October 7

Plan was to hit the resort early for breakfast and free internet, then run four NM into Neiafu followed by boatwork and a quick nip into town for the odd errand. Yeah, right! Met a single-hander from Washington (state, not the festering cesspool of political saviors) and didn't get underway until noon. Beat most of distance to town on yankee and stays'l in a couple of hours, then hunkered down in heavy rain until late afternoon after which socializing at local hangouts blew the balance of usable day and early evening.

This fraternizing with interesting people thing has gotten out of hand. Oh sure, it's harmless at first. You have fun and begin to do more. Soon it's happening all the time. You can stop anytime, you say, but don't. You catch yourself being friendly to complete strangers, carrying on conversations for hours. Boat work suffers (your reason for existence). You find yourself smiling for no reason at all. It's against nature, but you finally realize you're powerless, lost and it's too late. Don't get started. Be grumpy and irritable, don't make eye contact, expunge "please" and "thank you" from your vocabulary. Frown at every opportunity (It requires more muscles than smiling, so stay in shape). For heaven's sake, save yourselves. You have been warned.

Jack