19/09/2009 0647UTC 17 40.828S 177 23.159E Day 830 Up at 0620, 23C, Partly Cloudy, Wind Calm.

[Above, The crew of s/v Meridian -- John, Nancy, Maddie and Sophie -- just prior to their departure for Vanuatu this morning.]

[To read our book, Family Voyaging - Ak to nZ, and receive personal voyage planning assistance (VIP Service) go to the Family Voyaging website at www.familyvoyaging.com.]

I've talked before about the tight-knit community that voyagers inevitably develop while in proximity to one another in port. Today offered another typical illustration of this society in action. It began early this morning, even before we'd finished our coffee, with a VHF radio hail from a yacht off the coast of Vuda Point. The skipper, Greg, and his family had just arrived from Tonga and had questions about the marina's procedures. His call had been for "any vessel," and hearing no other replies, I fielded it. In the course of our conversation he asked if we knew of any girls his daughter's age (10) because she has not had any playmates recently. That issue was swiftly resolved when I responded by telling him, sure, we certainly knew of at least one.

The prospect of a new pal for 3rd Mate couldn't have come at a more opportune time -- her best friends Sophie and Maddie from s/v Meridian were just about to shove off for Vanuatu. We won't see them again until December in New Zealand. We helped the Meridian crew cast off their lines and get underway around 1000 hours.

The next chance for community assistance surfaced shortly after. We presented the crew of s/v Kairos with our old pressure cooker, which Janet wanted, and a metre of copper grounding strap for their SSB radio, which Clint needed.

On the way back from delivering the goods to Kairos, our friends Barry and Gerrie on s/v New World were planning to leave their berth, first for the fuel dock and then for Vanuatu. We gave them a hand with their dock lines at both locations.

While I was near the marina office, I checked to see if s/v Argonaut's mail had arrived. Mike and Liz are still over in Musket Cove and didn't want to make a passage to Vuda Point until their packages were here. They weren't, so I called Mike on VHF to let him know.

As I came out of the office, Kairos was ready to shove off for the local islands so we assisted them in getting out of their mooring berth and underway. Within moments, right across the dock from where Kairos was leaving, New World needed a hand untying from the fuel dock -- we helped.

Returning to Wind Dancer, I overheard a radio conversation -- Meridian was trying to get a hold of s/v Morning Star, but they couldn't hear each other. I could hear them both clearly and then acted as a relay between the two vessels, which are headed offshore together today.

And to wrap up our philanthropic day, the radio came to life once again, this time with the voice of Abbey from Kairos. They'd inadvertently left their wash-bucket on the dock when they shoved off; and could we please get it and keep it for them until they return in a few days? Certainly.

The feeling you get from a day like this is incredibly heartwarming. It reminded me of when I was a kid and neighbors innately pulled together to get things done. There was never a question of time, labor or materials. If somebody had it, it was freely offered -- no questions asked and nothing expected in return.

"Crew Quarters"

1st Mate: 'We May Never Pass This Way Again,' a tune that hummed through my mind as many of our friends headed out today. "It is what it is," I often say. We know how frequently we meet new folks but a lot of the latest group has been with us for a long time.

I decided to take advantage of the sunny day and not worry about the heat. I washed all of our bedding and hung it out for that fresh-air smell. I had several cleaning projects and got through them without needing to go for a swim. I plan to make the popular dish of bangers and mash tonight for 'tea' (dinner or supper in the language of Kiwis). This meal is great with tomato gravy, which is much like what is on Swiss steak. Onion and green pepper and tomato cooked down to a sauce. Anyway it is very quiet on the boat today and not a lot to report. We did hear a call on the radio this morning from a yacht coming in with a 10 year old girl who would like to meet a friend ... well, won't 3rd Mate be perfect.

2nd Mate: Wildlife seen today: squaretail mullet, sergeant major, rock crab, crowned urchin.

Woke up around 0600. I played some on the computer before breakfast. It was a sad day for all of us, especially Grace and I. Some of our best friends were leaving today. These were on Meridian and Kairos. We're going to miss them, but we're sure we'll see them eventually (for sure Kairos, who'll stop in to Vuda Point one last day before shoving off for Vanuatu). We're not totally out of friends though. Bertie on s/v Cristal Voyage is still here, and we found out that a new boat with a girl Grace's age is coming in this weekend. We said our good-byes and went back to the boat.

The heat has returned (unfortunately), so now we have the fans running and the hatches open. We stayed onboard for most of the day. I read and watched TV with Grace. We ate lunch and hung out in the shade of our boat. We're now resting and cleaning up some of our mess. We plan to watch 'Casablanca' tonight as our family movie as we never got to it yesterday after the First Landing cheap pizza night.

Today's Fijian word: khaalaa = valley.

3rd Mate: The weather today: partly cloudy, light wind, the high was 27C, the barometer is 1009 and steady, the moon is new.

Yesterday, I played with the Meridian girls a lot. Sophie, Maddie, and I built a flower clubhouse. We all played in it. Then, we went to the pool and played Hairstyles. We all ate pizza for dinner. Then they came on our boat and watched 'SpongeBob.'

Today, I woke up and had pancakes for breakfast. I played with the Meridian girls one last time before they left. We should meet up in December though. Then we had to help Kairos and New World leave also. But, a boat called Cocokai is coming in tomorrow and has a girl my age on it, and a dog. Then, we went to the pool.