We had a bit of a false start at Vuda. We had managed to damage the delicate rubber valves in our shaft seal, and this couldn't be discovered until we were back in the water. So, now we were back in the water and we had a leaking shaft seal. We weren’t going to sink, but it was not good, especially since the seal would have to last another five years. We thought we would have to haul out again, and promptly ordered another new seal from New Zealand.

Lucky for us, the great people at Yacht Help came through. Their specialist come over from Denarau, had a look, and told us that he could change out the seal right there while we are in the water. Now, the prospect of disconnecting the prop shaft and opening the 2-inch diameter hole in our hull, letting in the Pacific Ocean, was a bit frightening, but we had heard of people who could perform this feat and not sink the boat, so I was interested. Elisabeth was terrified. It all went perfectly. The guys were amazing, and we would recommend Yacht Help to anyone who might need them in the future.

Interestingly, another boat was experiencing a similar problem. The other contractor at Vuda, Baobab had looked at his boat and said, "No, you must haul out." Our guy ended up taking care of him - in the water saving lots of money. Wonderful. Thanks, Yacht Help!

This brings us to the present, where we are once again, back at Musket Cove. You may remember that we were here last year and had a great time. Elisabeth has been dreaming of Musket since we left the Marshalls, and now here we are. A number of yachtie friends are here, so it is social. The weather is simply beautiful, the water is warm. Elisabeth is on her paddleboard nearly every day, we take walks on the beach, beach barbecue etc. Classic Musket.

We were a bit worried as Musket had seen extensive damage in a hurricane earlier this year, and the little store had been struck by lightening and burnt down. Fiji is difficult in the storm season. But, Musket is still here, the little bar on the beach is rebuilt, they have brought in a 40 foot container which serves as the store (It works, really!). So, they are bouncing back.

The Oyster Rally is here too. This is a group of 24 big, flash boats doing a circumnavigation from Britain. They will be here until tomorrow when they all check out and move on to Vanuatu. Rallys move fast and really miss so much, but that is what it takes to get around the world in a year and a half. It is fun to see them.

We figure that we will stay here a few weeks. Our friend Jeff, who we met back in 2007 when we sailed aboard Alaska Eagle, is going to join us for the trip from Fiji to Vanuatu, and will be arriving then. This will be fun. Jeff loved Vanuatu very much, and has not been back since 2007. This will be his chance to revisit the village where we all made friends.

Ok then. This is “Your Rock and Roll Argonauts” sending you all the best. As always, feel free to drop us a line. We are not too busy to write back and it is easy while we have good internet here.

Oh yes, peace and love to the world. That is an idea that we still like!