Fun on Moorea and a broken impeller

The dinghy engine purrs and we get ready to head over to Cooks Bay. There is a Super-U there that we want to visit. Black and white posts show us the way through the reef. The water is crystal clear and when a bummy like this glides underneath you, it makes you feel really queasy because you can't judge the depth. But if you stick to the marked path, you are safe and you can get from one bay to another in the inner reef. A small cruise ship is moored in Cooks Bay, loading its guests into the dinghy to take them on an excursion around the island. At the very end of the bay there is a small jetty from which you can get directly to the supermarket. A couple of fishermen are preparing their nets for the catch. We wait patiently until they are ready. We are waved onto the jetty with a smile. There are also containers nearby where you can dispose of your waste. We quickly do our shopping as we have already bought a few things in Papeete. You can drive right up to the jetty with the shopping cart, which makes loading into the dinghy much easier. On the way back, we meet a few excursion boats, of which there are many here. The canal is only a few meters wide and can only be navigated by flat-bottomed boats. There is also a diving buoy on the route, called the “Sharks dinning room”, where you can watch sharks. Unfortunately, as we pass this spot at lunchtime, we don't see any.

On the road with the dinghy, Moorea

We then meet them at the Moorea Beach Bar and Snack. The small restaurant is located roughly in the middle of Opunohu Bay on the western shoreline. We take the dinghy again and drive the short distance across. I moor the dinghy to a tree that sticks far out into the water. The attraction of the beach bar is the seats in the water. There are rays and sharks swimming right next to you, which the guests attract with food. Admittedly, it feels a little queasy at first, but the animals are so full that they spurn the many legs in the water. After a short time, you get used to the fish. The fact that a ray doesn't need much water depth is somehow understandable due to its shape. I find it amazing that a shark can get into such shallow water. While the rays move quite comfortably through the water, the sharks are rather shy and can only be seen briefly. Despite their impressive size of a good 1.2 meters, they are cautious and sceptical of humans. Who knows what that's good for.

Beach bar in Opunohu Bay, Moorea

We are still doing well on our Katinka Enjoy. We enjoy lying in the anchorage and there is something to do every day. And it wouldn't be a complete week if something didn't break down. This week the generator broke down. The cooling water flow is no longer available, which points to the impeller. Unfortunately, the pump on the Onan generator is stupidly installed, so you have to take off the V-belt to be able to remove the pump and pulley. In fact, the impeller is also broken and I fish the blade parts out of the radiator. Unfortunately, I wasn't really paying attention when I was checking the spare parts. I missed the fact that the only spare part available for the pump is an old impeller. A glance at the maintenance list is a bad sign. The impeller was last replaced in 2020, so it's almost five years old. I think an impeller can also break down from time to time. However, the old one that now has to serve as a spare part is probably much older. My fears were ultimately confirmed and the impeller didn't last an hour. How good it is to have friends who have found a new one in Papeete and then bring it with them. 

Defective impeller on the Katinka Enjoy, Moorea

However, I am now weeping a little for my Superwind on the old Katinka. Although the alternators on the two engines also generate electricity, they are not designed to fill the battery bank. What's more, we had a rainy day this week, which pushed our power supply to the limit. As rainy days are often accompanied by a lot of wind, the Superwind would have been ideal. Now we're saving electricity at every turn to make ends meet until we can get the generator going again. In addition, the bolt from the shackle holding the main halyard has come loose. Fortunately, the halyard got caught in the lazy-jack. I was then able to secure it here. Even after a long search, the bolt had disappeared. Only after I tried to replace the shackle did the bolt fall out of one of the sail layers. And I could bet that I looked there at least three times. But as life goes, some things are simply mystical and somehow the salt in the soup.

Icecafe in the North Shore Poke&Smoothie Bar, Moorea

Last but not least, I'm still cleaning the hull. But on the last few meters. Half of the outside of the port hull still needs to be cleaned. Unfortunately, this side is very exposed to the sun and therefore heavily overgrown. But I'm confident that I'll have everything done by the time our friends arrive at the beginning of next week. With this in mind, fair winds and keep a stiff upper lip.