Hot? Yes. Biting insects? Yes. But we're back aboard our beloved Wings! Hurray!

We awakened early again, the last in our neat bure. We had our usual lovely fruit and yoghurt breakfast and left a bit of tip for the lovely ladies who have helped us all week. Conni returned a bit later and one of the ladies gave her a big hug: tips are not usual in Fiji.

The work crew completed most of the tasks for which we had paid, and we were sorry to see them go. I've posted a photo of them on a page of the site. As I've said, they are all kind and gentle folks and if given direction will work all day to make you happy. Thanks, guys.

Ritesh, the mechanic, returned and we FINALLY got the engine running smoothly. We changed out the injectors to a set which luckily I had rebuilt in Anchorage. Conni will have these replaced ones rebuilt when she returns home. We troubleshot cooling issues, electrical issues, and diesel-leaking issues, but by day's end the engine ran smoothly. Jeez, it was nice to hear the engine purring, but living in an enclosed cabin with a 200°F, 250-pound block of cast iron, makes for a hot afternoon.

The charger arrived this morning and I got it installed in record time since it was identical to the old one and I could use every screw hole and all of the wires were ready to go. Power at last! We can charge our electronics, we can use lights, we can use fans, we can listen to music (as we are, now: thanks Tony Bennett), and we can run the fridge and have cool drinks.

A marine refrigeration expert dropped by this morning and laid on hands on the 'fridge: he came to the conclusion that nothing was wrong with it. Well, if you say so…..

I pulled the old, now useless, windlass battery and the new one was delivered this afternoon. I'll get it unpacked and we'll see if it is, in fact, an AGM. It's hard to see that from the outside of the box. If it's not, I'm not sure of our strategy, but we'll have to do something to use it.

The day is cooling, finally, as I type this while sitting in the cockpit. We badly need to shower, have a bit, and get to sleep aboard Wings for the first time in ten months.