To Bora Bora
11 August 2010 | Underway
Joe
Now at last we are heading for Bora Bora, 13 nautical miles away, course 296 degrees true, wind 10 to 15 on the starboard beam, engine rpm 1000, boat speed 6.5 knots. We should be anchored before dark. All is well.
My fingernails are black. This morning I rose at 5:30 to do the weather; this entails downloading five weather files, (after doing the translation from the French forecast yesterday evening) sifting and collating the information, making it relevant to the boats from French Polynesia to Fiji. Then at 7:30 I went on the radio to tell them what I found, with Adrienne's help, plotting all the fronts and details on a chart covered with perspex. Breakfast: muesli and papaya and banana. Then I got down to business.
The old impeller had to come out. Bunk dismantled, panel off, locker back out, raw water valve shut off, hose off, end plate off from the pump, end cap on the heat exchanger off to check no bits and pieces of broken impeller had lodged there. Old impeller all chewed apart at one end - drop that in the bin - pull out the spares, complete with paper gasket, now some soap on the impeller and stuff it back in.
Everything back together again, careful, careful, tighten those bolts and screws just right - maybe we have time to get to Bora Bora today? Clean up, tools away! Let's go! Engine all fixed, such a good feeling. Anchor up and steer out of the bay, bye bye! Careful, try to miss that little red ship coming straight for us. Now head for the pass, we'll hoist the mainsail as we go.