Sand Dollar finally escaped the clutches of Papeete, Tahiti after weighing anchor at 10:30 this morning and setting sail for Bora Bora. Radio transmission is back to normal now that I am away from mountains and masts. A jury-rigged alternator regulator was fabricated using a handful of diodes, resistors, switches and bits and pieces of odds and ends. It isn't pretty but it works, sort of. I get interference with the autopilot but I'll try to work out the details as I go along. At least I can charge the batteries when necessary and keep the fridge running. Brother Jim will ship a new regulator which I will pick it up in Pago Pago, American Samoa in about six weeks.

All else is well onboard and I am glad to be making a passage after being land-bound for so long. The conditions are "boisterous". The wind is 24-28 knots from the east and the seas are a bit sloppy from bad weather to the south. I hope to make Bora Bora by dark tomorrow.