[password] pilot25041
[position] 16 30.4s 149 50.55w
[status] Saturday ........ & we've been in Moorea since early hours of Thursday morning ....... the saga with the top fridge continues, the inside fan had stopped working on Wednesday morning, hardly surprising given that the same fan on the lower fridge had to be replaced as we left Auckland! Anyhow, once we found we couldn't get it to work, Barry had some inspiration departed to the local internet cafe in Fare and managed to get a 12v computer fan ...... after a bit of fettling said fan was fitted and working, so both fridges then sorted.

We decided on Thursday morning to make a dash for Moorea (85nm away and in to 15-20kt headwinds and swell), we departed at 8am and got through the pass into Moorea Opunohu Baie around 01.30am, much relieved after the constant banging all day! After a fairly quiet night at anchor we had decided to again go swimming with the reef sharks and rays ......... however, the port rear electric toilet had stopped working & was now blocked .......... some 2hrs later, having removed the electric pump assembly and finding the macerator blade and impeller loose and numerous years of calcification needing to be cleaned off, it was reassembled and worked fine! By this time the wind was gusting +20kts and with white caps, we decided the fish snorkelling was off the menu for the day, so we went into Cook Bay to do a run ashore for supplies, this also gave Barry the chance to change the oil & filters on the port engine. Whilst outside the reef and between the 2 bays we again had a smell of
burning from the top fridge ........ it has now been switched off and will just be used as a cupboard!

We then anchored in 20m and with circa 60m of chain out were well settled, however, throughout the night there were many heavy squalls and gusts ....... in short at 5am we hadn't moved but at 8am today we had dragged our anchor some 100m and were now in 14m and still moving. Engines on, we raised the anchor, to find it was wrapped in a large plastic bag and a multitude of other debris, hardly surprising it wouldn't dig in! We motored around back in to the extremities of the other bay and even though the wind was still strong, we did manage to go and swim/snorkel with the sharks and rays. After a lazy afternoon, we are now well anchored in Opunohu Baie, as the wind and rain have been rather too frequent and strong for our liking.

Tomorrow, we're making the short dash across to Papeete, so Ruth & Barry can have a few days ashore in a hotel, before Ruth departs to the UK, and then Ron & Jan join the boat for the next episode of this adventure!

[END]