Life is Good

May 2, 2008--Our engine is now fixed and running beautifully. We couldn't have asked for a better anniversary present. Polynesian Yacht Services put the order on a plane yesterday morning; however, since it was a holiday, the package wasn't brought to town from the airport until today. At nine o'clock this morning, Moetai told Steve to check back at 2:30. When Steve got back, Moetai said he couldn't pick it up until 4:30 so Steve said that he would pick it up personally. It was about a 3/4 of a mile walk through town, and Steve said that he kept looking at the package but didn't want to open it until he got to the boat. We were a little worried that it might the wrong pump. We unpacked the items--the injector fuel pump, a raw water pump, and a heat exchanger--and Steve proceeded to install the pump without any problems. After we pumped fuel through to fill the lines, she started right up and sounded sooooo good. Some people thought that we would have a problem with the timing, but on our engine, it was really quite simple.

When we arrived here from Mexico, Steve noticed a drip from the raw water pump, and after the injector fuel pump problems, he ordered the two additional spare parts. This turned out to be a good thing because when he installed the injectr fuel pump, the raw water pump leak had become worse so he also installed that pump as well. We started the engine again and ran it for about an hour, and she didn't miss a beat.

I cannot express what a relief it is to have this problem fixed. We were beginning to get a little stir crazy just sitting in this anchorage since there is only so much you can do to pass the time. It was difficult watching all the cruising boats coming in and then leaving for points south. This morning we worked to get the boat ready to leave because we decided that if the pump was not right, we would leave any way and just sail to Tahiti. We have a few things to do in the morning (more baguettes), and then we will head to the southwest side of this island to anchor in Daniel's Bay (a Survivor season was shot there). There is a nice hike to a waterfall that we want to take. We are not sure where we will go after that--we are still trying to decide.

Rose had another Friday night Happy Hour at her restaurant. She was serving beer and wine, and she was also serving a chef's salad or a raw tuna dish. We both enjoyed the fresh salad, and it was, of course, accompanied by fresh baguettes. We had a chance to meet some different cruisers this week and had a very nice evening.

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