It was time to move back to Ao Po Marina with Blue Wind so that they could begin staging for their shipment to the Mediterranean. Pat and I didn't have to assist Blue Wind with this process, but we consider them good friends and want to be available if they have any issues or incidents. Plus, we believe in good karma and want to pay it forward. Once their boat is loaded, they can bunk with us until they fly out to their prospective countries. The up side is we can observe the process and know what will transpire for our shipment. The down side is we are farther away from the restaurants and services and I will have to cook again...but the marina has a beautiful gym, restaurant and pool which is a nice tradeoff.

Pat arranged for a local Philipino named Randy to polish and wax our boat before shipping. Hopefully, this will help with removing the dirt and grime when the boat arrives in Florida. Meanwhile, I have decided to begin adjusting the dinghy cover and making tote bags for our lines and sheet (for those in the south it is our ropes).

Pat is working on replacing all the couplers on the A/C water cooling lines with bronze fittings. It seems that the coupler fittings are all brass and are eroding quickly while in the marinas. Pat is shaking his head that a plumber would install brass fittings on the A/C lines and can't remember if a plumber installed the brass while refitting the boat. He thinks two of them came outfitted from the factory which is irresponsible. If you're preparing your boat for future travel and plan to stay in marinas, then check the fittings and make sure they are not brass.

The ship finally arrived for Blue Wind but a problem has occurred this week. There has been no wind for months and we've had to motor amongst all the islands. Now, there are high winds forecasted for the entire week which means they can't load large vessels onto a cargo ship. Seven Star did manage to get one boat loaded before shutting down operations but still have 7 additional boats to load. This week could get exciting as there is a cyclone forming off the west coast of Thailand...thank goodness we are moored in a marina or we would be looking for shelter from the high winds. I'll keep you posted!