[password] pilot25041
[position] 23 52s 147 41w
[status] today is our 3rd day in Raivavae, yesterday we spent the morning fixing faults on the boat and continuing to 'dry' everything out. We had problems with both shower sumps on the port side, fwd was purely electrical, rear electrical and a sheared pump impeller, all now sorted and dry carpet refitted! Over-volting on the big stbd alternator appeared to have been sorted, but came back late yesterday so today we looked at that and also found that one of our house batteries has a "dead cell". Alternator belts removed today and we will remove the alternator to identify the regulator type and hopefully order a new one for when we get to Papeete. Now also only using half of house battery bank again until Papeete and we can source a replacement 6v battery.
The watermaker had also stopped working in "auto mode", it is making water of the correct standard but it is all being diverted overboard, it looks like like the flowmeter has stopped working - which stalls the system and shuts it down, so with a bit of swopping pipes and using 'manual' mode we are again able to make water!
Whoever said expect a snag a day when sailing ....... is probably right!
......... enough of the boat woes ...... around lunch time yesterday we went for a stroll to the "BIG" supermarket ........ 1hr 40mins later we arrived at BS, well another tin shack ...... although it was slightly better stocked and had more variety than the 2 local mini markets! Allan bought a very expensive souvenir T shirt, we bought ice creams, biscuits & crisps, and set off on our stroll back to the boat. Getting some frozen sliced bread and burgers at the local shop when we got back!
During our walkabout we met many locals who all pass the time of day, saw pigs in the undergrowth tethered by a rope to their foreleg, a couple of quite young horses tethered on the side of the road. The views of the reef on one side and the rock outcrops of the "big hill" were quite spectacular........ but no one seemed overly keen to repeat the exercise today!
By the time we got back it was 4pm and we were invited across to Taronui for sundowner drinks at 4.30, we had a very convivial couple of hours with them and the Pzazz crew before we struck up the bbq and had a few glasses of red to help us sleep well!
We again failed to locate the "bread-man" this morning ........ having been told variously that he gets here in a white car at 8am, Steve & Barry departed ashore at 7.30 ......... only to find out at 7.45 that he had been and gone at 7am, you have to order the day before and he doesn't deliver on Sunday or Monday ........ looks like Guinness bread be back on the menu soon!
Overnight the winds dropped, but again today it is making the wind generator "howl", the sun is shining it is hot and later we're going snorkelling around the small island out by the reef ...... as Pzazz told us it is teeming with fish!
Skipper quote: " just another sh***y day in paradise"!
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