Chessie, Tucanon, Brown Eyed Girl and Noeluna all arrive into the marina. They too have arrived without the aid of wind and have motored hard to get here. Apparently the boats that have been here for a few days had the opposite – high winds and high seas.
The yacht agent, Lauren, arrives to complete the check in process with us and also brings our packages – the parts for the generator and the water maker. Looking at the contents, I cannot believe that they have cost so much to buy and to get here, but that’s boats for you! He also brings with him some pearls. He has remembered that I wanted some but has been unable to get any champagne coloured ones. Although they look good, they are not as nice as mine.
Mike starts the engine for me so that I can have some hot water to start on the mountain of laundry that has built up while we haven’t had water to spare for such fanciful ideas and we fill the tanks up from the tap on the quay. How wonderful.
Graham and Mike from Eowyn arrive with their wives Chrissie and Val and I invite them in to have a look around Jeannius. In the middle of the ‘tour’, Carole and John arrive and we settle them into their cabin – they are going to be sailing with us for the next few weeks so that Carole can see whether her seasickness is improved by being on a catamaran rather than a monohull.
Mike disappears down to the engine room to remove the old brushes from the generator. To do this he has to disconnect the salt water cooling system, the diesel supply and return lines, which unfortunately empties a large amount of diesel over the bottom of the boat and over him. More evidence of him being Pig-pen. It is unbelievably hot in the engine room and Mike is soon dripping with sweat. He looks so disreputable that I go to take a photo then realise that I don’t actually want to remember him looking like this and put it away again.
Carole makes herself useful by making lunch then it’s time to go to the welcome that has been arranged by WCC on the quay. As Mike is still well and truly ensconced in the engine room, the three of us go without him.
They have musicians playing and welcome flower garlands for everyone except us as we arrive late. Luckily a member of the Tahitian staff takes pity on me and gives me hers. There is a skippers’ briefing taking place next and in Mike’s absence I attend and take notes for him (which I find difficult as I don’t understand the nautical bits and probably make notes on unimportant things and leave out the essentials).
By the time we get back it’s nearly 4.30 pm and the evening’s festivities start in an hour. The news Mike gives us when we appear is not good. He has removed the generator brushes (which look fine) and replaced them with the new ones, connected all the wiring, diesel hoses and water hoses back up. The generator starts but now generates no electricity at all – a far worse situation than before he spent seven hours in a sweaty hole. He is extremely pissed off and is now going to have to pay for someone to come and look at the generator. Worse still, without the generator, even if he manages to fix the water maker, he won’t be able to test it as we have no way to power it (the shore power is only sufficient to power one air conditioning unit – attempting to run the water maker will blow the supply to the dock!) He now has a thumping headache and has no wish to go out tonight.
Jet lag catches up with Carole and she heads to bed as well, so it’s just John and I that go to take part in the evening’s entertainment. It is arranged that we all meet on the quay and follow a band of musicians through the town to the Mairie, where the entertainment is to take place. The sun is setting as we leave and it looks beautiful over the marina.
Photo: The rally fleet, fully ‘dressed’ with flags at sunset
There is a show of local singing and dancing. The style here is much more gentle than the tribal-like stomping of the Marquesas. I just don’t know how these women manage to get their hips to wriggle like they do!
Photos: Local display of singing and dancing
The prize giving takes place and much to my surprise we win two prizes, one for being the third catamaran on handicap rating for the last leg and one for finishing closest to the time guessed by the skipper.
There is a bar and really good buffet laid on for us and I spend a couple of hours catching up with the crews from other boats, particularly those I haven’t seen since we first arrived in the Marquesas and we say goodbye to some crew members who are leaving in Tahiti, notably Cali from Grand Filou and Patrik from Ronja. Tom will also be leaving in a couple of weeks and I get a photograph of the three deserters together.
Photo: Tom, Cali and Patrik – the deserters
When John and I get back to the boat, both Carole and Mike are still sound asleep, although Mike wakes up as I clatter around the cabin and I show him our prizes.
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