Final Day in Manihi
Our 4th and final day in Manihi was spent relaxing and snorkeling in the turquoise, warm waters. The crew from another Seattle boat (SV Scintilla—Chris, Chris, Marcus, Cindy) joined us in the anchorage and snorkeled around the reef with us. We spotted lots of different reef fish and a moray eel. Jacintha is very comfortable snorkeling now and doesn’t use a life vest anymore. We just need to keep a close eye on her as she likes wondering off while exploring the reefs.
Fixing Dinghy Paddle
When there’s no Home Depot, West Marine, or even a basic hardware store within a few hundred miles, you learn to be creative if you need to fix something. When we were in Hiva-Oa, we had our dinghy tied to the concrete wall while we were touring the island. The surge pounded it against the rough concrete and broke off one of the aluminum oar handles. We went a few weeks without fixing it and luckily didn’t need it, but if the engine would ever fail, having 2 oars would be helpful to get back to the boat. So today I finally fixed it.
Yesterday while walking around a remote area of Manihi atoll, we found a couple of 3’ long metal pipes, about a foot longer than the aluminum tube that broke off the paddle. I used a hacksaw to cut off the damaged end of the aluminum tube, then shoved the metal pipe inside the tube about 1’, leaving 2’ sticking out which made it the same length as the original paddle. I drilled through the tube and pipe and used a 1-1/2” stainless steel machine screw, locknut, and washers to fasten it. Next I slid on the plastic collar that has a hole where the paddle pivots against the dinghy when rowing. The diameter of the collar was larger than the pipe, so I cut some rubber (from an old bicycle inner tube) to wrap around the pipe to make it fit tighter. Next I drilled through the pipe using the holes in the collar as a guide. On the end where your hand would be when using the paddle, I wrapped some more rubber inner tube around the pipe to make it a more grippable handle. Then I used rescue tape, which stretches and bonds to itself, to cover all the joints between the collar, pipe, and aluminum tube to cover up any sharp edges.. The whole project took about 90 minutes and now the paddle is strong and usable again. Will try it out today when we go ashore to snorkel and gather coconuts!
Coconut Gathering
While anchored in a remote part of Manihi in the Tuamotus, we got serious about coconut gathering! We found a tree that was not too tall that had lots of young, green coconuts. Armed with a climbing harness, 50’ of rope, and a machete, we returned the tree with high hopes climbing to the top and hacking off cluster of coconuts. I tied an old coconut that was on the ground to the rope and tossed it over a branch near the top and pulled myself up. While holding my weight, I was able to twist off 3 or 4 coconuts before I had to lower myself back down to rest. My second attempt to climb up was less successful and I ended up on the ground on my back as the rope slid down the branch (obvious now from the photo). We found a long stick nearby that was perfect for reaching the coconuts from the ground. I broke off branches to make the end ‘V’ shaped and used it to push against the coconuts until they fell down. This method was far easier than climbing up, and I was able to drop another 9 coconuts. After jumping in the water to cool down, we chopped up one of the coconuts and enjoyed the refreshing coconut water and then ate the soft coconut meat. The remaining 12 we took back to the boat for future consumption.
Another Tooth
I was relaxing in the hammock reading on my Kindle and Jacintha decided to join me. While she was climbing in, her very loose tooth got bumped and fell out! This is her 2nd tooth to come out on the boat trip. The tooth fairy stopped by overnight and left her 500 French francs (about $5 US).
Misc. Boat Projects
During our stay in Manihi atoll, we did some boat maintenance. A thick, green layer of algae had formed along the waterline and a good scrubbing was needed to remove it. I also cleaned and waxed most of the hull above the waterline while floating alongside in the dinghy.
During our Pacific Puddle Jump crossing, a water leak had developed in the head. The floor was constantly wet with saltwater, which we thought was from leaking chainplates or a thru-hull fitting, since the deck was constantly wet. At anchorage I discovered the leak was actually coming from the toilet intake, so I dug out a gasket from the head rebuild kit and that fixed the leak.
Karen finished modifying the dinghy chaps (canvas sun protection) that we had made for us in La Cruz. There were 2 cutouts for the oar on the port side that were missed, so she cut the circles and lined them with vinyl, the same way the others were done. We then fit the chaps onto the dinghy.
I spent 2 hours free-diving to clean the boat bottom, scraping the barnacles off the propeller and hull. It was the first good cleaning since La Cruz, Mexico. I noticed the bow thruster zincs were gone so will replace them at the next stop.
