[password] grace40

[position] 19 08.375s 178 34.533w

[status] 0700 hrs 28 September 2019. Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday dear John, happy birthday to me. There, I got that out of the way. The 72nd time I?ve heard that most irritating diddy. Since my last post where I said we were leaving Fulaga on Monday, 30 September, we?ve changed our minds. As a septuagenarian I can do that. Septuagenarian? I used to think only mummies were referred to as that. As in, ? I believe this mummy is from the late septuagenarian epoch.? With all the back pain I?ve been suffering these past couple of months, I feel as spry as a mummy. Speaking of back pain, Leilani and I, after detailed study of chapter 23 of our onboard First Aid book titled ? DIY Vertebrae Surgery ?, have definitely, positively, maybe diagnosed my low back pain as...well, low back pain, and not kidney stones. Although we may be wrong. Anyway, we decided to stay here. I can rest and recuperate much better in Fulaga than in noisy, hustle-bustle, megalopolis Savusavu. We still need to be in Denarau on 25 October to await a weather window to jump off to NZ. But that?s only 280nm away, and we can sail that in a few hours. So we?ll stretch it out here as long as possible. Can?t think of a more relaxing, therapeutic location.

On Monday our lone existence will end. Our Dutch friend, Humberto, is arriving. I may have told you a bit about him last year. He sailed for several years on his catamaran with his invalid mother. She also developed dementia about a year ago. Humberto, who has been a cruiser for many, many years, and clearly a devoted son, took on the awesome responsibility of caring for his mother. His is, without a doubt, one of the most unusual and heart rendering cruiser stories we?ve run across. She died earlier this year at the ripe old age of 93 and is buried in Savusavu. She was much loved in Fulaga, and the villagers were very disappointed that she could not be buried here. In any event, it will be great seeing Humberto again. He was in Fulaga when we arrived, but left shortly thereafter to Suva. He stayed in Fulaga throughout cyclone season last year. Lucky one didn?t hit as there is really no safe cyclone hole here.

Yesterday I was finally talked into getting a back massage from the village masseuse. Everyone kept telling me he could greatly improve my back problem. I had two sessions yesterday, and I?ll have two more today. Then I?ll see what improvement occurs. He learned massaging from his father, who learned it from his, back several generations when the art was primarily limited to massaging captured enemies to soften them up before putting them in the cooking pot. After yesterday?s sessions, I can imagine those ancient enemies probably came out like tender grade-A Angus beef steaks. Got to sign off now to attend my third session. If you don?t hear from me again, think of me whenever you sit down to a steak dinner.

Sototale, John

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