We left you in suspense, not intentionally, about our radar unit. It had failed to work after our launch in Raiatea; the display was there, but no returns, not even next to shore. Steve contacted techie friends who concluded the problem was probably the magnetron. This piece that makes the radar function has a limited lifespan (2000+ hours; we had 1720). So like the scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz, our radar needed a brain transplant. We were fortunate to find the part in Papeete and thanks to Mike at Polynesian Yacht Services we had it in one day. The magnetron goes in the dome/antenna which is 8' above the deck. Steve rigged a work platform from the shower floor, braced on the pushpit. This meant we could unmount the dome and still keep all the wiring attached. . We were pretty surprised and dismayed when about a half a gallon of water poured out of our watertight antenna dome as we tipped it down to work on it and pretty skeptical it would ever function again. But there's always hope so Steve went ahead and replaced the magnetron, with no better result. Still no returns. We left it in the sun to dry out and about three hours later, voila, worked like new! Luck was with us again. We surmise the leak happened in the yard, when the radar head was left on its side as they moved the boat, so now that it's properly mounted again we're hoping it will continue to work.

Monday we signed up for a 4-wheel drive excursion around and over the island. Just before Leonie, our driver, showed up Steve's back began to bother him. So he got the front seat and we hoped the ride wouldn't be too rough. Shared the excursion with two nice honeymoon couples and a woman we had met in Marina Apooiti who sailed in the Pearl Regatta. In early 1942, the US military landed 4500 personnel on Bora Bora to build roads, establish a base and defend the island against the Japanese, who were at the time rolling through the Western Pacific. There were 1200 local inhabitants on BB at the time, so you can imagine the culture shock. The hillsides are still full of old ammunition bunkers, now empty, that the locals use for cyclone shelters. And six of the guns that were dragged to the top of the ridge are still there, and a feature of the tour. The guns date from WW I, when they were fired, but were never fired in anger in WW II. Good thing they didn't have to, because their range was about 3 miles and of course battleships could lob shells much further than that. Anyway, "South Pacific," Bali Hai and Bloody Mary's all stem from that incursion.

Tuesday we had a different excursion. Maupiti is one of the smaller islands in the Society group with a population of 1,250. The pass through the reef is quite narrow, crooked, and shallow; in a big south swell it is impassable. We decided to let others do the driving and pass navigation, and took the Maupiti Express from Bora Bora along with a gaggle of newlyweds and similar number of locals; the passage is about 90 minutes. We arranged for a local boat in the lagoon to take us sightseeing and snorkeling, and this turned out to be a wonderful excursion with lunch on one of the small fringe islands. The ride back in the late afternoon was into the prevailing swell and wind, and the crew was kept busy with small blue buckets for the green patrons. In the evening we had dinner with Richard Postma, Maui's father, who has lived on Bora Bora for 29 years and in other parts of French Polynesia before that, so he has plenty of tales to tell.

Our weather data says that there is a storm coming in this weekend, so we'll likely sit tight until it passes and then bid farewell to French Polynesia and head for the Rarotonga