There are quite a few showers in the night and once again I wake early, coughing myself awake, and am unable to get back to sleep for ages, although perversely, have just nodded off when Mike brings me a cup of tea.
The weather reports get down loaded and Mike decides that we should be OK to leave for Huahine today, and over the VHF we discover that Ronja and Tucanon are also heading that way too.
Carole and John take the dinghy and go foraging for bread or other goodies and Mike tells me that today’s little gem of a job for me is to attack the source of the rather noxious smell that is coming from somewhere in our cabin (even when Mike’s not in there). The problem is, we are not quite sure where the smell is emanating from. About a year ago, Mike’s wardrobe in the companionway stank. Now it’s as fresh as a daisy if you please, and the smell has transferred itself to my wardrobe in our cabin and to the drawers under our bed. It is very definitely a toilety smell. Mike removes the drawers and buggers off. Smells are not his area of expertise although I don’t quite know whey they have become mine!
I wash the area out with nice pine smelling cleaner then sling lavender infused (French of course) bleach liberally around the pipework. Mike reappears to pour more bleach down the bilges, then leaves me to clean the next cupboard along in the companionway. What a sight I am, naked, on my knees, stinking of bleach and muttering about a first mate’s lot. The problem is probably with the pipework which, although not leaking, becomes porous over the years allowing smells to escape. Lovely.
I emerge from my sweat pit to find Mike lounging in the cockpit reading a book. I am not overly polite!
I clean our bathroom, put a load of washing on and ponder over my glamorous life of a skivvy. I’ve said it before, housework is housework, regardless of how beautiful the location. Still, it could be worse – I could be in the UK listening to election campaigns – ugh!
Carole and John return clutching a bag of croissants. Carole can’t hide the evidence of having eaten a chocolate ice cream as she has managed to dribble it down the front of her t-shirt!
Photo: Polynesian sailing boat passes close by
I prepare tonight’s dinner in readiness for the overnight passage and Carole makes lunch, then after a moment when I thought the bloody anchor wasn’t going to shift, it’s up and we motor out through the reef, Tucanon and Ronja just ahead of us. Once we are out of the shelter of the island I try to call Judith on Brown Eyed Girl but again get no response.
It’s a nice calm passage, quiet enough for me to slip below and catch up on a few hours’ sleep in readiness for my watch tonight. I emerge to a cup of tea and a sunset.
Photo: Sunset and a cuddle
I do the 10 pm to 1 am watch. Although Tucanon disappears quite early on, Ronja stays with us all night. It is calm during my watch and I am able to catch up with the blog and watch TV. Luckily for me, the rain stays away until I am tucked up in bed.
Our position is: 17 deg 04 min S, 150 deg 36 min W
Distance so far: 6687 nautical miles
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