Wednesday, July 06, 2005

Journal Entry – June 30 – July 6, 2005 – While the Cat’s Away the Mouse will – Work?

Author: Scott

As Pam walked away into the Air France’s boarding area to start her journey to the states my mind raced with all that needed to be done here in Tahiti. This would be the longest period of time we have spent apart since the start of our voyage and not only did we create a daunting list of to dos before Pam left, but I also wanted to have the boat in fine shape for Pam’s return.

I hopped on Le Truck and rode into town. First stop, Mc Donald’s to fortify myself for the work ahead. I heard the customer in front of me order a Mc Feast and I could not resist the temptation of stepping away from the old standbys and I ordered my first Mc Feast. I wonder if they sell this big cheesy, mayonnaisey treat in the states? Next I headed back to the boat to tidy up a little. Pam had left the laundry hanging with strict instructions to watch the quilts on the line, so I stepped out to the bow to take inventory. To my horror there was a big gap on the line where once a quilt fluttered proudly in the wind. “Oh no, gone only a few hours and the quilt has disappeared!” I pulled down the remaining laundry and thought of how I would tell Pam that one of the prized quilts she worked hard to find had taken a leap off the boat, never to be seen again. My momentum squelched I headed back below to take a short cat nap. Pam is not a napper and so I had big plans of stealing a few precious naps in her absence. No sooner had my head hit the pillow then I heard our friend Gill from Last Call calling my name from the quay. I roused myself and went outside to see what she wanted. She told me she and Trevor had just walked by and seen our quilt submerged under the quay a few boats to port. I was elated; I would not have to fess up to loosing the quilt! In a flash Gill jumped in the water and swam over to the quilt. Now I am not squeamish but I sure thought twice about what lurked in the murky harbor water, but Gill did not give it a second thought. I protested but she said she was already in her bathing suit and within a few minutes had rescued the sodden blanket. We wrestled it into the dinghy and Gill offered to launder it for me. I must confess I was thrilled with the offer but I knew this was asking a lot from anyone. I protested again but Gill insisted saying she was already in the midst of laundry herself. We paddled the dinghy over to Gill’s boat and hauled the soggy beast on board. The quilt was whisked away and Gill asked about helping me phone the mechanics so she could translate for me. We made a plan to meet shortly and I returned blanketless to Tournesol.

A few minutes later I met Gill and we were off to phone the mechanics. After buying a phone card from the post office we stood at the phone booth and I coached Gill on our engine needs. We were successful on our second attempt and the mechanic would meet at Tournesol the following morning, and he spoke a little English. We walked over to the little round café that sold milkshakes and I offered to reward Gill with a milkshake. The milkshakes were yummy and Gill asked if she could help in any other way. I told her I was just fine and I planned to run off to find a place to get a hair cut. Gill piped up she knew a place and next thing I knew we were on the go again to find the Coifier. We found success with a few directions received in French and in no time I was sheered looking a little less like a homeless yachtie. We walked back to the boat and Gill invited me to attend a free concert with Hawaiian and Tahitian dancing and then maybe dinner at the trucks. Ann and James might meet up with us and it sounded like a fun evening.

When Gill returned to pick me up for the concert she had our quilt with her, all neatly folded. She handed it over to me smelling fresh, clean, and dry. I think it was in better shape than it was before it went in the drink. I stowed the blanket below and we were off to the concert. James had come down with a cold and so it would be just Gill and I. The show was an interesting mix of traditional dancing at the start and then it moved into less traditional. We watched Polynesian dancing blended with salsa and there was even a mind boggling break dancing demonstration. I have been to New York and seen some pretty incredible street dancing but these boys were by far the best I have ever seen. One young dancer could stand on one hand almost indefinitely bounding up and down to the beat of the music. I was impressed! After the show we wondered over to the Trucks for a bite and met up with the rest of the crew from Last Call and Pierce from Splash Tango. I had a steak with Roquefort sauce and we all finished off our meals by heading over to the desert truck and having an ice cream sundae. Pam was gone for only a day and I cleaned her quilt (with a little help), seen wonderful dancing, and eaten like a king. Sooner or later the work would come.

I woke up Friday morning to meet the mechanic and he was right on time. He came over to Tournesol and I managed to communicate or problem with the internal water pump. He quickly assessed the situation while moaning and groaning. He explained to me in broken English he had never fixed an engine like this but he could do it for a minimum of $2500 if we supplied the parts. I thanked him and let him know I would consider his estimate. I knew this job would require a lot of work since the pump was located deep within the engine block, but this just sounded way too expensive to me. I wanted to explore improving on our work-around by buying a better external pump, or finding another mechanic or talented cruiser to help with the repairs. The rest of the day was spent with Ann and James in the industrial area. We each had errands to complete including visiting the chandlery, electronics place, and two hardware stores. James was successful in finding a hose he needed to repair his bilge pump and I managed to find the items I needed. As we returned to the quay we decided we deserved a treat, so we stopped in at a local micro brewery and I had the best beer I have encountered since leaving the states. We ran into Gill on the quay and decided we would seek out another night of free entertainment at the square where we saw the dancing the night before. We agreed we would eat independently and I heated up some of the raviolis we found on sale at the store, not bad, they would make a good addition to food while sailing. We watched another round of dancing and by this time it was all starting to blend together and I think I was a little danced out. When the show was finished we headed over to the trucks again for another night of ice cream. We all sat on a cement block overlooking the harbor and talked and talked. When we finally looked at our watched it was well after 2300 so we all wandered back to our boats.

On Saturday Gill visited again, this time telling me a mechanic she had met while out in town would be by for a second opinion and she also invited me over for dinner that night. Gill has just been awesome! The mechanic came and although he was equally unsure of working on our engine type, he seemed a little more willing to attempt the repair. However, mechanic number two spoke almost no English and could not even give me a preliminary estimate. I made my way over to the Internet and called Pam on Skype, the internet phone service we use when we can. Her trip was going well but she was disappointed to learn of the outcome with the mechanics. I next called Terry our mechanic in the Bay Area to discuss options with him. During our conversation I told Terry about my meetings with the mechanics in Papeete. He advised me the one quote was way too high and although the job was difficult it should take no more than a day and a half to complete the work. He then said he would be willing to fly out and fix the engine for less than the mechanic in Papeete had quoted us. Wow, what an offer to have a known mechanic fly out and fix a difficult problem and then be here to help us tune up the engine… I let Terry know I would talk it over with Pam and get back to him. I phoned Pam again and let her know about Terry’s offer. We agreed this may be a great option for us and so I called Terry back to tell him we were interested and we would start researching plane tickets. The remainder of Saturday was another trip to the industrial area that lasted right up until my appointed time for dinner on Last Call.

Dinner on Last Call was delicious. We had thinly sliced sashimi with wasbi and soy sauce for an appetizer and then wonderful grilled fish with rice and vegetables for dinner. Trevor kept me entertained with stories of his first sailing voyages that led years later to his current expedition. I slept well that night with a full tummy.

Sunday was all about cleaning up the boat. On our last passage our bilge had gotten a little full and when the boat heeled we got some oily water on our cabin floors and in some of our food lockers. I had to completely remove all of the food from under our settees to clean out a small amount of water that had spread out unbelievable efficiently coating many of the supplies. I took the opportunity to rearrange some things and by the end of the day had made Tournesol beautiful inside. Before Pam had left I bragged I would just lay around on Sunday napping and reading, well my planned lounging never happened once my compulsion to clean took control. I had a lonely dinner by myself at Le Retro and went to bed early.

The three remaining days of my time alone in Papeete is just a collage of working on the boat, eating disappointing food and visiting with the folks I had come to know on the quay. The industrial area was beginning to feel like home, and I was beginning to really long for the day when we could escape the quay. As Pam’s arrival drew nearer my spirits improved with the anticipation for finding a solution to the engine problem and finally moving on from Tahiti.

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