Posted by John
We did not sign up for this. The plan was for an endless summer until we were back home in our own house again. But the summer ended early and it’s now going on winter here. We are stuck in a place we were supposed to be gone from by now. We don’t want to be here, and the government doesn’t want us to be here either. They have told us so in no uncertain terms.
When we returned because we could not go on to Tahiti, they canceled our departure paperwork. It’s like we never left. So the fact we did leave was erased, which left nothing but a then already overstayed visa. When told by Customs to just go online and extend our visas, well… It turns out you can’t extend what you don’t have. They expired after we left and before we got back. The system rejects your application with no reason given as to why. The fine print of the law says that Immigration doesn’t have to give a reason for rejection, nor are they required to read any “notes” added to your file. The process does allow for lengthy written explanations from each of us, explaining why we haven’t left yet. As of now, it is all uncertain.
We’ve had time to look over the boat. It’s broken more than we first realized. The forestay, a 1/2 or 7/16 inch steel cable, snapped right at the fitting at the top of the mast. We’re happy that it was the cable and not part of the mast that broke. That loose cable then flew around and hit the top of the mizzen mast, doing some damage there before we could cut it loose, resulting in the total loss of the jib sail, the jib furler, the jib halyard (they’re not cheap) and plenty of cosmetic damage when it all smashed into various things. We realize it could’ve been much, much worse.
We also lost TWO major components of our self-steering system, including a part that bolts to the rudder itself. This was a real discouraging discovery since the boat needs to be hauled out in order to replace it. At the time of discovery, it felt like a deal killer. We also lost several items overboard including two boat hooks, one of which was really nice, and other miscellaneous items.
But we do have a plan. All three of us will fly home in late July or early August, but the boat will literally be stuck in a hole in the ground at Vuda Point Marina in Fiji. We are still waiting on the cost estimate for this, but we’ve been in contact with them already. It’s not that the boat gets buried (not yet, anyway), but it does get taken out of the water and put on dry land, with the keel propped up in a hole. It’s all part of an insurance-approved “hurricane hole.” The boat would then spend the cyclone season there, without us, but being monitored and cared for by the marina staff.
In the meantime, the sail maker here is already working on a new sail for us. The rigger is waiting delivery of our new furling system, and parts for the self-steering are being shipped from California. Once they’ve arrived, there’s cutting and welding and drilling that needs to be done, but the local representative for Saye’s Rig is on top of everything. Likely, the underwater parts won’t be installed here, but will wait until we get to Fiji. We have to be hauled out there anyway. We think we can probably hand steer to Fiji, it’s “only” 1,200 miles or so.
As long as we’re still stuck here anyway, we managed to get the intermittent starter motor to the recommended Galbraith’s Auto Electric (I was close, remembering his name as Gary, or Glen). He found that the solenoid was put together wrong—the “pull-in” winding was reversed with the “hold-in” winding. It’s apparently been that way since we originally bought it, and was easily corrected by swapping a part around. We were extremely hopeful when it started without problem the first two times, but then came the big letdown when it was intermittent for the third start. This past week has been up and down like that. Maybe, since we’re spending the big bucks anyway, we should just throw in a new starter motor as well.
Our goal is to get the new sail and rigging working and get the boat to Fiji as soon as possible. Then we can come home and get our lives back to normal, for eight or nine months anyway. We’ve all been spooked a little, but the time at home will give us space to work out a plan for getting the boat the rest of the way home next year.
It wouldn’t be the ending we’d planned for this trip, but on the bright side, I’ve always wanted to go to Fiji.
Bula!