Indy has been hauled in the yard for some routine maintenance and is now safely back in the water and out of the yard. I never look forward to the boatyard. They are dirty, noisy and full of potential emergency room visits. Needless to say I am the only one in the family that shares this sentiment. The kids and O love the yard. O gets to pull things apart and the boys get dirty and look for 'treasure' , which in reality is them dumpster diving for discarded engine parts. I was constantly scrubbing legs, arms and faces covered in grease. Their signature scent was transmission oil which is a vile smell and hard to get out once it is in hair and under nails...ugh.
As far as yards go it was an overall good experience. The people were very helpful and followed thru with everything they said they would do, without us having to chase anyone down. Not even once.
In true Indy fashion it was not without our share of adventure. Sam and Ben were chasing each other around the interior of the boat when Sam jumped off the nav. station and hit his head on the battery charger box the yard supplied. After a trip to the ER and four stitches later he was good as new. I had to laugh because Sam & I took a cab to the hospital and after the doctor sewed him up, we hitchhiked back. I wonder how many people hitchhike back from the emergency room with their 3 yr old!!!
The yard is about a fifteen minute drive from the main town, a cab is $20.00 so I hitched with the kids everywhere. We would hitch into town for groceries or whatever. It was relatively easy and a great opportunity to meet some of the local people. On one ride the woman had her three kids in the car. She spoke no English so we had limited conversation, but when I told them I was American the kids all screamed about how they loved Michael Jackson...yikes...I didn't know he had such a fan base amongst little girls in French Polynesia. Scary.

It was quite a challenge finding things to do with the kids while we were in the yard. Obviously they had plenty of treasure hunting explorations, but as far as cultural activities the options were limited. There is no beach around and it rained most of the days we were on the hard. One day we hitched to a little hotel with a pool. The owners of the Inn told me I could swim if I bought lunch. I almost died when I saw the menu, but there was no way I was hitching back at that point. The kids each ordered chicken nuggets, fries and a coke for 2,000 French francs about 24.00USD each. I had a burger which was the same price, also from the kids menu. In total for two chix nugs and a burger the bill was 75.00USD. I seriously almost had a coronary.
It will be nice to get out of the Society Islands and back to some place where prices are a little more realistic.
So, Indy is back from the spa looking great. The main sail is fixed, the saildrives have new seals, the propellers are rebuilt and in good working order again and the bottom is freshly painted. We had 4 days on the dock after our haul out which was great for us, since we rarely go to a dock other than to fuel up. The kids still had the run of the yard and a dock to fish off. They spent many hours trying to land the elusive "mahi mahi". We had unlimited free fresh water to bath the kids each evening after their day in the dirt.

Yesterday we sailed to Bora Bora...more like motored to Bora Bora, as there was no wind at all. Bora Bora is 25 miles West of Raiatea. So here we sit in crystal blue waters waiting for the winds to fill in for our 4 day sail to the Cook Islands. According Otis and his weather files, there will not be any wind for a week, so we will explore Bora Bora and check out a few anchorages.

Currently we are on a mooring in front of the Bora Bora Yacht Club. The yacht club is typical Polynesian construction with the thatched grass roof and bamboo walls. It is tranquil and pretty here but there is not much to do other than the yacht club restaurant, so this afternoon we will head into Vaitape, the main town. We need to get some provisions and fuel and clear out of French Polynesia. Leaving Bora Bora is kind of nostalgic for us, as O and I have been this far once before when we worked on yachts as crew. We made it to Bora Bora then turned around and headed back to USA via Hawaii. Every mile from this point on will be completely new territory ! We will no longer be able to say, "Oh yeah, I remember this!" . Well it is 9:00 AM and my turn to do school with Ben today, so I shall sign off for now.

Pete S and crew: thanks for the well wishes!!! There is an email coming your way!!!!
Our friend Steve on Uliad contacted us to tell us that you guys had emailed him..as he said " I guess your village is bigger than you thought". Anyway, it meant a lot. Thank you !!!!