First up, let me say today, Thursday, June 17, is my daughter Emma's birthday, although she has gone ahead and had it yesterday due to the fact that Sydney is one day ahead of us here! Happy birthday Em, for today AND yesterday!

Last Monday we motored into a most beautiful spot, a little cove between motus on the reef-fringed island of Toau. It is called Anse Amyot, and has the picture postcard/Getaway TV holiday show colours of pure blue, aquamarine, with white beaches, palm trees, blue sky. The Tuamotans who live here (only 15 people) are warm loving people, and have a pretty little restaurant right on the sea. We will eat there tonight, as a thank you for the use of the moorings they have provided. Our hostess plays the ukulele and sings Hawaiian songs and local songs, and we join in, a bunch of us playing guitars, ukes, and me on banjo, and (most) everybody singing. It has happened every night as the sun goes down, and we'll do it again tonight! I did "The Pub With No Beer" the other night.

The stalk of green bananas we traded in Daniel's Bay, Nuku Hiva, has lasted right up to today and the pamplemousse and limes are still going. The snorkeling in the clear, clear waters is a sweet experience - coral heads have a colony of moray eel, tiny fish of all colours, and trumpet fish who hang out vertically, fanning with a pair of fins at the top. This is a sort of place you want to stay awhile.

Meanwhile we are working on the boat of course, with the help of a fellow yachtie who has built his own refrigeration system we have dismantled the freezer compressor, which I intend to reassemble with new seals, and reinstall. The torn spinnaker will get sewn back together here. Rust spots cleaned up and painted. Bottom cleaned. Plans, at least.

A young man has approached us for a ride to Tahiti. Seems a really nice guy, and no problems have come up as yet. If we do this it will be our first experience of crew, who they say can be a disaster or truly wonderful. We'll see.

When the internet is back I will post a photo of this lovely spot. I think it must be the reason one goes cruising: times and places such as these.