[radioactiv]

[position] 18 39.34s 173 55.53w

[status] Still on Mooring 43 in Neiafu. Yesterday it rained, then it rained some more. Sasha attempted to make Moonfish Buns (aka Hot Cross Buns, but instead of a cross on the top, she piped big ‘M’s). It was the first time baking these types of buns and using Edmonds Surebake, (which is yeast with additional agents that supposedly assist with bread making). The dough did rise a little, but Sasha thinks she may have killed some of the yeast in the dough making process, as the dough did not rise as much as she is use to – the top half of the bun have risen nicely, it’s just a tad dense in the lower half – definitely still edible so they’ll still be enjoyed. Mike and Sasha headed into Neiafu for afternoon tea in between the torrential rain, and went to the café where the owner offered Mike some PDF guides for cruising Vava’u as well as surfing/kiting spots – pretty nice of him really! We gave him a usb stick and he loaded it all up for free. After that Mike was
pretty chuffed to find a single box of BIG bottle Steinlager (12x750ML) – that should keep him going for a while. Last night we all clambered into our bathtubs (aka our dinghy’s filled with rainwater) to watch the All Blacks V Wales game at Laurence’s Bounty Bar, the 10 strong crew from the Super Launch were at Bounty too, their business tycoon owner had left that morning, so they were all celebrating, as they had been working some long hours up until then – they are a very funny international bunch, and made for great banter and atmosphere in the bar. On a side note, FUSIO watched someone on the boat next to them have a bath in their tender the other day, it was full of fresh rainwater, so they just hopped in with some soap and lathered up – just brilliant! Another boat used all their tender rainwater to do all their laundry, it’s cool how cruisers find a use for everything! We’ve been catching rain in buckets and pouring it into our tanks, and Mike has solidifi
ed his design plans to make a dual-function rain catcher to tank system and saloon rain-hatch-cover all in one – that’s the engineer in him being put to good use!

[speed] 0knots

[heading]

[weather] Last night there was an un-forcasted wind swing to Sou’East, but this morning we are back to Sou’West. Still raining, and according to the VHF 26 Cruiser-Net it will continue tomorrow. Baro: 1010.

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