Papillon in the Pacific

  Ia Orana! I write this from my desk in Glasgow 36h after touching down in Edinburgh.   Our departure had been as chaotic as our arrival giving absolutely no time for writing let alone video splicing.      Crescent moon rising   Goodbye from Gustaf I had imagined an orderly exit with neatly packed bags sitting tidily in the cockpit, a decluttered, mould free boat gleaming in the background with skipper and I sitting sipping cocktails and toasting our 18-month adventure against a glorious sunset.   Never could I have been so far off the mark!!   By Saturday night we were completely exhausted, the “last minute” jobs having taken their toll.   My particular favourite, scraping the hulls, was a case in point. What’s not to like diving down again and again, legs whirling to maintain position and arms outstretched clutching the scraper?   The object is to remove unwanted marine growth.   It lifts off the surface ...

  Ia Orana! This week has been one of mixed emotions: the frustrations of attempting to sell a boat, the limitations of what you can and can’t do whilst trying to make it happen and the realisation that our time here is coming to an end. We fluctuate between wanting the sale successfully completed and willing it to fail spectacularly!     Sunset at the mooring   Moments before the green flash! Our emotions seem to mirror the highs and lows of living in French Polynesia.   It is certainly not the easiest place to start the cruising life, but it is probably one of the most beautiful and welcoming. Thursday was a case in point.   Our water maker had failed again.   It had been fine since the new impeller and then for no good reason suddenly refused to start the flushing cycle.   We decided to try an alternative power source.   The only one we knew of that would fit a UK adaptor plug was back at the marina.   Like so...