectors. The largest of the four, E2, was the last to be conquered, and we shared it between the two teams, working from opposite sides until we met in the middle, and ended with all 14 counters in one line! At one point, our group was looking far into the distance and caught a glimpse of the other group moving into position for their next transit.

The weather cooperated, with some cloud cover that kept the temperature pleasantly around 70-72degF.

As on our last visit, we found another great lunch spot on the beach, though we had to shift a little further from our planned position when we discovered a monk seal had already claimed that area for a sunny nap.

As well as the delight of a continuous stream of albatross flying overhead as we ate, several red-tailed tropic birds gave us a squawk-accompanied aerial display, and a couple of frigates passed by, as well as a gull (not sure which one) that the avid birders among us very excited.

One counter narrowly escaped what could have been a serious bird strike when an incoming albatross chest-bumped the side of her head. Luckily, she saw it coming at the last moment and avoided a full head-on impact.

Back on Sand Island, folks had been busy preparing for the traditional New Year’s Eve festivities, which started at 7pm. The Bowling Alley was decked out with lights, and burgers and hot dogs were on the grill outside.

Inside, as everyone gradually arrived, some (including me) played shuffleboard, some played table tennis, some bowled, and others were at the pool table. The bowling alley, like so many of the buildings that are well past their intended life span, has seen better days structurally, but two of the lanes are still functioning.

The main event is always Bingo, using the equipment—bingo cards, cage and balls—from the Naval Base days of the 1940s! We were all encouraged to grab as many cards as we could handle!🤣

With our medical PA as ‘caller’, and incidentally educating us on the various B vitamins as she called the B numbers, we played the typical games: one line, corner to corner X, block of nine, and finally blackout; each game winner receiving a generous gift voucher to the Ship Store. I’m happy to say I won the blackout game.😊👏

After Bingo, fun and games continued, plus eating, drinking, dancing, and a very entertaining session of Jenga, with some impressively steady hands extracting the bricks.

On the way home, which is just a short walk between the Bowling Alley and our Empire Café house, the sky was a sparkling mass of stars to boot out 2024 and usher in the new year.

New Year’s Day is of course a holiday for everyone. So, it’s been a leisurely start to the day so far, mostly sunny but with a brief squall that had the resident Empire Café albatross lifting their heads to catch a few drops.

Wishing us all a happy and healthy 2025!