Thursday 24 August – the day progresses from a real low to a high!

Rowan was on Nakedwines calls from very early morning, at 8:30 am sharp he phoned the Yanmar Engine engineers to get someone out to help sort out the engines. Helpful Jim from Australia said we would have to get the dealer’s computer diagnostics onto it. Rowan’s previous dealings with the Sin Tung Hing dealership here was pretty dismal, so he was relieved to be put through to a French man who spoke English! Of course being peak season that are really busy and could only come and look at the engines in a week’s time! Rowan’s experience of getting parts was that it takes 6 weeks, so we were beginning to feel rather gloomy about it all. The whole time Rowan was in contact with Jim who was suggesting various tests.

So happy to see so many turtles here, more than we have seen in the rest of French Polynesia

The morning was very calm and the boat that had taken our easy anchor spot departed, so we thought we better move to it as we were a bit too close to the reef near the shore. Rowan had worked out the one engine was working fine. So we could carefully manoeuvre there and felt happier being in our new spot, well away from any other boats too.

Mid afternoon Jim was back on the line and between him and Rowan they worked out it was just the port engine having problems and only going forward, reverse was fine. My job was to engage the gears back and forth while Rowan was doubled up in the engine room. Incredibly Rowan discovered the gear lever was bent just enough not to engage the gear, which throws up all the spurious diagnostic messages. But hey presto Rowan straightened it and everything is working!! We think we know what has happened, our generator was serviced while we were away, and we guess that one of these enormous local lads was servicing it and put his foot on the lever! Whatever, we are just so happy we can set off tomorrow and not have to wait 7 weeks to get it fixed! It is going to be a slightly windier sail tomorrow than yesterday but nothing we can’t handle. The plan is to test the engines in the bay early afternoon and as soon as we are happy we will set off.

That is more than enough excitement for one day! We celebrated by cracking open a Tony’s Chocolonely chocolate bar that Isobel had given us, what a delicious treat!

Sun set in the anchorage, Kane and Quinn out there somewhere – mainly French sailors. The French have done exceptionally well at colonising beautiful places!

The clouds make the sunset more dramatic

Twilight colours reflected on the water