27 April 2010
We are moored alongside Ciao. It is a gorgeous yacht, a Sweden 45, sadly now no longer in production. Super fast, lovely lines, beautiful interior woodwork down below. It is long been our son Colin's dream boat. With a dark blue hull and teak decks, perhaps not the most practical, but certainly in my opinion, it is the best looking boat of the whole rally. Olga and Srecko have a little in common with us. We both left our respective ports one year ago from now and have covered roughly the same distance. In their case Holland, ours Turkey, now a distance of over 13,000nm. We first made contact with them in Madeira, when they, like us where heading towards Gran Canaria and the start of the ARC.
Coming from Slovenia their English was very limited to begin with, but they have made an enormous effort. Now five months into the rally their understanding of the language has come on "leaps and bounds." They can even follow David's unique brand of Scottish humour! In Galapagos we enjoyed our five day cruise with their friends, Branca and Janis. Last night we enjoyed a dinner ashore with them and their other friends, Ksenjia and Gregor, at one of the local mobile restaurants that congregate every evening on the dockside in Papeete town. We have learned the word for "cheers" in Slovenian "Na Zdravje", while we of course have taught them the Scottish equivalent "Slainte". Part of the fun of being in a rally is the common bond that we all share, irrespective of nationality, that of sailing......
Third time lucky? David and I were just getting settled in nicely when Alain came to call. He is the agent for Dessalator and we had contacted him in advance of our arrival here in Papeete. He quite rightly pointed out that we could not possibly test the watermaker in the polluted waters of Papeete harbour. We would have to move, back from whence we came, to anchor outside the Marina Taina. Oh yes, it was a big hassle but we are sticklers for everything on the boat to be in perfect working order so we cast off the lines and headed once more back west, with the promise from Paul that our space on the town quay would be reserved for us. It also gave me the most perfect excuse to make one more trip to Carrefour!
We had the watermaker first looked at in Gran Canaria, then in Martinique. Now finally we have Alain. "Expert" is written across his forehead. Here was a man who really knows what he was talking about. He has had a Dessalator watermaker on his own boat for 18 years, so he should know. It transpires we were doing things all wrong. He sat us down and went through the whole process. It was like being in class at school. Unfortunately for us he found the low pressure pump to be faulty. A new one will cost us a staggering 900 euros for the part itself and 400 euros for the air freight. David and I could probably manage even if we could not make water at all. The longest passage we now have to do now is from Vanuatu to Mackay in Australia, a distance of 1000nm. But, we are still only halfway across the Pacific and Australia seems such a very long way away. Nothing for it but to cough up the money.
The tender was returned to us a good as new. It was repaired in a special enclosure and although it has now cost a lot in repairs, perhaps at least the handles will now stay attached to the boat. At last we have something to hang on to when we have to haul it up the beach and not what once happened to David when he was left in the most ignominious position of lying upon his back on the sand with nothing more than the handle in his hand.
Susan Mackay