The worst two areas on a boat that a crew member might work is the head/brown water system, and the bilge. Here is a picture of what takes over your bilge pump after a while.
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Comments [2]
Hello all,
Well for all you fishermen out there I have a crazy fish story from today. We were fishing with two of my best and favorite Rapallas. (which is a plug that swims) Alain got hit really hard and by the time I had reeled in and started driving the boat he had lost the lure. I thought for sure that he had caught the reef. We took our bearings as best we could and went back in to get my mask and fins. I swam and looked around for about ten minutes as our friend Helmut swam over and talked to Alain about the futility of my search. To make a long story short, I did in fact find my lure. I also found the grouper that had eaten it and I caught it with my bare hands. Helmut and Alain could not believe it when I finally had the fish in the bucket and I was very very happy to get my lure back and catch the fish. Insane!
Eric
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Hello all,
Yesterday I went to the visa office and found out that I may be able to extend my 3 month visa that I have to account for time working on the boat. If I cant then I have to leave french polynesia at the end of march. It also turns out that because it is a la nina year, cyclones occur further west than usual and it is relatively safe to sail around. So I am getting psyched to continue getting the boat ready and start sailing in several weeks. Yesterday I also finally fixed the gear shifter on the engine that I broke on the wharf at Hiva Oa in April. Dad got the part in Tacoma, and sent it with a crew member from Seattle sailing with Totem from Mexico to the Marquesas. So I had the part but it was going to be a mission to install it. Yesterday I finally got it done. Here is a picture of it. I had to take the fuel tank out and the engine apart and it took a long time but now I have taken most of the engine apart which feels good. I hope you all are well.
Eric
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Hello all,
Alain and I caught two grouper this morning. The fishing was slow because we didn't get out there until 8:30. But we both caught a grouper using different swimming rapallas. They are not very big and the local knowledge is that there is no ciguatera here so we have decided that they are not going to poison us. (ciguatera is caused by highly local populations of benthic dinoflagellates. they are toxic and are most concentrated in bait eating predators like big groupers and amberjacks.) But I have heard from multiple sources that the fish here are OK. We are going to go out again this evening. The right time is right at dust.
Cheers
Eric
PS here is an outrigger made by a local Frenchman.
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Hello all,
Today I finally got the dingy in the water and used the engine for the first time since I put the boat away. Guess how many pulls.... 3. That is why it is important to properly winterize your engine. A little work in the fall helps to avoid a lot of work in the spring. Alain and I went for a tour of the lagoon. I did have a good fight with a fish (big bonito) but the camera was on video so no photos for the blog. The engine was running OK and we ran a tank and a half of Gas through it. Perhaps it could use a little maintenance but beyond the plugs and filters I don't know what to do and it is impossible to find a manual online that is not really expensive. My friend Hero is the engine man and we are supposed to go spear fishing next week so maybe he will hear how it is running and know what it needs. But over all I am very happy with the engine running and the boat not leaking. Here is another image from hiking last week.
Peace
Eric
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Hello all,
Here is another photo of Alain. For those of you just re-joining the blog Alain is a frenchman who lives two boats down here at Raiatea careenage. He has lived on the island for several years and knows his way around and has been an enormous help to me. So here is his shout out.
Peace Alain
Eric
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Good to see you out on the water again. If happen to see Liz Clark who is on the vessel Swell, say hello from Trim. She is a professional surfer from UCSB sailing around the South Pacific looking for the perfect breaks. We last saw her in Taaha.
Her blog is here: www.swellvoyage.com
Sunny greetings. Alain
Hello all,
On Sunday Alain and I climbed Mt Taptoi. The hike was fun and I learned french as always. It was very nice to hang out with Alain all day and speak French. I learned a lot. The reward on top is a panoramic view. You can see Taaha, Bora Bora, Huahine, and Otura and the lagoon that taaha and Raiatea share. The price that both Alain and I paid was a coup de soliel (sun burn) which we are still recovering from. The next mountain on the list of mountains to cap is Mt. Temehani. This mountain is where the Tiare Apetahi grows. It is a rare flower that grows no where else on earth except this mountain. If I see one I promise a photo. Not much else new. The rest of the week Ill be doing boat work and I hope to get the dingy in the water and do some fishing. This photo is of Taaha getting rained on with a little piece of Bora Bora visable in the distance.
Cheers,
Eric
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Nel blu, dipinto di blu,
Felice de stare lassů.
Squalls about to hit Taaha
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This is how they grow vanilla.
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Passe Teavapiti with a boat making landfall.
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This is the pass that I came through when I arrived here on Raiatea. Passe Teavapiti.
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Taaha
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This is Bora Bora from Raiatea with Taaha in the foreground.
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This is the northwest shore of Taaha from Mt Tapioi.
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