Do it yourself

My sensor is back on board. A new one too. After the mechanic has measured the oil pressure directly at the engine and found it to be OK, the new oil pressure sensor is quickly installed. During machine maintenance, the company insists on removing the machine. After I refused, the machine maintenance was no longer necessary. So I do it myself again.

Promenade Papeete, Tahiti

I order all the seals and springs online that may need to be replaced during this service. As usual, the PayPal payment process is interrupted, which ultimately leads to my credit card being blocked. Great, I'm thrilled once again. The e-mail correspondence between the bank and myself comes to nothing. A personal interview is requested. The Skype account is also empty, and I can't top it up without a credit card. The bank doesn't accept WhatsApp. Actually, I have to die now. Skype is outsmarted with a trick, and I manage to make the phone call to the bank. After three days, the credit card is reactivated, and I can eat solid food again. My life is saved. On to new deeds. 

This is what a hydraulic pump looks like from the inside 

I look for another spare parts dealer where payment works smoothly. In the meantime, I remove the hydraulic pumps, which have been leaking for some time. One or two mechanics have already tried to do it when it's installed, which has already cost me almost US$ 1000. As you can probably guess, without success. So now I'm going to tackle the problem myself and start by loosening the hydraulic hoses. The nuts are so tight that I have to use brute force. As it happens, something spontaneously gives way, and you can't get your fingers out in time. It feels like 70 °C in the work area. In fact, it may not be too hot, around 35 °C. Sweat, blood and hydraulic oil mix to form an indefinable liquid and drip into the engine compartment. Someone once told me something about sun, beach and palm trees. I didn't really want to work anymore, either. At least not that hard. I wipe my hands with a paper towel and assess my wounds. Not life-threatening, so I carry on. After a day, all the hydraulic hoses are disconnected and the first pump is removed. The second, however, causes further problems. The screws on the flange cannot be loosened. The engine compartment is so cramped that I can't get a decent grip on the wrench. I need a ring wrench, which I don't have. I buy three. One straight, one half offset and one offset. After all, US$ 70 in Papeete for three 22 mm wrenches. I haven't tried them out yet because I didn't want to be distracted from my work.

Luxury tool

Yvonne, the wife of a former colleague from Switzerland, is traveling through the Pacific with her friend and is also visiting Papeete. We became friends during our years in Switzerland and have kept in touch over the years. I'm looking forward to meeting them, and we arrange to meet for a coffee. In a restaurant on the promenade with a view of Moorea, we sit under palm trees and talk about the past and how the trip has gone so far. The cruise ship doesn't leave until late in the evening, so we have the whole day to see Papeete. Papeete has a brittle charm, and there isn't really much worth visiting. But the market hall is definitely worth a visit. The cathedral, which looks very plain on the outside, is said to be very beautiful on the inside. Unfortunately, we are denied a look inside as all the doors are locked. The market hall is a hive of activity. As soon as you get close, you can see countless small stalls set up in front of the hall. I pass on my knowledge from the Gambiers and explain to Yvonne and Susanne how to recognize the quality of a pearl. There are countless examples that I can use to show the difference. The lower area of the market hall is reserved for the traditional market. In addition to fruit and vegetables, you can also find very good fish here. On the upper level, a circular route takes you from one souvenir store to another, always accompanied by a pearl seller. Molas, tikis and other souvenirs are on sale here. Finally, in the northern part of the hall, there are flower sellers where you can buy the traditional headdresses of Polynesian women. We go to a restaurant for lunch and I recommend poisson cru, a Polynesian dish consisting of raw fish marinated in lemon juice and coconut milk. Garnished with salad, it's a light meal. Yes, and then the two ladies insist on a boat tour of the Katinka. I'm a bit embarrassed because I haven't cleaned up. What's more, the Katinka is a bit of a construction site, not to say chaos, due to the hydraulic system being removed. To make matters worse, it has also been raining and the black civilization dust that has accumulated from the traffic is forming edges on the white gelcoat. They can't be dissuaded, and they haven't tidied up either. So all that happened was that Katinka and I had two guests on board at short notice.

Cruise ship Papeete, Tahiti

After a wonderful day that made me forget all the work I still have to do, I say goodbye to Yvonne and Susanne and wish them lots of fun on their journey through the Pacific and that they come home safe and sound. For the rest of you, as always, fair winds and keep a stiff upper lip.