The work to prepare Orcinius for cyclone season has continued throughout the week and is going well. We are getting all the nooks and crannies cleaned up so it will be easier for David to keep her clean while we are gone, and we have started removing and prepping things above deck.


Malo going for a snorkel to find the scrub brush that accidentally went for a swim to the bottom! Being a deckhand requires all sorts of skills!

David's 23 year old brother, Malo, has been working full time helping us get Orcinius ready and cleaned up. He has spent many hours cleaning the hulls and deck, and then applying a few coats of polish so that clean up is a bit easier in the coming months. And in between he helps John on other side projects as needed (especially where some muscle is required!). He said he's been sleeping really well at night - I think John is wearing him out! We've gotten the main sail off and folded nicely in a sailbag - not an easy task as there were 6 of us involved all at once! We have also gotten the boom off and to the side, bought a huge roll of extra line for securing our boat (or any boat nearby that looks like is might need help in a cyclone), and started on some sewing projects (yes - that's my job!) that need to get done before we leave.

A huge step forward this week has been finding a place to pull and store the mast. Having it done here at Port Denarau was going to be extremely expensive: $250 to pull it, $400 per month to store it. Yikes! So with David's help, and another friend from Fulaga, Alifereti, we were able to get introduced to John the Cannibal who lives right at the entrance to the mangroves. He has a large piece of property where a few small boats are stored, and he is letting us store our mast and boom there for $200 per month - quite a savings! We also found a crane that will meet us at the property to pull the mast, that will cost $300 - worth the extra $50 for not having to store it in Denarau. Plus, Alifereti has offered to build a cradle for the mast - so John ordered up some wood in town and is having it delivered to John the Cannibals place later today. So everything seems to be coming together on that end. Now we just have to wait until high tide in the late morning - which will be around 11-13 November, then we will take Orcinius over and get the mast taken off and put away for the season. That will be a huge relief once that's all taken care of!

Since David works full-time aboard one of the tour boats here in Denarau, we waited until his day off on Tuesday so we could take both him and Malo out on Orcinius, and so David could get a feel for handling the boat, as he will be the one taking it up in the mangroves if a cyclone approaches. We also went over how/what to do to turn all the systems on, start up engines (and how to use the jumper cables in case the starter batteries are dead), and how to use the windlass and set the anchor, etc. All went well, and David did an outstanding job taking Orcinius out and bringing her back to the dock. We know we are leaving her in good hands.


David and Malo scrubbing the bottom of the big dingy. After they were done, I don't think it looked that clean even when it was brand new!

So we have been having a problem starting our engines for almost a month now. We were constantly having to jump start the port, then parallel to the starboard to get enough power to get them started. John has been chasing it for awhile, and was thinking our new starter batteries from NZ were maybe toast. Well, after some more debugging today he finally found the culprit - the cables that run from the engine up to the flybridge have a connection (extension) in the generator area. He had just replaced them this year before we left NZ - so he just didn't think that could have been the problem - but it was. They were corroded and making bad contact. So he has cleaned up the connections and it is making all the difference - no more jumper cables! One more thing off the list!

And in the same breath, one more thing on the list. John's beloved ice maker has finally bit the dust as of yesterday. It has been struggling on and off all season trying to keep up with the heat, but finally made it's last cube yesterday morning. So we will make due with making ice the old fashioned way - with ice cube trays. Thank goodness I saved them this whole time just in case! We will be shipping a new ice maker from the states when we return in March next year.

Halloween around here is basically a non-event. Some of the stores around here are trying to pick up on it and advertise some costumes and candy, but it hasn't really taken off here. So we had a nice dinner out last night (Halloween Night), then back to Orcinius for some shut eye. I am missing the cool evenings and change of leaves that come with fall back home. It's only getting hotter and more humid here as winter comes to an end.

That's the latest from Denarau,

Lisa