svbeachhouse

Category: 2010 July Blog

  • Giant Clam Photo Shoot #1…..

    Dear F&F,
    July 11, 2010
    Giant Clam Photo Shoot #1

    The day started with Scott re-cementing Natalie\’s loose crown. The procedure
    was painless & successful. The retired dentist has not lost his touch.
    During this time (about 8 a.m. local) we were able to glimpse a partial
    eclipse of the sun. Thin clouds helped veil the intensity of the \”crescent\”
    sun. It was viewed as a full eclipse from other locations.

    Solo French sailor Bernard managed to come into the harbor alone, but Scott
    helped him set his stern anchor from our dinghy. It is difficult to set two
    anchors on your own, plus he recently fractured a rib, so any effort with
    his arms or bending, etc is painful. He is now securely tucked between Na
    Maka & Beach House. A much preferred neighbor to the Swiss boat.

    We were keen to dive in the giant clam area on a Sunday as only 2
    Seventh-Day Adventists tour operators work. We hoped to avoid the crowds of
    snorkelers that cycle through on other days of the week. As we loaded the
    dinghy with our dive gear, we could hear the harmonious singing from the
    nearby churches.

    It is about a 30 minute dinghy ride from the marina where Beach House is
    anchored to the giant clam preserve. I drove outbound since it is into the
    wind & waves, making for a jarring ride for the person in front. Scott also
    helps me see the coral heads. It takes a lot of concentration to steer a
    safe path though the many shallow rocky coral patches.

    Once at the site, there was plenty of sand to set the anchor in without
    damage to the coral. We decided to bank on \”asking for forgiveness instead
    of permission\”. We don\’t know if scuba diving is forbidden. But we knew we
    could take plenty of photos and cause no harm. Scott took the wide angle
    lens first, which gives the best perspective of the size of these mollusks
    with me posing in my usual fashion. The entire area is at most only 15 feet
    deep so we knew our one tank of compressed air (each) would easily last for
    2 dives

    It is RARE that we ever change lenses \”in the field\” from the dinghy because
    Scott has to open the watertight housing which means there is a risk of
    water getting on the camera during the lens change. But due to the long
    bouncy ride, threading through coral fields, and the \”Sunday\” factor we
    decided to take both wide angle & close ups during one trip. After an hour
    dive with the wide angle, we surfaced and carefully dried the outside of the
    housing with towels we brought for this purpose. I tried to sit in a wind &
    sea spray blocking position holding a towel up for added protection. Scott
    swapped the camera lens and port, re-greased the ever important O-ring & we
    were now in close-up mode. Which means I can wear my nerdy beanie & stay
    warmer!

    I didn\’t torment Scott by showing him the teeny tiny pipe fish when he was
    using the wide angle lens, but was very glad I could find them again, since
    they were now appropriate sized subjects. We spent another hour barely
    swimming. Mostly kneeling in the sand to gaze (me) and shoot (Scott) the
    gorgeous details of the many clams. Besides the almost 3 foot wide ones,
    there are 1 foot sized clams that have a stunning blue/green edge on their
    mantle. The siphons are interesting & look like space ships. Some
    perspectives reveal an uncanny similarity to certain parts of the human
    female anatomy. You will see what I mean when you view the \”07-2010-Aitutaki
    UNDERWATER Photo Gallery\”.

    It was a very successful outing. Poor Scott was pretty cold, submerged more
    than 2 hours in only his 3 mm wetsuit. I was fine in my 6 mm. If the water
    continues to get colder as predicted, I will probably be switching to my dry
    suit. Especially when we do multiple dives, several days in a row, the
    effect of temporary hypothermia creeps in, primarily exhaustion. Sleeping
    better on the days we dive is a bonus we appreciate.

    When Scott uploaded the photos for our review, we are pleased with the
    results but quickly agree we must return to shoot one more time. He needs to
    take the super macro lens, the 105 mm, to really capture the detail, color &
    texture of these amazing clams. We don\’t seem to be rushing away from this
    island, so we will do it.

    Cindy & Scott

  • Teking Lagoon Excursion…..

    Dear F&F,
    July 10, 2010
    Teking Lagoon Excursion

    This morning began with Scott assisting Laurel & Hardy to get unstuck from
    the shallow sand where they were marooned last night. As the water depth
    grew with the rising tide, Scott was able to give them a nudge with our
    dinghy to steer them into deeper water & float off.

    Scott later emailed the Swiss boat story to our friends Amanda & John Neal
    who teach people how to sail & take them on learning cruises. They replied
    that similar mayhem & rescue occurred when they were in Raratonga with them..
    They are a hazard to navigation & we hope to steer clear of them & similarly
    clueless boaters. Onward..

    We had a terrific play day on a lagoon snorkeling excursion. Teking (aka The
    King) Expeditions was recommended to us by a New Zealand guy (aka Kiwi) who
    has been on vacation here in Aitutaki 9 years in a row. Despite the crowd of
    8 other guests on our boat plus a full load of 10 on a tandem boat, we
    enjoyed the day & camaraderie. One group was 3 Australian families with 5
    teenagers on holiday. One of the Dad\’s had to ride on our boat to balance
    the load. Nice guy, software engineer with the hobby of fly fishing.
    Aitutaki is becoming a destination for the sport of catch & release bone
    fishing, as well as kite boarding. Andrew told us he had already met 6 other
    men on vacation here expressly for fly fishing. Who knew?!

    Besides Andrew, on our boat was a NZ family of 5: husband, wife, 23 year old
    daughter, her \”fiancée\” and 14 year old son. The Mum is taking this
    engagement with a grain of salt since there is no wedding date set, he\’s
    still in university & she is unemployed. Plus another young Kiwi couple. It
    was a commodious group. We liked our driver, Pickam. Teking himself drove
    the Aussie boat.

    I slathered my finger in vaseline to help reduce \”soggy paw syndrome\”. Not
    an official medical term, but the best description for what happens when I
    get my still irritated right index finger wet. I did my best to keep it in
    the \”up periscope\” position as much as possible when snorkeling. The water
    was a chilly 78 degrees & I regretted wearing only my 3 mm wetsuit. I would
    have been happier with twice that, which I do own.

    It was wonderful to be back in the water & see some of our fishy friends.
    They have successfully imported from Palau & Australia some giant clams
    which are quite awesome to behold. An interesting native species is an all
    BLUE starfish. Traditional 5 legged variety, totally harmless. What we saw
    snorkeling in the lagoon was more interesting & beautiful than the sites the
    dive companies go outside the reef. That is unusual & we have heard that
    there are better outer reef sites here, but they are not easy to get to,
    especially as it is almost always quite windy here, making for rough water
    on that side of the island.

    We saw one very large Crown of Thorns starfish. Even the snorkeling
    operators know that they are a menace to the reef & must be disposed of.
    Peckam asked Scott to gaff it. I kept my distance & gave it the finger!

    We had 4 snorkeling opportunities plus walks on 2 small islets (motus) to
    admire the white sandy beaches with palm trees, postcard perfect paradise.
    The lunch was Dee-licious: grilled fresh wahoo with grilled slices of onion
    & eggplant. A lovely display of giant clam shells were used as the bowls for
    potato salad, green salad, coleslaw, watermelon and star fruit, slices of
    chocolate cake & fresh grated coconut. I enjoyed every bite & rescued a
    couple of the teenagers from their portion of eggplant – more for me! It is
    such a luxury to eat a meal that I did not have to prepare myself.

    Teking has his tourist schtick down pat. I\’m afraid even though he spoke
    excellent English, as most Cook Islanders do, many of his jokes were missed
    by the NZ/Oz group. Scott & I guffawed out loud & applauded him many times
    on his straight-faced humor & timing. We got more bold being \”part of the
    act\” as the day progressed which was fun for us. Scott was asked to say
    grace at lunch. I held my breath wondering how my typically irreverent
    husband would cope with this request. He simply sung out the word: \”GRACE\”
    which was accepted by Teking as he invited us to partake of the buffet.

    The 5 teenagers were terribly bored & any parent who thinks their 9th grader
    will appreciate a tropical vacation with the parentals is hugely naive. They
    sighed & posed & kept asking each other when would this day be over… They
    were blatantly rude when Teking told stories about native plants & ancestral
    culture. He responded appropriately by turning his back to them, effectively
    excluding the rude children (& also a few rude adults) from the circle.

    We intend to return to the shallow site where the clams & starfish are to
    take some underwater photos. It is too hard for Scott to hold his breath,
    dive under, frame the shot, focus, etc. So even for very shallow areas, if
    we want photos we try to go on scuba instead of snorkel. Now that the
    generator is repaired we can fill our own tanks & go.

    Cindy & Scott

  • Aitutaki – Generator Success…..

    Dear F&F,

    July 9, 2010

    Aitutaki – Generator Success

    We got the long awaited generator parts 2 days ago, but surprise, surprise
    it was not as “plug & play” as Scott hoped or was told.

    Today he received a tech support email from Florida telling us how to
    re-program the digital brain (replacement part) of the generator. It worked!
    Happy days. Scott then noticed the raw water intake pump is leaking, but we
    have a spare, so that takes him only another hour to replace & we are in
    business. Tonight we will give it a good long run, but it seems that worry
    is solved. Very, very happy & relieved. I am not sure how it evolved, but
    Scott has taken to saying \”Namaste\” when he starts the generator which I
    find adorable & hilarious. Laughter is so great.

    Finger Update: I went to the hospital to see if a local might know anything
    about my lingering sore finger from a Crown of Thorns starfish prick. Two
    medical interns from Australia were very sweet & good listeners, but not
    that familiar. The guy said he saw one case & the patients’ leg from the
    knee down was swollen (from a prick in the foot) but after 1 week just the
    ankle & foot were swollen. He did not know the outcome.

    Dr. Koko, possibly Korean, was beckoned & heard my story & took a look. He
    suggested another course of antibiotics plus 4 days anti-inflammatories. He
    said nearly 4 weeks was slow healing & suspects that there is still a part
    of the thorn in my finger. We can\’t see anything, but because it is still so
    painful, swollen & tender my tissue is very likely reacting to this foreign
    body. It is too bad we did not know about the hot water plus vinegar soak
    immediately. We knew this for jellyfish stings & I had to use that treatment
    many times in Mexico & it worked great. C\’est la vie.

    Lucky me, such a \”sensitive\” girl having a strong reaction to this silly
    starfish. Ok, I was the one trying to murder it…so maybe it is my karma.
    At any rate, I began a different antibiotic today, Cipro, plus Aleve.

    Food: It is more hot & humid. I try to think of food that does not involve
    cooking, or minimal time with the stove on. I defrosted already cooked &
    peeled shrimp & made \”shrimp remoulade\”. I used 2 boiled eggs & ate mine
    over a bed of lettuce. Will offer Scott pasta and lettuce.

    VISITORS: About 4 pm we were just thinking about beginning happy hour when
    Bernard appears at our stern in his dinghy. Solo French guy with the broken
    rib. We give him wine & I make a treatment to his mid & upper back (just
    sitting in the cockpit) which is very tense from guarding his broken rib. We
    met him first contact at the last island when I was lonely & doing sunset
    yoga while Scott was on the radio Net. So Bernard & I have a nice rapport.

    Bernard is still onboard when Natalie pulls up in her dinghy with a tooth
    question. I call for the dentist. It is pretty funny, we haven\’t worked in
    all this time & suddenly we each have a \”patient\”. She has an implant crown
    that is a bit loose. He asks her to return tomorrow p.m. & he will do
    something (re-cement? not sure). Natalie & Bernard leave.

    Jerome arrives to tell us about his kite boarding day & ask Scott how it
    went with the generator. Scott is tired & hungry so goes inside & gets on
    the net & pours himself more wine. I am enjoying my parade of visitors so
    sit on the back chatting with Jerome for over half an hour. It is sunset. We
    talk about many things. I really love both Jerome & Natalie – good people.

    We notice the Swiss monohull between our 2 catamarans is trying to pull up
    his anchor & having trouble. Jerome is being beckoned home by Natalie to
    help with the family bath hour (they wash in the lagoon with just a small
    fresh water rinse after). Scott gets in our dinghy to see if he can help the
    poor old Swiss guy and his game but not overly able female companion. Their
    stern anchor is stuck in the mud. Scott tries to muscle it up for them from
    our dinghy – no luck. He instructs them what to do. They follow his
    instructions pretty well. He also uses the dinghy to fend them off from
    swinging in the wind & hitting us or Jerome\’s boat. It is getting dark. It
    is not smart to go out this shallow pass without good light and high tide.
    But they seem psyched to get underway. Eventually get both front & back
    anchors up & seem to be away.

    Five minutes later Scott sees that they have run aground in the pass! It is
    now 7:00 p.m., totally dark & Scott goes out in the dinghy trying to help
    them get free & going. My guess is that they will just anchor where they
    are, if there are no dangerously shallower areas. But perhaps they will get
    loose & continue tonight. Scott helped them get their stern anchor set and
    told them he will return just before the mornings high tide to help the get
    the boat off the sand bank and on their way. The next morning, Scott
    successfully helped get their nose aimed in the right direction and wiggled
    them off the sand bank. Happy ending after a night of leaning over while on
    the bottom; fortunately a calm evening.

    Tomorrow we booked ourselves as tourists on a highly recommended Lagoon
    Snorkeling Excursion, with “Teking Lagoon Tours”. They will pick us up at
    9:30 a.m. We will be with 8 other people. They provide some kind of lunch.
    We\’ll go to 5 motus (little islets) inside the reef. I\’ll hope for the best
    with my finger. I have been trying to keep it dry. I hope I can tolerate
    snorkeling. Got to figure out which of my various wetsuits to wear. The sun
    is hot & air humid, but the water is cooling steadily. Although if it is a
    shallow area it might not feel too cold. Hoping for a fun day. See the
    photo gallery 07-2010-Aitutaki TOPSIDE for our tour with “The King”….

    Cindy and Scott

  • Aitutaki – Hunt & Gather

    Dear F&F,

    July 6, 2010

    Aitutaki – Hunt & Gather

    Scott finds out via cell call that Rarotonga Customs is holding our package
    for 1 day. No, there is no fee, nor any reason they just are because they
    can. They understand we are a yacht in transit. But nonetheless, it will not
    be on a plane to Aitutaki until tomorrow. He becomes sick. He complains he
    is hung over from the lousy fruit wine (which I avoided). I give him aspirin
    with his tea & yogurt. He uploads email & weather as usual. I fry our eggs
    and assemble my shopping bags. I have an opportunity this morning to hunt &
    gather from every market on the island. Sadly, one crane of the cargo ship
    is broken so offloading is taking extra time & the stores do not yet have
    all their goods on the shelves. I have to make do with what they have. The
    car must go back at noon.

    At the nearest market we see they have just started to stock their goods, I
    can return later. It is even close enough to walk.

    Bonnie\’s fuel station mini mart produced a carton of unrefrigerated 2% box
    milk upon my request. I also bought a couple mystery wines from Australia &
    NZ to try.

    Next stop is the Free Range eggs lady. Her sign is not out on the street,
    but we pullover & give her a yoo-hoo anyway. Her screen door opens quickly &
    she presents one dozen. I ask for 3. She hesitates, but when I explain we
    are on a yacht & I cannot store the refrigerated ones they sell in the
    store, she comes forth with the requested amount. We gush about her grown
    daughter’s restaurant Koru & have a pleasant exchange. I hope she does not
    feel I have had my \”share\” because I\’d love to score another 3 dozen before
    we leave here, likely next weekend.

    We zoom over the hill to Neeibah’s Market. The name we think is a kind of
    pidgeon English for neighbor. I get vacuum packed white rice (no brown to be
    found), canned beets, and several bottles of experimental wine. Scott cannot
    bear to look at the wine, so it is up to me & I forgot my reading glasses,
    so can\’t read the descriptions on the back. Oh well. Nothing is over $15 US,
    so worth the gamble.

    We stop at a warehouse that advertises frozen fish & meat. I score nice
    fresh onions plus about 6 beef rump steaks.

    Another store gets produce via airplanes. I scooped up 6 precious oranges, 5
    kiwis, feta cheese & sliced salami.

    Swing by the first market a 2nd time to see if anything new has appeared on
    the shelf: they don\’t have their wine stocked yet, but one worker convinces
    me that the frozen sausages are good. I also pick up what is labeled bacon,
    but looks more ham shaped. She convinces me it IS sliced bacon but in more
    bulk package. I spring for it, knowing I have freezer space. What the heck?

    We load the dinghy with our booty, I refrigerate & freeze the appropriate
    items.

    I almost got there without getting lost. I had one mini glitch, knew I was
    very near but didn\’t want to lose time guessing, so stopped at Koru
    restaurant to have the egg ladies daughter steer me in the right direction.

    I had paid the extra $10 to get a ride back, but when I handed the keys to
    the local lady at the desk she told me she was too busy & huffed off. But I
    heard her report my presence to the nice mechanic (we think proprietor) who
    had rented the car to us yesterday. A door to another building slammed, I
    patiently waited 10 more minutes & he appeared freshly showered & dressed to
    drive me back. I made small talk & he stopped at a take away to order his
    lunch on his way back. Happily the car did not smell of diesel, voila! A
    successful outing. It is really important for me to go out without Scott
    sometimes, whether by dingy or car or foot, to keep my independence & not
    become a helpless Ninny. He was very happy to have some rest.

    I saw an ambulance at the dinghy dock & noticed several people staring at a
    sailboat with attendant small fishing boat coming into the pass. I zoomed to
    “Beach House” to rouse Scott that \”something\” was going on. Turns out it was
    our solo French friend Bernard, from the last island. Scott & I see he is
    anchored to one side of the pass. Out of the path of the barge & other
    vessels & blessedly not further crowding our cozy 3-some near the wharf. We
    give him a hearty welcome, and learn that during his 3 day passage from
    Mopelia he lost his footing with a big wave & hit his ribcage on a hard
    edged surface. Youch! Both Scott & I have suffered a broken rib in the past
    & there is nothing but time to heal it. It\’s been 2 days for him…only 5
    1/2 weeks to go. We gave him a ride to shore & learned that HE was the
    reason the ambulance was there. His French-accented English requesting help
    to winch up his keel for the shallow pass due to a sore rib, resulted in an
    ambulance. Neither the police nor medical services have a boat of any kind.
    They just radio anyone in the area to please render aid. A small fishing
    boat helped him & he was safely anchored by the time we showed up on the
    scene. The Customs & Immigration guy is out sick today, so Bernard hailed us
    to fetch him from shore & I ferried him back out to his boat for a much
    needed rest. He can clear customs tomorrow.

    The afternoon was quiet: Scott resting & me writing. Near 5:00 p.m & we
    noticed the wind direction had changed & placed our stern uncomfortably
    close to the bow of the Swiss monohull. Anchoring maneuvers again, with rain
    this time! I managed the dinghy tugboat, Scott the big boat. Soon we hear
    Jerome ashore hollering for Natalie. Once he drops her & Leo off, he comes
    to our aid. Jerome takes over tugboat duty with his dinghy. Scott takes the
    stern anchor in our dinghy to reset it & I control “Beach House\’s” direction
    front, back & spin with the twin engines. Let out bow chain, while Scott
    moves into position to set the stern. We are not sure if the stern anchor
    really dragged, or it is just that we had more chain out than the Swiss boat
    & with the change in wind direction it put us too close. We were grateful
    that they were not aboard during these shenanigans. Scott is still swearing
    at them for anchoring too close, but life is too short to hold grudges.
    Surely they noticed the change of our position upon their return, but said
    nothing. There was a rainbow during anchor maneuvers & now a gorgeous golden
    sunset. I DID enjoy happy hour – so life is good.

    I am amazed at how much I write sometimes. I hope it is not too boring.

    Cindy & Scott

  • Aitutaki – Fuel & Friends…..

    Dear F&F,

    July 5, 2010

    Aitutaki – Fuel & Friends

    When we returned the scooter we wanted to rent a car in order to schlep
    diesel in our 5 gallon jugs, since the station is not at the water front.
    That company did not have any cars available. We called the 2nd company on
    the island, yes, he had one. So we kept the scooter long enough to zoom up
    there, about 15 minutes, by the airstrip. Scott dropped me off while I paid
    & showed him my license. It was a very tiny, convertible Nissan, not really
    sporty. It really looked like a toy & was pretty well worn. But the roof
    up/down feature worked, so I enjoyed the fresh air. It wasn\’t that weird to
    be sitting in the \”wrong\” seat, since I had to drive on the \”wrong\” side of
    the road. This was my first time driving a car on the left, so to make sure
    I didn\’t space out & mess up I just kept repeating: Stay on the left. Stay
    on the Left. STAY ON THE LEFT!

    After returning the scooter, Scott walked to the Air Rarotonga open air
    office & paid the worker the transit fee which is estimated at $20 NZ.
    Pitonga knows ALL about us & our precious package en route via DHL as we
    have made many stops by her office asking questions to learn how things work
    around here. She seems to have a friendly working relation with Willie who
    is at the Raratonga office & will be receiving the package from DHL &
    putting it on one of the many planes from Rarotonga to Aitutaki.

    It was afternoon & we saw a freshly re-opened restaurant that looked worth a
    try. Outside plastic tables & chairs set on a base of old coral. Quaint
    idea, but very rickety for sitting, scooting in or out, leaning elbows on
    the table & even walking required caution. There were garden cloth shades
    strung between trees to provide a bit of shade. We chatted with a family of
    NZ tourists & as we were finishing the burger & fries we split, up walks
    Dale & Jo from the monohull anchored outside the reef (x 6 weeks). They are
    getting ready to move on, hopefully tomorrow, after a part is drilled out by
    someone they met with the equipment to do the job. We got their contact
    info. They grow a fruit wine in NZ. Their farm is on the North Island,
    halfway between Whangerei & Auckland. They are not savvy sailors, but
    self-taught, learning on the job & seem to be enjoying themselves immensely..
    I am always in awe of these happy-go-lucky innocents.

    Fed & watered, we parked the car, dinghied the short distance to “Beach
    House”, loaded our empty 8 x 5 gallon jugs, ferried them to the wharf,
    loaded them into the car. First we had carefully covered the upholstery in
    plastic tarp to prevent any drips from causing an odor. It worked great. The
    trunk was too tiny to fit even 1 can vertically. It is a zippitty-do-dah
    drive to the fuel station, where we have become friendly with Bonnie. Her
    mini-mart has good prices on box milk & wine plus rare finds of lettuce &
    apples. I drove & Scott walked the short but circuitous route. The area
    where they dock & use the big cranes to maneuver containers off the barge is
    roped Off Limits. Bonnie was very helpful & patient as we filled each
    container with 22 liters, loaded the car & returned to the boat. Scott did
    the heavy lifting, but I put on rubber gloves to help with the air vent caps
    & setting up the spouts. Our digital starboard tank gauge is still not
    reading correctly due to algae and water in the tank. Anyway, when diesel
    started spilling out the top, we knew it was full! We filtered all we took &
    went back for another load in order to have full tanks onboard. We paid $7
    to 8$ per gallon which is a record all time high. We have to run one engine
    or the other 1-2x/day, depending on how much solar we get. When overcast, we
    get less solar power so need to run the engines longer to charge the
    batteries. Can’t wait to get the generator fixed.

    Once showered & rested a bit from the fuel schlep chore, I began to cook.
    Natalie had invited us over, and we MUST go to their boat to socialize
    because our boat is not childproof. But I told her I would bring the main
    meal. We set a time of 6:30 pm. Jerome had his 3rd day of kite boarding
    lessons off a motu in waist deep, sandy water. We talked to him after lesson
    #1 which was all beach practice with a small kite & we were eager to hear
    how he was progressing. We shuttled 3 pots & 1 bottle of wine. Hot white
    rice, green beans & chicken madiera with mushrooms was my choice of menu.
    Scott was my hero & did all the dishes.

    Even though we arrived fashionably 20 minutes late, it was apparent they
    were behind schedule. The twins were not yet fed and sitting in the cockpit
    in booster seats like hungry birds in a nest. She handed them each a whole
    tomato & I have to say it was interesting to watch them both devour it with
    enthusiasm. I don\’t think you would see many American 4 year olds go for a
    plain full size tomato. Their 2nd course was popcorn. As it neared 8 p.m.
    Scott & Jerome both dig into the treat with gusto. Natalee brings out
    pistachios as an additional adult appetizer. They had been given a bottle of
    Dale & Jo\’s sparkling fruit wine. I have never heard of this fruit & cannot
    remember the name. She said it was something similar to guava. I didn\’t care
    for it & patiently waited until the other 3 polished it off & Jerome opened
    the Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc I had brought. My food had got cold & my
    wine warm but eventually I kicked Scott hard under the table to stop talking
    story so Natalee could focus on the situation: she needed to remove the
    twins from the dinner table so we adults could proceed with our meal. Ten
    year old Leo gave each Scott & I the classic cheek-cheek French greeting &
    asked for some of my chicken & rice. It got high praise from the 10 year
    old. He is shy about speaking English to us, but with his mother\’s prompting
    he managed: I like it.

    She disappeared for 10 minutes & we ate the lukewarm food & wine without
    complaint (Does she even own a microwave…? Possibly not!) As the wine
    flowed, so did the stories. Jerome recounted with full French flourish his
    battle with the wind & kite, getting dragged under water, having to find his
    board over & over yet the thrill of the moment he was flying. Very sore in
    the forearms, he thought he might take the next day off. My \”time to go
    home\” watch alarm sounded only 20 minutes after we started eating. I
    squelched it & we stayed another hour. We confessed that we think Natalee is
    a saint for not drowning the twins, and she admitted that Leo is more
    challenging for her. Jerome says she was born with a \”valium drip\” which
    gave us a big laugh. We are unlikely friends, with only the same boat home
    in common, but enjoy hours of stimulating & enjoyable conversation. I had a
    warm feeling toward the twins when she told me they call us Scott & \”Wendy\”
    (from Peter Pan). I have to ask if this is just a pronunciation challenge,
    or because of watching me ride the manta ray on DVD.

    Scott falls asleep almost immediately. I stay up reading Julia Child\’s Life
    in France for an hour, lovely.

    Cindy & Scott

  • Aitutaki – Adventures in Anchoring & Scooter Tour…..

    Dear F&F,

    July 3, 2010

    Aitutaki – Adventures in Anchoring & Scooter Tour

    It was our coldest night since we left northern Baja in Jan 2007: 70 degrees
    F! I wore a long sleeved shirt to read in bed & we dug out a blanket. No
    rain but the wind persisted from the southeast which pushes us sideways into
    the harbor. It is winter here & we seem to be hibernating a bit. Scott was
    asleep by 9 p.m. I read until 10:30 & we didn\’t rouse until 7:30! With the
    sky overcast & cooler air we don\’t have the strong bright sun & rising heat
    ejecting us from bed at the crack of dawn

    Scott\’s mornings always begin with uploading email, including requests for
    weather charts. He received the sad news that Mike Lonnes\’ father passed
    away. He was not that old, but had heart disease for many years, so not
    entirely a shock. Our hearts are with Mike & Beth. Instead of a happy 4th of
    July weekend in Catalina on their boat they are flying back east to grieve
    with his mother & family there.

    It was oatmeal and yogurt making day for me, so I was busy in the galley. No
    news about my eldest Aunt Edith (96 yrs old) who had a stroke yesterday. By
    the time we pondered what to do with our day it was close to 10 a.m.

    But before we can do anything or go anywhere we need to reset the stern
    anchor. The south wind has pushed us sideways too much into the harbor
    channel

    I hopped in the dinghy & proceed with my tugboat routine: pushing “Beach
    House” sideways as Scott manages both engines and bow & stern anchors, which
    he can control remotely from the helm station. Upping the stern anchor goes
    as planned. Resetting the stern anchor we have a glitch. The stern roller,
    we are required to use to keep the chain from scraping either hull, sticks.
    The stern anchor won\’t drop. We are only in 8 feet of water & the wind is
    pushing the boat sideways to the left while I am resisting by pushing the
    boat sideways to the right via the dinghy acting as tugboat. We struggle
    unsuccessfully before regrouping with another approach. I get on “Beach
    House” to take over helm & bow anchor duty. Scott hops in the dinghy taking
    the stern anchor & chain with him.

    He has to use the dinghy engine plus body mechanics & muscles to maneuver
    Beach House sideways (while he is gripping the stern chain) against 8-10
    knots of beam wind, to get us into the desired position. He then deploys the
    stern anchor from the dinghy, while I take up the chain slack on both bow &
    stern anchors until we set just right. I feel a bit battered & stressed
    afterwards. Scott vows to have a better functioning stern roller fabricated
    in NZ (added to our ever growing \”Do In NZ\” list). We have 2nd breakfast &
    proceed with our day.

    The rental company did not have any cars available today. Only (the dreaded)
    scooter, albeit a better one,(so they claimed) than the one I ix-nayed a
    couple days ago. Better take it quick because it was his last one. Hmmmm.
    Tomorrow is Sunday & the entire island goes to church or stays home. No
    shops, diving or tours. I tell Scott to take the scooter & I pop a codeine
    for courage (and butt relief – I’m not a good sitter). I don long pants &
    walking shoes, so feel a bit more protected than the first test ride when I
    was in shorts & sandals. To think I used to zoom around on the back of a
    Honda 750 barefoot in a bikini….ahhhh youth!!! I am pleased to say that I
    was able to relax enough after a while to actually enjoy the scenery.
    Worrying about imminent road rash (or worse) moved to the back burner of my
    brain. Helmets off to my buddy Karen, who with some trepidation is a
    wonderfully brave Harley Wife!

    It was a beautiful day, not too hot, not too gray, didn\’t rain, just lovely..
    We toured about 50% of the paved roads of the island. We saw the clam &
    coral farm at the Marine Sanctuary which is funded by an Australian nature
    foundation & likely somewhat of a sham, but a token gesture of preservation
    perhaps. Seems to be more of an aquarium stocking business. Not that there
    is anything wrong with that, but at least tell folks what you really do. Fun
    to see the colorful & beautiful clams from teeny tiny to medium sized
    growing in tanks of circulating ocean water. We heard that part of the golf
    course plays across the airport runway! There are numerous hotels, huts,
    bungalows & we got the feeling that this might have been a \”happening\” place
    at some point, but not now. Maybe it is just too early in the season. Maybe
    tourists learned that much is still thrashed from the last hurricane. Hard
    to know.

    When we were ready for lunch we sniffed at several options. Scott (like
    Vincent) has a nose for eating establishments. If they only serve fish that
    is not a good option for him. We were pleased with Koru Cafe. It closes at
    3:00 pm but was still bustling at 2:00, which we thought was a good sign.
    Kiwi owner Trina runs a great place. She was informative, kept a good pace
    of service & very friendly. Scott whole heartedly enjoyed his burger &
    fries, while I chowed down on fish & chips (fresh caught wahoo – delish!) We
    each indulged in milkshakes: chocolate for me & vanilla for Scott. I
    hesitated to take a doggie bag, but had so much leftover, and Trina
    encouraged me. So I got to enjoy the same meal again for dinner! Minus the
    milkshake. Even Scott had to admit the battered fish was really tasty

    We stopped at a tiny market uphill & scored a 5 gallon empty oil container.
    It had been used for soy oil, but it will serve dandy for engine oil. Scott
    could hold it on the runners between his feet on the scooter. We have to
    bring our own containers to a store that sells oil out of a large drum. I
    picked up a couple more apples & liters of boxed milk at the closest store
    to \”home\”. Since the scooter rental company is closed on Sundays, we are
    paying for 2 days, which is fine: we didn\’t feel pressured to \”see it all\”
    today. It is parked safely ashore in sight of “Beach House”.

    Jerome got back from his kite surfing lesson about sunset & plans to go
    again tomorrow. We may try to dinghy out to where they teach to take some
    photos.

    On the evening amateur radio Net, Scott got one of his ham buddies to look
    up our DHL tracking number: it cleared customs in NZ today! That means it
    could be in Rarotonga tomorrow or Monday – happy news. We are now thinking
    we will NOT fly to Rarotonga, but have Air Rarotonga put it on one of the
    frequent inter-island planes to us

    We confirmed that Onu does not take divers out on Sunday, which is fine
    since we have the scooter & more sightseeing to do tomorrow. We asked him to
    check in with us Monday, although that is supposedly cargo ship day & we
    want to closely watch the barge as it zooms by “Beach House” many trips..
    Plus I want to dash to the market as soon as good are stocked on the shelves
    because we understand it is a first come, first serve buying spree. Besides
    hoarding food for the next 2 islands, which will sell little or nothing, we
    need to fill up our 8 x 5 gallon jugs of diesel. We want to get in a couple
    more days diving, but the operator knows that we are spoiled & only
    interested in going when the weather conditions are such that he can take us
    to the better sites. We may also go on a Lagoon Tour with another company.
    They take you to prime snorkeling sites and beautiful islets. Aitutaki is
    actually an interesting place. The wind & temperature strongly influence our
    perception of a place & what we feel like doing. We are trying to make the
    most of our time here & very glad that it sounds like we won\’t be dragging
    out our stay waiting for the generator parts. The critical question is: Will
    the awaited parts actually repair the problem? Stay tuned…

    Scott has steered our 2 sets of friends sailing monohulls away from this as
    a stop because anchoring outside the reef is not pleasant with the southerly
    winds we are having & which are predicted to continue for a while. Sadly
    this will delay our reunion with either of them, but this would not be a
    comfortable stop for them anchored outside the reef. We are so glad we got
    inside when we did. Ah the advantages of a catamaran! Departing the pass
    will be another story on another day, perhaps a week or so from now.

    Cindy & Scott

  • Aitutaki – Day #6…..

    Dear F&F,

    July 1, 2010

    Aitutaki – Day #6

    It is overcast & has drizzled off & on. We left dive master Onu a message at
    7:30 a.m. (he didn\’t pick up either cell or biz line) that we were not
    interested in diving in the rain or at similar/same mediocre sites. He
    called us back at 8 a.m. very understanding. He had four other customers, so
    it would have been a bit crowded on the boat anyway. The Americans onboard
    gave me the thumbs down sign when they returned. Poor Onu got stung by a
    small jellyfish in the eye (he has a habit of flooding & clearing his mask
    underwater – it must fog up). Hopefully he will be fine. But between that &
    the poor visibility with the gray sky, they scrapped the 2nd dive so we
    didn\’t miss out on anything.

    Unlike sometimes, I was quite pleased to have a \”home day\”. The fridge is
    acting up. Scott got an email reply from a tech support guy on what
    tests/troubleshooting we need to do. It\’s a different problem than we had
    before & overall it IS functioning, but seems to think it has low voltage,
    even when we\’ve just charged the batteries, so that is a mystery we need to
    research.

    First job though was changing the water maker filters. We are so shallow,
    anchored only about 5-6 feet deep in the lagoon, that we suck up a lot of
    sand & yuck in the intake. So instead of needing to clean the filters every
    2 weeks, we need to do it every 2-3 days to keep the water quality good. No
    big deal, about an hour job, pink/blue teamwork.

    About 11 a.m. we heard someone hail us from ashore. It was the couple we saw
    yesterday when we walked to the fancy hotel, Sonia & Tom. They were on a
    (nice hotel owned) moped, came to bring us a book she finished reading that
    both Scott & I are interested in & had heard of. It is called: \”I am Nujood,
    Age 10 and Divorced\”. A true story of a girl from Yemen. We dinghied ashore
    to pick them up since they were interested in seeing our boat. We talked
    story & gave them a tour for about 1 1/2 hr. I was getting hungry for lunch
    & knew they wanted to explore the whole island & had a 3:30 p.m. flight out,
    so Scott ferried them back as I prepared our lunch. He also took our empty
    propane tank to the nearby fuel station. They said they can fill it
    \”sometime\”. I have a 2nd one & they last a really long time, no rush.

    After lunch we noticed the wind shifted & “Beach House” was lying at an odd
    angle to “Na Maka”, our sister ship. We are close to each other, both
    anchored bow (front) & stern (back) usually we move in tandem & no problem.
    We did not have many feet of chain (much scope) out on our stern anchor,
    since the prevailing wind blows from the bow, meaning all the load is on the
    front hook. So our stern anchor had dragged when the wind shifted with the
    load on the stern. There was no panic, but we did need to react, never
    knowing how hard & fast the wind will ramp up. We forgot where we had stowed
    the critical gizmo to keep the stern chain centered when we take it up or
    down. It took almost half an hour of searching through multiple lockers to
    find it. The wind had ramped up by then, so I volunteered for tugboat duty.
    Hopped in the dinghy & placed the bow of the dinghy at the turning point of
    the big boat to push her into the desired position. We learned this
    technique during one crazy weekend at Big Geiger Cove in Catalina & it has
    paid off. Scott with long cable remotes, could handle both the bow & stern
    anchor chain, taking up one & paying out the other, while I pushed us
    sideways. It is a bit stressful, but exciting because I knew I could do the
    job required of me & that it is a very important & critical job to do right..
    No time to be a Ninny! Maneuvers took about 45 minutes. High fives to each
    other, followed by an iced coffee.

    My sister asked this question: \”Since the diving doesn\’t seem to be very
    good, why don’t you just zip to the next island?\”

    A) We hope there ARE better dive sites & we just need to wait until the
    weather is such that we can get to them.

    B) Our next 2 islands do not have airports. Mike shipped our generator parts
    (plus a couple other needed items) via DHL out of L.A. today.

    No generator parts = no scuba compressor = can\’t fill tanks = no diving. No
    dive operators at next 2 islands, very primitive, undeveloped. Here, we are
    lucky that we can dive with 2 different operators, so it doesn\’t cramp our
    style to have the generator on the blink. It is NOT as efficient to charge
    the batteries with our main engines, but do-able. We are not getting much
    solar due to cloudy skies. We absolutely want to be able to dive, so need to
    be able to pump our own tanks at the next 2 islands.

    We went to shore again later today & I scored locally grown lettuce, as well
    as cold stored NZ apples (where were they hiding them before now?), some
    onions, 2 dozen more eggs & 2 liters more shelf life milk. I suppose I could
    force myself to get used to powdered only, but if I don\’t HAVE to, I really
    prefer the taste of the low fat boxed milk, to the whole powdered. It is so
    nice to be able to bring trash to shore. We had to stow it for 2 weeks at
    the last atoll.

    I had thawed out a chunk of several boneless/skinless chicken breasts, found
    an eggplant at a market yesterday so got inspired to cook Szechuan eggplant,
    this time with Kung Pao chicken (in the past I\’ve always served it with
    shrimp), plus pressure cooked brown rice. I didn\’t have fresh ginger, but
    bought a jar of \”prepared\” grated ginger that smelled awful to me, but I
    used a tiny amount & it was fine. Scott loved it all so much he didn\’t mind
    the pile of dishes I created. Best part is 3 more meals leftover! I froze
    one & put 2 containers in the fridge. We don\’t mind eating the same thing
    for a couple days in a row.

    Just when we sat down to eat it poured buckets & we had to scurry to close
    all the hatches to keep the inside of the boat from getting drenched. It was
    very funny because Scott had just said: \”You are a better cook than my Mom.\”
    We had a good laugh that Suzanne was NOT pleased with that comment so caused
    it to rain upon our dinner!!! Tropical rain often lasts only 15 minutes.
    Sure enough we were able to open up & are now enjoying a nice breeze and 79
    degrees.

    The weather will probably not be dive friendly again tomorrow. We are quite
    content to use our time here to catch up on repairs, maintenance, writing,
    reading, etc. We still want to rent a car & explore the entire island. We
    may also go on a Lagoon Excursion. Jerome & family dinghied on their own
    yesterday to a little motu (Honeymoon Island) & had a lovely day. The island
    is 6 x 1 miles. The lagoon (inside of the fringing coral reef) is about 10
    miles x 8 miles. So compared to the last few places we\’ve been, this is
    larger, so more sightseeing can be done. It is amazing how much vegetation
    has sprung back since the February hurricane. There are flowers blooming &
    green vegetation amidst the collapsed buildings. Nature can both destroy &
    rebuild.

    Cindy & Scott

  • Aitutaki – Day #5…..

    Dear F&F,

    June 30, 2010

    Aitutaki – Day #5

    This morning it was grey & threatening rain. We told our dive guy that we
    will skip the 1st dive & see if the sun comes out in the next hour or so. It
    is pretty pricey to go with a company, about $65 US/tank, which is only
    $10/tank less than Bora Bora. We are hoping the weather cooperates so they
    will take us to the potentially more interesting southern sites.

    We hung out, waiting to hear the \”half-time\” report. One couple on the dive
    boat is only doing one tank, so he has to bring them back. We will have a
    chance to hear from the other couple how it was & decide if we\’re going to
    go, or sit out today. I am ok either way. Plenty of emails to catch up on &
    other chores.

    The harbor is small so not very industrial. Yesterday a super stinky fishing
    boat was tied up to the wharf upwind of us – yuck! Rumor has it that a cargo
    ship will arrive Saturday, but they take a barge outside the pass to offload
    goods & bring it in that way. There is enough space for it to maneuver &
    offloading the barge will probably be done in 1 day. We see some activity of
    them stacking empty fuel containers, etc to put on the ship. Everything is
    closed on Sunday. There are many churches, including SDA. Grocery shopping
    should be a bit better, we hope, once they\’ve stocked their shelves a couple
    days later.

    We considered renting a moped. Rental cars are less plentiful. Almost all
    the locals get around on mopeds. I am a real ninny sometimes. I was in
    sandals & shorts (too hot to wear real shoes & long pants). It was a rickety
    thing with only 1 rear view mirror. They did not offer helmets. Scott took
    it for a test spin & just observing him he looked a bit jerky. I got on &
    immediately ix-nayed the idea. With my lame right hand I felt insecure and
    was not willing to risk either of us getting injured. I\’m kind of a mother
    hen even when we are walking. Scott\’s view is so far above the ground & from
    my perspective he does not always carefully look where he puts his feet. He
    unexpectedly steps off curbs, into potholes & nearly twists his ankle
    frequently. Makes me kinda crazy. If he gets lame, I am really up a creek.
    The truth is we’ve been very blessed to neither have any terrible injuries
    or illness.

    The internet place here is about a 40 minute walk & $8 US/hr. They say Skype
    quality is hit & miss. The entire islands infrastructure is still being
    rebuilt. 80 homes were destroyed & additional 200 damaged from Hurricane Pat
    in February. The devastation is quite visible. We walked down to the
    fanciest hotel where we ran into a couple we\’d met briefly en route to a
    dive (they went with the competing company). They invited us to their
    bungalow terrace for a glass of wine & some fruit. Nice to chat with them.
    Sonia is German/Italian & Tom is Swiss. They now live in Sydney, Australia.
    It was nice to socialize a bit.

    My finger got pretty sore from walking several hours in the heat. You know
    how your hands can feel a bit swollen with walking or hiking anyway? My 2
    owie fingers really protested & I feel like I\’ve taken a step back in
    function, which is frustrating. Scott is good about doing the dishes when I
    ask him to (preferable to hearing me yelp from the galley). There are so
    many \”blue\” jobs that I can\’t (or won\’t) do that I hate to put any \”pink\”
    jobs on him. But when it comes down to it he knows this whole lifestyle is
    more appealing to him than me. My motivation is really connected to good
    diving. This island has not shown its potential yet. It is a comfortable
    anchorage, easy access to shore & we have lots more exploring to do.

    Two other sets of boat friends may catch up with us soon: the couple with
    grown son we met in Easter Island (boat name: Visions of Johanna) & the
    Canadian couple who went skiing in British Columbia while we were sweating
    it out in Papeete (boat: Quick Star). Meanwhile the French family of 5, “Na
    Maka” is right next to us, though we are each doing our own thing. There is
    another French catamaran here so they have gotten together with them some.

    Cindy & Scott