Another trip up the mast
01 July 2021 | 08 55.038'S:140 05.994'W, Nuku Hiva , Marquesas
NC
30th June
08 55.038 S
140 05.994 W
Weather; rain, wind N/A, waves horrible swell inside the harbour
Well another day has slipped by without us getting very much done, we still haven't heard from the authorities about our extended stay or the fact that we want to stop off at Tahiti to get some work done and get a PCR test done which is required for entry into Fiji - you just can't hurry these things! The weather has set in for the next few days and we are having to try and get things done between rain showers and lumpy sea swell. I mentioned a couple of days back that Gerry had found one of our shrouds has 3 broken wires and we needed to get things sorted out by a rigger to safely continue our journey, well he has been on the phone to a rigger based in Tahiti and the long and short story is that the rigger can make up a new shroud and freight it to us here in Nuku Hiva. Of course this means that Gerry is going to be the one fitting it, what could possibly go wrong! Before we could set this in motion though it required a bit of work on our part, the guy needed very precise measurements which meant Gerry had to take a spin up the mast with callipers and tape measure end in hand which then got dropped to the deck where I had to note the measurement at the turnbuckle, the callipers were used to measure the pin that holds it in place and the gap that the end fits into. As you are aware by now the swell has been horrible and the boat has been rocking from side to side so badly that it was going to be a difficult task. We enlisted the help of another Aussie who is at anchor here, asking him if he would help us by keeping our boat into wind using our dinghy and outboard motor to reduce the rocking as much as possible whilst Gerry and I sorted out the mast climb and measuring. As it happened we had a brief lull in the swell when the tide turned mid-afternoon and Gerry took advantage of this and began the climb up the mast before our enlisted help got back from his jaunt ashore. The measuring and recording was done quite quickly and hopefully accurately (only time will tell!) and I again gave away the opportunity to hold Gerry at ransom at the top of the mast. Back in the salon, he emailed the guy in Tahiti the measurements and got the quote to send the manufactured shroud to us here in Nuku Hiva, yes we have put our first born up as collateral but there really wasn't an alternative. Our enlisted Aussie helper showed up to help out about an hour later and I think was probably relieved that we had got the job done without him having to struggle to keep our boat into the blustery wind, but at least he showed up and was willing. So now all we have to do is go ashore, log onto internet banking and transfer the funds - that's a job for tomorrow. Maybe by this time next week we will have the replacement in place and operational. At least this particular French man responds to emails and has been helpful so far, we just hope that it continues that way.
Today was also a special day as the supply ship docked early this morning. It is a peculiar looking vessel which is half cruise liner and half cargo ship, it looks like 2 separate ships have been sawn in half and then miss matched together to make the vessel. We looked it up to see what we could find out and apparently it can take 230 passengers on a cruise around the FP islands as it does its fortnightly trip around to each to drop off stores and other essential items. As it visits each of the islands both Gerry and I thought it might be a good way to see the small islands of FP. and briefly considered doing it but we figured that the $7000 each it would cost could be better spent and let's face it, once you have seen one tropical island you have pretty much seen them all and there is only so many cocktails with umbrellas stuck in them that you can drink each night! So the next couple of days are the days to hit the shops as they will have all the fresh stock in and it might be the time to find some of the elusive vegetables and fruit that we have been missing out on. As the next time the ship docks we hope to be well on our way to our next destination this could be our only opportunity to stock up! The ship unloaded at the dock during the day and then at sundown it moved off the dock and went out to the harbour entrance where it dropped its anchor for the night. We think that they take off early in the morning to get to the next island dock at just after sun rise, I doubt we will be up to wave it off in the morning. A couple more boats arrived during the day and amongst them was the Kiwi boat, Horizon, with Annie and Ross on board, this was the couple we met in Panama who had hit 2 whales in the Atlantic Ocean and were waiting for a new rudder. It was good to see that they had finally got their replacement part and were on their way south again.
So that was our day really, again not doing very much but every little bit is getting us closer to leaving here