Barring any unforseen unforseens, Mulan will be heading northwards on Saturday. The non-functioning engine woes have seemingly been solved - not sure if this will solve the periodic engine surges, as I suspect these are related to dirty tanks and or fuel and not a mechanical issue. So, we have a day to reprovision again (avoiding Costco this time) and chill out before hitting the route north.
Mulan's new crew is two very enthusiastic mainlanders - Paul from Colorado Springs, who has a Ranger 26 here in Honolulu, but wants to do a major passage, and Keith from Chicago (??), who has a resume straight from a novel - counsels disadvantaged kids, played drums in backing bands for the likes of Joe Cocker and Tin Turner and has a Gold Record to his name (fire up the Playstation Rockband!), and has instructor level certification with American Sailing Association. He makes my life look comparatively dull.
Cheers,
Tam Mulan