Waiting and Waiting Some More!!!
10 August 2009 | Vuda Marina
Sally
Well, it's been almost a month since pulling back into Vuda Marina thinking our repairs would be completed within a few days. Silly us! We keep forgetting... we're on island time! Other than the road trip to Suva and a girl's trip to Nandi, we haven't done much of anything exciting, so this entry might be too boring to read, but thought we'd let you know what we've been up to anyhow! :)
Waiting has been the main event lately! My sister and brother-in-law sent us another amazing care package and were told it would take 7-14 days to reach us. Now, we knew that 7 days was very optimistic, although we did receive a package with repair parts for our water-maker in less time than that, but after the 14th day came and went, we started getting a little concerned. Twenty-one days came and went and we were making calls daily to the post office. Twenty-eight days came and went and I became frantic - I was convinced it must have been absconded by a custom's official or something! Then, on the twenty-ninth day, we finally received a notice from the marina office the package had arrived and was waiting for us at the Lautoka post office. Unfortunately, it was a Saturday and we would have to wait until Monday to go get it. The notice also stated the custom's office needed an invoice for the package - ??? We had no idea what that meant, but the girl in the marina office said we should take something saying it was a gift and not something we ordered from a company. We were also told we would only be able to pick the package up between the hours of 8 and 9 AM. Well, first thing Monday morning, we take the notice from the marina and an e-mail from my sister and catch the 7:30 bus to Lautoka, only to realize that every school aged child in the area caught the same bus to get to a variety of schools. The ride that usually takes about twenty minutes took over an hour and we were getting worried we would miss our window. Thankfully, we got to the post office with a few minutes to spare. The customs official took our notice and put the package on the counter in front of us. He asked for ID which I had in hand, but then asked for our boat papers. No one ever wants our boat papers unless we are checking in or out of a country, so we didn't think to take them with us - Yikes! Our lovely package was taken back off the counter and we were told to come back with our papers. So close and yet so far! The custom's officer wasn't exactly what you would call warm and fuzzy as he also explained that when we returned, we would have to take the package to another custom's office on the wharf (since we are a yacht in transit) and have a custom's official from that office accompany us to our boat - at our expense for a taxi for the official to and from Vuda (about $30.) We were given another time window of 2-4 PM to go back. So.... back to the marina we go to get our boat papers! While there, we chatted with our neighbors from Tin Soldier (Glen and Marilyn) and found out they also had a package waiting for them. T.S. Glen decided to go with us when we went back into town thinking we could at least share to the cost of the taxi for the custom's official. Papers in hand, we return at 2:00 (by taxi this time) and have the package again put on the counter in front of us. I told Glen if they even tried to take it back again, I was going to grab it and run!!! Apparently this time the official was convinced we really were who we said we were and that we really were a yacht in transit - duh!!! He opened the package, went through the contents, re-sealed it, and told us to take it to the office on the wharf. He did the same for the package for Tin Soldier. Our trusty taxi driver Abdul, drove us as close as he could get to the wharf, but then Glen had to carry the package the rest of the way (it was a pretty big box!). The custom's official in the wharf office was much friendlier, and after looking at the paperwork sent over by the post office guy, asked Glen as "Captain of the Boat" if he minded taking the package to the boat unaccompanied - duh, yet again!!! Glen says he really wanted to tell the guy, "No, we were so looking forward to having you come with us!" but realized humor might not be appreciated at this point. After making assurances that the package would be taken directly to and then remain on the boat, we were on our way! It was like Christmas all over again to get to open the package and marvel at all the goodies. I feel like I have a whole new wardrobe with all the pretty tops, shorts, and capris my sister sent me and Glen was overjoyed to have four brand new pairs of swim trunks - he was on his last descent pair! We both enjoyed reading through the Wall Street Journal they stuck in the box (is there any hope for the economy?!!) and delighted to find real Ziplock bags and several other "brand name" items we haven't been able to find. What sweeties to send us a double feature pack of "The Blue Lagoon" and "Return to the Blue Lagoon!" It was fun watching them and being able to spot the areas we had seen. It was interesting to see things the movie makers had taken liberties with (i.e. there aren't really macaws all over the place!). The movies have now been lent to almost every boat in the marina! A special request item of new solar tiki torches (The Dorothy Marie's trademark light for finding her in the dark) was also in the box - yeah!!! It took exactly a month from the date it was sent to the day we picked it up, but the wait was well worth it. Thank you again, Glad and Dan!!! By the way, the picture is of a sugar cane train that broke down and was blocking the road as we were trying to get the package back to the boat - waiting yet again! Some men finally unhooked the cars and pushed part of it out of the way!
The waiting that has tried our patience even more has been with the repairs to the generator. Baobab, the shop doing the repairs, had received all the parts needed for the rebuild from New Zealand, but hadn't looked at them until the crankshaft had been returned from Suva (something about having to turn it to match the new bearings?!). Anyhow, they are ready to put it all together and find that the rings aren't the right size - yikes! A new order has to be placed from New Zealand and more waiting. Finally the new rings come, its all put back together, and one of the injectors (which they had just "done" when we started this back in June) was leaking! It had to be sent back to Lautoka and re-sealed again - UGH!!! Almost two months to the day of our "Glenerator Ale and Rotis" picture was taken, we went through the reverse process to reposition the generator back into the engine compartment. Now, when the big galoot was hauled out, it's head was off, but when they tried to reinstall it, the head was back on - that made for a much tougher job of stuffing it through the only available opening (which is partially blocked by the refrigerator!). It took many ups and downs with the main halyard, many pulls on a back guide line (thanks Jaimie!), and lots of pushing and pulling by the same fellows that took it out, but finally it was back in place with only one little part being broken off in the process! A little wiring and hooking up of hoses and it should have been all done - "should" being the operative word. It would start, which was a good thing, and run, which was an even better thing, but when a load was put on it, it would sputter and die. It wasn't getting enough fuel, but they couldn't figure out why. Glen had said right from the get-go he thought it was the governor (remember way back when?!!), but the head mechanic kept saying no, it couldn't be. Several days of fooling around with the fuel pump and several other things, he finally decides Glen is right! He shortens a spring on the governor (think that could fix CA's?!!) and all is well - it starts, runs, and will support an even heavier load than it ever did before. We're thinking Ya-hoo... we can finally get out of here, but then they try to shut it off and it won't! Now what?!!! Somehow while trying to figure out the fuel issue, they burned out a solenoid. Glen also noticed that the gauges for temp and oil pressure were no longer working. I think I need a thesaurus for replacement words for Ugh!!! and Yikes!!! That was last Friday. Monday afternoon, the electrician came by to install a new solenoid and fix the wiring to the gauges. Two hours later, he tries to start it up and its sputtering again. Does Oy-vay work here?!!! Of course it was time for him to leave for the day, so he assured us he would be back at 8 this morning. It is now 1:05 and he just got here. We are so keeping our fingers crossed! Will stop here and get this posted and let you know how it turns out next time!