We worked very hard to complete our decommissioning tasks and by Thursday evening, we were, with a minor few, done. We had taken the middle section of our boat cover to Madam Faux for her to measure and reproduce in a better fabric. We had the boat cover made in Mexico so we've gotten our wear out of it. The ferocious UV here has destroyed both the cover and a lot of other gear. We have been leaving our sail battens in the open the past few years, and the surface has disintegrated, releasing glass fibers that require gloves for handling. Madam Faux fabricated a bag, to our design, that provides UV protection them. She also made a Sunbrella cover for our GPS mushrooms. If it's plastic, it must be protected from sun. Madam Faux, Regine Faux, is the owner and sailmaker at Marina Apooiti.

I removed the entire propane system, from tanks to some, for replacement. 33 years of use in the marine environment means that a leak was inevitable so we preemptively will replace all of the parts.when she was up the mast, Conni removed the Raymarine wind transducer and I'll return it for repair. The port stanchion and mount that failed we also packed or repair. I also have the failed raw water pump that almost ended the trip early.

Friday was Bastille Day, the most important French holiday, although our guess is that the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, is little understood by the Polynesians. Still, we had decided to buy beer for the RCS crew and served it on Thursday afternoon rather than Friday, with the boss’s approval, of course. We sat in the shade and talked trash with the guys for a few hours and consumed the dozen large Hinanos. Thanking them for the many kindnesses through the years was important to us.

Thursday evening, we made time for dinner with a couple of cruisers whose boat is at RCS near Wings. The boat is aluminum and had been sealed tightly with no care, for two years. Much below decks was ruined by mold and corrosion, so Kathy, the female of the pair had just rejoined her husband, Allen, for the arduous work. Both are college professors, she in Russian History and he in Physics. They're delightful people, both liberals as we are. They've sailed together for many years, having built a “Spray” copy as their first boat. (Spray was Joshua Slocum’s hand-built boat in which he became the first solo sailor around the world.). Allen is French so is at home talking with the locals. At any rate, we had a great time on our last evening.

Our completion tasks were few on Friday morning and we were done early. In search for a meal at lunch, we stumbled across the local celebration for Bastille Day, Polynesian style. What a treat! We had our last meal of steak frites and enjoyed the local take on the French holiday. We will miss the locals’ use of vegetation and flowers in their lives. From the flowered head hake lei to the wonderfully creative adornments of automobiles and buildings, they hide the artificial with the natural.


Since our bungalow hadn't been rented for the next day, we were able to stay in the cool room until time to depart for the airport. We even showered again, a gift to our seat mates on the long flights homeward.

Flights from Raiatea to Papeete then to Los Angles and on to San Francisco were long, boring, and sleepless, so when we finally reached Oakland and Conni’s dad’s house, we were exhausted and hit the hay quickly.