Wet dreams

Dark clouds keep drifting over Mount Orohena, Papeete's local mountain. The weather can be described as mixed at the moment. Every now and then there is a rain shower. The whole thing is actually relatively unproblematic, as such a rain shower doesn't really change the temperature. Yes, it seems as if nothing at all can change the temperature in Tahiti. Day and night, the average air temperature is 29 °C. Whether measured on the ground or ten meters above the ground, in rain or sunshine. For a climatologist, that would be extremely boring. I've got used to it by now. But as is the case, such weather also has its pitfalls. As anyone can imagine, it's difficult to fall asleep in these temperatures. The air builds up in the bunk and there is not enough fresh air coming in through the hatch due to the lack of wind. Eventually you do fall asleep with the hatch wide open. If you are still dreaming of a beautiful waterfall in the Marquesas and bathing in the pool that spreads out in front of it, you can easily sleep through a downpour. As I said, the temperatures were no problem. I was only taken aback when I got out of the pool in front of the waterfall and tried to dry myself off with a towel, but couldn't manage it. I wake up surprised and realize that the whole bunk is wet. So I dry off in the saloon and sleep until the morning so that I can dry the mattress the next day. Well, it's not all that easy with the weather on Tahiti when you have wet dreams.

Watercourse on Ua Pou, Marquesas

I'm experiencing another nightmare this week with my engine and hydraulic overhaul. After I have also removed the second pump, the O-rings are quickly replaced and the pumps reinstalled. So everything should be tight again. When I check the positions of the control levers that regulate the oil flow, I notice that the control lever on one pump can only be adjusted in one direction. So I dismantle the Bowden cable again and lo and behold, the pump works perfectly. When I pull the wire of the remote control, I hold 30 cm of bare wire in my hand. So the Bowden cable has broken, possibly at an earlier stage, because I have noticed a loss of power recently, but I thought that this was related to the oil pressure. I'm going to get a new Bowden cable in Papeete. Unfortunately, everything here is almost twice as expensive, but at least you can get almost everything in Papeete. The wire changes hands for just under €80. The subsequent removal and installation keeps me off the road for almost another day, so I can't do anything stupid. Now I just have to be careful not to accelerate too much, because the lever now moves like butter. 

Torn Bowden cable

I'm wiping the sweat from my forehead after screwing in the last screw of the cover panel when someone calls my name from the promenade. Daniela and Mike are back from the Tuamotus and are looking forward to an aperitif with me. I can't hear myself say no, and after a long shower, this time from the pipes in the marina washroom, we sit comfortably in a bar and talk about everything we've experienced in the meantime. We met Daniela and Mike on Hiva Oa. We then met up again and again on various islands in the Marquesas. They left for Tahiti a little earlier than me, but sailed to the Tuamotus again. A wonderful evening comes to an end, which we would like to repeat before they set off for Tonga. For us, that will be in June at the earliest, if the delivery of the new sails works out. The biggest unknown is customs. Like everywhere else in the world, a customs clearance procedure is not necessarily what the average consumer really needs. It always involves a lot of paperwork and is therefore never actually completed properly. Which an official who is in a bad mood will savor down to the last detail. It may be in the nature of this particular breed of people that a customs officer is rarely in a good mood - at least I haven't met one yet. If you want to avoid this, you can use an agent to take care of the customs formalities for you. I'm still not sure whether I want to use these services or whether I want to go through the wet nightmare of such a procedure. But I still have a bit of time, because the package is not expected before June. Which won't stop me from asking around. But I'll tell you about that another time. Until next week, I wish you always fair winds and keep a stiff upper lip.