We're back on the move after a rather eventful pit stop in Samoa! Getting those engines running again turned into a bit of an adventure. Finding the problem was one thing, but finding a solution on a small South Pacific island? That was a whole other ballgame.
Everyone was incredibly helpful and cheerful, but sourcing the parts I needed was a real challenge. Let me tell you, it was a proper treasure hunt. For example, I went on a massive tour of all the car parts places. In one, I counted 17 people waiting to be served! When I finally got to the front, I asked for 6mm fuel hose. They had some! But when the guy came back, he had a piece about a foot long. I knew what the answer was going to be but felt I had to ask "Is that a sample?", and he said, "No, this is the fuel hose we have." I ended up finding filter housings in a diving shop, but they didn't have the barb fittings to connect the hoses. You get the picture.
Adding to our list of accomplishments in Samoa, we also devoted a considerable amount of time to getting the AIS system up and running more efficiently. Previously, the longest return we were getting was only 2 nautical miles, which, let's be honest, isn't really practical for any serious navigation. After a series of tense negotiations and a bit of persistence, we finally managed to get someone with a soldering iron down to the boat. The results are in: we're now getting AIS returns of at least 7-10 nautical miles, which is a significant improvement and a much-needed peace of mind.
The weather wasn't exactly cooperative while we were there either. The low south of Fiji was pulling in wind and moisture like crazy. One night, we had winds up to 37 knots and pouring rain. Now, in a typical marina, that wouldn't be a huge deal. But the docks here were held together with ratchet tie-downs, and some of the piles were leaning over at alarming angles, the marina manager said we should be carefull in case the pile fell on the boat. There were only three other yachts in the marina, and two of them already had holes smashed in their bows from the surge and current, hitting the dock in previous bad weather. So, it was a relief to get out of there and get back to what we're supposed to be doing.
The long-term weather is looking "interesting." The general wind direction and strength look pretty good, but we've got another Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) rolling through soon. I was hoping to be between this one and the last one, of course. And the CAPE index is "in the red" for the next week, so I'm expecting lots of squalls and thunderstorms. But hopefully, the wind will be from the right direction this time, unlike our approach to Samoa when we got blown backwards all night. We have around 10 days to Port Vila and then the final run through the Coral Sea and it really feels as though we are over the hump now.
