I have found the reason you have not seen a single one of our blogs since June 29th. Remember the computer we lost going from Fiji to Samoa. Well after I loaded the software onto my backup computer and set the WRONG password into my remote blog email I had no clue that it wasn't going onto the blog. It takes someone from the outside to let me know. Remember we are in a very big bubble in the ocean but in a very smallllllllllll commumications sphere so if you miss our blog for more than three days while we are at sea it just means that something has happened to the computer or software. I am trying to capture all the previous blogs and re submit but I kind of doubt that it will work.

Well it certainly was Christmas in Christmas Island in July.

The boat that drug anchor and ended up on the beach in front of the big soccer field was a blessing for us even though it was a tragedy for the owner.

Timei, our agent ended up buying the boat and a 12' dinghy from the owner for $1500 Ausie or about $1200 US. The dinghy with motor is worth more than that. Unfortunately there was alot of decent stuff pilfered off of the boat before he bought it.

We had a fuel filter housing problem that I temporarily fixed by using some JB weld to plug the vent hole that was stripped. Works ok but I am sure that when we really need it and some power it will give way and take in air. I had ordered parts from Cook Engine in Portland which were shipped next day air to Hawaii only to have a real problem getting them on a Fiji Air plane from Hawaii to Christmas island tomorrow...... OUR LOVELY TSA will not let anyone ship air freight or air parcel express through an airline anymore without having a special license. JUST REMEMBER We Have Lost Our Freedom!

Back to the wreck.... It had a D2-55 Volvo Penta engine just like our two. Timei, our agent and the owner offered to sell us parts from the engine. So we spent the better part of yesterday taking all the parts we could off the engine. I originally wanted to take the whole engine but Lisa put the kybosh to that. Her mind is in the passage and not spending any more time here than necessary. Probably could have had the whole engine in the same amount of time but we chose to take the parts.

So the parts list of which I needed only two but took what I could to salvage. If they were left there no one would know what to do with them: four injectors, one injector pump, one fuel lift pump, one return tube header, one fuel filter housing, two formed water hoses, engine harness, fuel injector feed tubes and the left hand motor mount. That is for the engine. Next we salvage 2- Lewmar 40 self tailing winches, 1- Lewmar 54 manual self tailing winch, 1 - Lewmar 54 electric winchd, 1 - Danfoss refrigeration compressor and one water pump.

Before Timei could buy the boat, the locals had stripped stuff off in a haphazard fashion. For example a nearly brand new in mast furling main was rolled out and cut back to the mast as high as the thief could get. A total waste. Also when they stripped out things like the HF radio and the VHF radio they just tore the wires from the back of the units and now they are useless. The intelligence level is quite low. Had the chief had any knowledge of what he had in his possession he surely would never have let anyone touch the boat before he took possion of it as it was beached on his land. A work part could easily have salvage the boat and re-floated it. If the would have done that, the owner was liable for the salvage value or his insurance was. The boat was a 47' Beneteau about 10 years old so if rited and salvage could easily brought $250,000 US. More than the entire population of Christmas Island would make in a year.