Do you like to row? Does anyone really like to row? OK, it's good for the back and arms but hey, God gave us the outboard motor and I'm quite happy to use mine. With that being said, here is another part to bring along with you if you are heading out from anywhere. At the end of your gasoline fuel line is a fitting that connects the fuel line to the motor. The fuel outlet on the hose has a piece on the inside of it that seals the clip onto the motor fitting. We've had our motor about 5 years now and have used it hundreds of times. On with the clip, off with the clip over and over. As we were preparing to leave Davao City last week, I looked at the end of my fitting and found a big chunk out of the inner circle of the seal so that with that gone, there was little chance of it actually sealing. The repeated on and off had taken a chunk out of the seal. Now air could get into the lines and the flow of fuel would be interrupted. My engine would run and then falter then run and then falter. When we got to Tarakan in the Indonesia, it ran fine. Now that we are at Derawan, it had a heck of time running. When I went ashore, I was greeted by Mr. Humphries, the local organizer of Festival Derawan. He turned us over to his assistant(John) who looked at the fitting and off we went into the small town on Derawan. He placed some calls to locate the part but had no success. We finally ended up at his house where he actually had the part in an outboard motor part bag he has. We took the fitting back to Puff(our dinghy) and it fit perfectly!!! We were saved!! SO--if you are heading out anywhere from where you are, go get one of these parts and stick it away where you always know where it is. Your dinghy is your car and with no engine on it, it can be a LONG row back from shore if you get that far. You never know when you will need it, but in time, you will.

Now, about the last 24 hours. We got to Derawan yesterday about 0900 and grabbed the last buoy in the harbor. Most of the other cruisers had set out on an excursion to the mainland. Griffin II gave us instructions on where and how to enter the anchorage and even told us of a buoy off their stern that was still available. We snatched it as quick as we could a a couple more boats were due in. We were a bit close to a catamaran off our stern but we stayed on board and watched all day since the occupants of the cat were on the excursion. We'd heard tell that they had chased off other boats that had taken the buoy as they felt they were too close. They returned about 1800 and promptly told us we were too close and that we had to move!!! The Sun was due to set in less then 15 minutes and there were no other moorings to be had. I was all for staying since we had not come even close to them during the day but Tracy made the decision that we would drop the line and try and find a place to drop the anchor. Off we went searching with me on the radio asking if anyone in the anchorage had a clue were we could drop the hook. One cruiser asked what was going on. Why were we moving. I explained to him what had happened and he blew up. "If the other person feels you are to close then he can move. You stay right where you are." That's easy to say over the radio but not to the persons face and we were already underway. We went to the front of the anchorage and closer to shore and found a spot that was just 15-20 feet deep with coral bommies on the bottom and dropped the hook there and pulled back and it set fast and hard. We were set for at least the night. Tracy decided the spend the night in the cockpit on "anchor watch" with the anchor drag alarm on. There was a catamaran next to us(about 150 feet) that called out to us over the water when he returned to his boat asking us what we were doing. I explained the situation and he seemed puzzled that we had moved but satisfied that Tracy was going to be on anchor watch and we would move in the morning.

About 0700, the man from the boat that had demanded that we leave showed up along side to apologize and point out that some boats were already leaving the anchorage and we now had our choice of where we wanted to be. We finished our breakfast, pulled up the anchor and took off for an available buoy. Just after we grabbed it and settled in, the boat in front of us called over that the buoy we had grabbed swung very close to another boat beside us and that the previous boats had "kissed". Man, what the heck is going on here. Does no one want us in their neighborhood. I even checked my deodorant(still working). We dropped the lines and headed off again for another buoy and grabbed it. This time, no one complained!!! How refreshing. We plopped Puff into the water and lowered our outboard and took off for shore. (insert the braking down portion of this message).

When we were checking in with the Master of the Harbor in Tarakan, he has advised us that we needed to check in with the Master of the Harbor in Derawan and get our paperwork stamped by him that we had gone there. John, the man of the day that had the part we needed for our motor took us to the office and we got the paperwork all stamped. Apparently we were the first boat of all that have come here that has actually gotten the paper work properly stamped and signed. A rule is a rule as far as we are concerned. Our paperwork was now done. John took us to a local restaurant for lunch. I'd asked him where he ate. A very attractive building with different food to choose from. It even had menus!! Tracy got "Shrimp and veggies" while I opted for fried chicken with rice. Can't go wrong there. When it came it looked great. Mine came with a sauce on the side that looked like red chilis. I washed my hands as Robbie had showed us the day before and then went at it. Rice first, then a taste of the sauce. Not bad at all. In Muslim countries, it is forbidden to use your left hand when eating. Ever tried to get chicken off a bone using only one hand? Not the easiest thing but it can be done. I stripped it clean and put it with my rice then poured the chili concoction on top and mashed it all together with my fingers. I was becoming a native!!! Hey, I neve even liked playing in the dirt when I was a kid and now I was mashing my food with my fingers and getting it to my mouth the same way. I was becoming one with my food. It was great. Just the right amount of spice in the mix. I think the owner of the restaurant was amazed that I actually ate it and how I ate it. It brought a nice sweat to the top of my head. A sure sign of great spices. Tracy's shrimp lunch was also great and we both told the owner/chef how much we loved it. They even had cold Cokes!! John stayed with us through the meal but didn't really want to eat with us but did finally have a big bottle of water and a dish of rice with fish wrapped in banana leaves that is cooked in an oven. We don't understand what it on the menus but each comes with pictures so choosing is easy. The total price--$94,000 rupia--about $8.50US. That fed all three of us and included drinks. Tracys was $25,000 rupia, mine $35,000 rupia. The rest was three cokes and a big bottle of water. It sure tasted great and we're sure going back again.

Once back at Zephyr(only a couple of stalls) I cut the fuel line and installed the new fitting. Tightened a hose clamp and let her rip. The engine ran for a good 20 minutes with no problems. Solved!

About the anchorage here. There is a tidal flow that just can't be believed. It's got to hit 5 knots!!! The mooring buoys at the front of the boats are dragged under water as it rushes past our hulls. It does this for 10 minutes and then stops. Then it does it again. This goes on and on and on. It does slow down during slack tides but then simply reverses and goes out the other way with all the boats reversing position in the anchorage. No way would I go swimming in water like this. You'd be swept away in a matter of moments and there would be no way to get back. The wind always opposes the current so it can get really strange in the anchorage. You'd need to tie a line to your body to stand a chance. I think I'll stay onboard or take a dinghy ride to a nearby beach.