Ritesh (a local mechanic) arrived on 10/11 to disassemble the heat
exchanger. He took it home to clean it thoroughly and hopefully improve
the heat transfer properties. We also lucked out by finding a thermostat
at the local Yanmar dealer, within walking distance of the marina.

The next morning, Todd arrived and Ritesh returned with our freshly
cleaned heat exchanger. A trial run in the marina showed improved
performance. In the afternoon, we went to Lautoka to do some
provisioning for the next leg and get a bula shirt for Todd. We needed
to do an extended trial run with the new thermostat and cleaned heat
exchanger so we went to Musket cove to anchor overnight. The sea trial
went great. We’d also scheduled some time with some divers at Musket
Cove to clean the bottom. They missed their appointment Friday
afternoon, but luckily we were able to reschedule it early enough on
Saturday that we could make it back to Vuda point in the afternoon. New
Zealand inspects the bottom on arrival, and if it’s got too much growth
they can mandate an immediate haul out. We were glad to get it done here
by a few divers rather than the hassle on arrival in New Zealand.

Grant arrived this morning, and we welcomed him aboard and sent him off
with Mark for some last-minute provisioning. Meanwhile, Todd and I
worked on the long list of last-minute preparations for a departure
tomorrow. Lots of paperwork for clearing out of Fiji and into New
Zealand occupied me while Todd topped up the diesel and water tanks.
When Mark and Grant came back they leaned into helping with the prep.

Weather looks good for the passage so we booked an appointment to clear
out at 10 tomorrow. Fiji has been great but it’s about time to move on.

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