Dear F&F,
May 28-29, 2010
We have not been diving again because of persistent strong winds/waves
outside the lagoon, where the dive sites are. Too rough to be comfortable.
Where we are anchored is fine. The breeze keeps us cool. The wind chop on
the water is a bit strong to swim against plus we are anchored in sand so it
is not that interesting to snorkel or swim off the boat.
Our package of generator oil hoses & warranty replacement video lights did
not arrive on the morning plane yesterday, but it was there on the afternoon
plane. Why? Glad you asked. The morning plane was so full with people,
they ran out of “weight” space for the cargo. So, they sent it in
alphabetical order. “Yacht – Beach House” was last on the list. Fortunately,
their promise of it’s afternoon arrival came true. It is pretty interesting
to watch the prop jet land on this narrow strip of motu. A few tourists
departing & arriving plus locals waiting for supplies from Papeete. One of
the pension (B&B) operators asked me if I had just arrived. In poor French I
said, No I am on a boat. He gave me a fragrant welcome lei, since one of his
expected clients did not arrive. It is a string of Tiara flowers which are
white & smell delicious. I have them hanging in the galley.
Scott could not bear to wait, so we dug right into the generator oil hose
replacement project. It was a bit disconcerting at first since the
replacement hose was significantly smaller than the original (leaky) hose.
But the fittings were the same size & he had the foresight to order extra
fittings. We spent over 2 hours: he in the awkwardly small space contorted
on top of our anchor line and chain. Me, fetching & handing him various
tools, (doing as he says,”My best Vanna White routine”), shining a
flashlight & mopping up endless drips of oil. Sadly, upon testing we
discovered the 2nd hose was also leaking, but we called it a night & tackled
that this morning.
I must be acclimatizing & the season must be changing: I actually got cold
out there in the stiff breeze for 2 hours last night. We had a lovely moon
rise. I giggled at myself running in to grab a sweater when I could plainly
see the temperature still read 80 degrees!
This morning Scott & “Vanna White” tackled the 2nd hose replacement. We did
not have sufficient new sized fittings, but he made do and it \”knock wood\”
it is working with no leaks so far.
This afternoon I snorkeled an hour scraping the hula skirt of algae off the
boat\’s hulls. It was a good workout against the wind produced waves and I
felt cold by the end. The water temp on our boat gauge says 81.4. We\’ll see
what we find when we next go diving, planned for Monday. Five days ago it
was still 84 at depth. We hope that the conditions are favorable for diving
on the east side of the island where the beautiful coral sites are. The new
owner came by in his boat to tell us he did not get to keep the same phone
number that was supposed to have been kept when he bought the business. We
can tell he is just getting settled. We gave him our local cell number &
asked that he call us day by day so we can decide if diving is a “go” for
that morning or not.
We had a blast making a new shark video for the web. See our Video Gallery,
“Fins of Bora Bora”, music is “Fins” by Jimmy Buffet. It is faster paced and
more fun than some of our prior footage. We\’ll see if we can get good enough
WiFi or more likely load it from shore right next to the antenna. The next
island for sure does not have internet or ANY infrastructure for that
matter.
I must be settling into this life because the days are just kind of gliding
by. Mainly from meal to meal. I hope to find some semblance of fresh
vegetables soon. I used my last carrot, broccoli & bell pepper today. I have
a few apples, kiwis, one grapefruit. Then it’s frozen peas & green beans. We
may rent bicycles to circumnavigate the island. It is so small they say it
takes only about an hour to ride around.
Enjoying Maupiti Island life,
Cindy & Scott