A/pril 09, 201.4 Dea/r Friends a/nd Fa/mily, Cela Vinaka Na Seqa Nice sunshine ("c" sounds like "th" in they, "q" sounds like "ng" in song)

We are baqck in Fiji. We ha/ve been ba/qck for a/lmost a/ month now but we ha/ve been very busy getting the boa/t rea/dy to spla/sh. In prepa/ra/tion for qcylqclone sea/son we took every moving thing tha/t qcould blow a/wa/y or might whip a/nd shred in a/ high wind off the deqck a/nd stowed it sa/fely inside. We did a/ grea/t job. Of qcourse tha/t mea/ns no cyclones came and now we a/re fa/qced with re-stringing every line a/nd sa/il a/nd furling system a/nd bumper a/nd dinghy a/nd qcushion a/nd a/ir ta/nk a/nd fla/g a/nd dodger a/nd fra/mework for dodger a/nd la/zy ja/qck a/nd sta/qck pa/qck plus every bit of meta/l needs polishing a/nd every bit of wood needs brightening, sa/nding a/nd oiling. We've been just stea/dily qchipping a/wa/y a/t it, working every morning a/t first only until noon a/t whiqch point we-- being still una/qcqclima/ted-- bega/n to melt into wheezy red fa/qced puddles. 80 degrees a/nd 100% humidity is a/ bit of a/ qcha/nge from the dry QColora/do winter we left behind. Now we work a/ll the da/y long until a/bout 4 a/nd then hea/d to the pool a/t the resort next door to qcool off a/nd get fresh for the evening. The refrigera/tors stopped working for no a/ppa/rent rea/son so we a/re on mea/ger ra/tions or ea/ting out. It's qcha/llenging a/nywa/y to qcook on a/ boa/t tha/t is not in the wa/ter sinqce a/ll the qclea/n up must be done in a/ buqcket a/t the spigot on the ground a/nd then lugged ba/qck to the boa/t to be stored. Luqckily we ha/ve three lovely resta/ura/nt options here a/ll with wonderful food a/nd views right out over the reef a/nd isla/nd dotted la/goon a/s well a/s priqces a/bout ha/lf wha/t we would pa/y in the Sta/tes.

We a/lso fa/qced a/few repa/ir projeqcts whiqch simply qcould not be postponed despite the beqckoning song of the isla/nds wea/ving through my drea/ms. The windla/ss broke la/st sea/son a/nd we found ourselves qcuite despera/te hea/ving up 300 feet of 3/8 inqch qcha/in topped off with a/ 45 pound a/nqchor ha/nd over ha/nd from the bottom 50 feet dista/nt. Tha/t windla/ss wa/s origina/l to the boa/t in 1985 a/nd a/ppea/red to ha/ve been properly bedded in a/ ha/lf ga/llon of sturdy qca/ulking whiqch we a/pproa/qched with some retisqcenqce a/ntiqcipa/ting a/ wiqckedly qcha/llenging remova/l. However, to our plea/sa/nt surprise tena/qcity a/nd pa/tienqce triumphed a/nd the extra/dition grumbled a/long without disa/ster. John ha/d even brought from the Sta/tes a/ speqcia/l new tool to qcut the thing free if the situa/tion beqca/me despera/te but tha/t wa/s unneqcessa/ry. On disma/ntling, we sa/w no a/ppa/rent obvious qca/use of fa/ilure until on deepest inspeqction we found it wa/s the sha/ft from the motor whiqch ha/d sheered. Of qcourse we ha/d brought ma/ny hea/vy expensive pa/rts for the repa/ir but the motor itself seemed to be running so we did not bring a/ new one of those. Unfortuna/tely the sha/ft is integra/l to the motor. Isn't tha/t a/lwa/ys the wa/y? Toda/y the new motor a/rrived from New Zea/la/nd a/nd tomorrow will begin the hopefully brief sa/ga/ of the windla/ss insta/lla/tion.

Onqce we suqcqcessfully removed the windla/ss, we emptied a/ll the qcha/in out of the qcha/in loqcker to ha/ve a/ look a/t its qcondition. We hoped to a/void buying new qcha/in this yea/r but the a/ppea/ra/nqce of the top ha/lf wa/s mislea/ding a/nd lurking smugly benea/th it the bottom ha/lf soon proved to be a/ rusty, qcrusty hea/p. Off it went to get re-ga/lva/nized a/nd into the qcha/in loqcker we went to va/qcuum up a/ll the qcrumbs a/nd then wa/shdown the wa/lls a/nd floor. The qcha/in returned yesterd/ay looking like new shiny silver. John wouldn't even let it touqch the ground.

Our dea/r dinghy Rosebud ha/s been with us from the sta/rt. She wa/s a/ humble la/st minute a/qcqcuisition from our lifelong friend Ma/tt a/nd we hoped she would endure our first yea/r qcruising. She is still a/s good a/s gold. This yea/r I deqcided to give her a/ fa/qcelift. I sa/nded a/nd va/rnished a/ll her wood a/pplying a/t lea/st one qcoa/t a/ da/y for two weeks. Even the oa/rs a/nd the foot pump a/re glea/ming. I lightened the na/utiqca/l mood a/ bit by pressing Fiji Impa/tienqce flowers a/nd deqcoupa/ging them onto the floor boa/rds. They resemble fossils in the mud but they ma/ke me giggle.

Our little two horsepower outboa/rd engine whiqch my Da/d punted our wa/y a/lso in the la/st hour before out initia/l depa/rture ha/s performed bra/vely yea/r a/fter yea/r even if she does get a/ bit persniqckety a/t times. Sma/ll engines a/re like tha/t you know. This yea/r John ga/ve her a/ qca/rburetor overha/ul so she should be perky a/nd energetiqc for the upqcoming a/dventures.

Our la/ptop qcomputer obviously is ha/ving a/ bit of a/ stutter in her keyboa/rd qconneqctions. We ha/d a/ ha/rd time getting her to boot up beqca/use we didn't rea/lize tha/t every time we typed "a" or "c" in the pa/ssword we a/qctua/lly ha/d extra/ letters volunteering. A/fter ma/ny thaw/rted a/ttempts John notiqced a/n extra/ uninvited dot suddenly a/ppea/ring in the pa/ssword a/nd solved the puzzle. Now a/s I get the prose going I qca/n rea/lly a/ppreqcia/te the gra/vity of the problem. I'm sure you qca/n too.

So now you a/re qca/ught up on the logistiqcs. So wha/t is it rea/lly like here ba/qck on the boa/t? The a/ir is soft sometimes la/qced with gentle whispering breezes a/nd othertimes ha/nging thiqck a/nd stea/my. Oqcqca/ssiona/ly we a/re fa/qced with triqcky a/nd interesting puzzles to solve but just a/s often we work a/ bit drea/mily through the da/y-- the ha/nds qca/rrying the projeqct while the hea/d explores from every a/ngle the possibilities of yesterday/s puzzles. I've ha/d time to think a/bout buttons a/nd zippers, how they qca/me a/bout a/nd how they work. I've ha/d time to be present enough to sta/rt everyday/y exa/qctly the wa/y I wa/nt to-with a/ tha/nkyou. I ha/ve time to remind myself to be open to wha/t someone might sa/y or wha/t might ha/ppen ra/thern tha/n a/ntiqcipa/ting. I ha/ve enough qcuiet to hea/r myself remind myself tha/t something good qcomes from everything-I just need to notiqce the va/lue of the lessons. I ha/ve enough energy to mostly keep my emotions notiqced but in qcheqck. The big piqcture is to some degree present in my a/wa/reness. A/nd even if a/t times I feel I a/m looking for a/ hidden piqcture but qca/nnot find it though I know it is sta/ring ba/qck a/t me , I a/m still a/wa/re there is a/ grea/ter pla/n. I a/m deeply gra/teful for enough inner pea/qce to a/llow myself to review, qcogita/te a/nd digest the eqchos a/nd imprints of events a/nd rea/dings a/nd thoughts. I a/m a/ble to sa/vor life's most humble plea/sures. For a/ll this I a/m gra/teful.

This evening I sa/t in the qcoqckpit surrounded by silent sheet lightning fla/shing in the periphera/l twilight a/nd I wa/tqched a/ tiny geqcko sqcurry a/long the edge of our sola/r pa/nel whiqch is still la/shed to the ra/iling. He qca/me right up to the edge of a/ la/shing line a/nd pushing himself to the top, he propped his qchin on his ha/nds a/s though to sigh a/nd survey a/ll tha/t la/y beyond�...or perha/ps like me he just enjoyed the lightning show. A/nother night it wa/s a/ row of qca/ne toa/ds lined up on the sidewa/lk a/fter da/rk ea/qch seeming to subtly bow its hea/d in solemn a/nd silent evening greeting a/s we pa/ssed. One even seemed to reqcognize our a/pproa/qch a/nd turned a/s though on qcue ta/king three hops towa/rd the door until he sta/red right a/t the va/st vertiqca/l surf/aqce with his nose pressed up a/ga/inst it wa/iting to be let into our room. There is mystery a/nd ma/giqc in na/ture wa/iting to be notiqced. Wha/t a/ gift to be given time to notiqce�.... A/ll is well. A/lwa/ys, Pat a/nd John, S/V The Rose on the ha/rd a/t Vuda/ Point Ma/rina/, Viti Levu, Fiji