On July 5th, we returned to Brick House to find Avin hard at work in a cloud of red dust from our bottom paint. We consider him, although he was one of the more expensive men for hire in the compound, a worthwhile expense at $3.10 US per hour. The marina restricts the lowest pay for workers to be $1.55 an hour and the maximum $3.10. Paying more would mean that some of these young workers would take home more money than their fathers. Avin took an hour lunch but only a few short breaks during the day. Constant supervision was required but this still allowed Patrick to work close by rebuilding the boats transmission, installing a new through hull and a number of other hardware projects. Avin did loose some of his energy and enthusiasm near the end of the project when he finally had the easy job of polishing stainless steel.

For 29 days, we fell in to a new routine... we would get up around 7am, have a quick breakfast, and then I would shoot off to the city of Lautoka by bus to gather a list of items needed to keep the work going. Patrick would set up the electric cords and machines to prepare the days work for when Avin would get there at 8am. I searched endless stores looking for the best solution and price for things including topside paint, hose fittings, grinding disks and sandpaper etc. Every day was a new list and a new scavenger hunt. I was the logistics coordinator...making sure too that we had exact change to pay our worker every day. I did laundry and wiped the dust and dirt from inside the boat. I shopped for groceries and prepared meals, and kept our social calendar active. Along the way every day, I met all the friendly people of Fiji, had interesting and philosophical conversations with many types of people, and enjoyed every single day of it. The Fijian people are truly the most gentle, loving and personable people in the world that we have met. The country of Fiji seems to have a perfect combination of people to grow their country forward. They have the Indo- Fijians - Indians who identify strongly with their native land, are fierce competitors with each other, smart and innovative and put every resource of Fiji and their brains to work to make Fiji almost a first world country. Then you have the Fijians who are good, honest, incredibly hospitable people. They are the ones who really know how to win peoples hearts and trust. They are the ones who are the moral fiber of the country it seems - the ones who keep the Indians honest and remind them to be good to their humankind, and most of all to their families. The Indians stress the importance of work and the pursuit of the dollar and getting ahead, while the Fijians will miss their own funeral if their family needs them for something...but isnt that the right way to live? This nice combination of influences shapes Fiji in a huge way.

ON the other front, Patrick labored from sunup to sundown getting Brick House ready for another 3 or 4 years of abuse. The list of what was completed on Brick House is long. I am a very thankful women to have an endlessly working man who is so completely competent at everything he does, and works hard to assure us the least troublesome path along our adventures. Like I felt the very first time I sailed with him...I have the BEST captain on the entire planet. I could not be luckier.