http://www.oceanhippie.net/ News and blog updates from oceanhippie.net Sun, 18 Jul 2010 04:48:29 GMT en-uk http://www.oceanhippie.net/images/14Avatar.png http://www.oceanhippie.net/ http://www.oceanhippie.net/content.php?Res=2357 http://www.oceanhippie.net/content.php?Res=2357 Sun, 18 Jul 2010 04:48:29 GMT errr? Which one is Alice? I dunno I think its and English thing. It happened once before, Germany Tall Ships Race, 95 or 96. The band on the dock were playing "Living Next Door to Alice". We (SV Marabu + SV Speedwell), obviously, as every pure bred English man does added to the chorus in the traditional way. I don't think, the Germans, or their kids expected it. I guess its just a British thing. It is just a British thing the Fijian band in Savusavu played it and were shocked and stunned, as were the Americans and the Canadians on the rally. Not sure about the Swedes I will ask. When, spontaneously, and without prior agreement the entire British part of the rally went "Alice who the F**k is Alice" at the top of their voices mid chorus. It is just a British thing then. Certainly came as a shock the Fijians. In musket cove at present, its a tinny island resort. With hobie cats, I will never criticise a BSC Hobie again. Even green pea is both younger and better than these. Sorry Justine. Still could be worse could be one of their windsurfers.... Golf tomorrow. I have agreed to organise the rally hobie racing here. Thank god I won't have to sail one. Sunset (having beaten the camera into working) edit Ahem.... For those bright sparks who noticed I'd crossed the 180 degree line, this has now been fixed for the eastern hemisphere. Lucky I'm not navigating. http://www.oceanhippie.net/content.php?Res=2356 http://www.oceanhippie.net/content.php?Res=2356 Mon, 12 Jul 2010 23:23:13 GMT Friday we were welcomed to Savusavu by the chief, I drank too much Kava. Several people have thought on Twitter or FB that meant Cava. With my spelling its understandable. Kava is a root, long an spindly, know here as grog. Its ground up into a powder mixed with water and drunk, with some ceremony. Its technically a narcotic, as opposed to alcohol which is a depressant. I suspect it has a lot to do with the local political problems, which are ethnic. The Indian population keeps getting successful, and there for elected. Which doesn't go down well with the ethnic Fijians. Who spend far far to long sat on their arse drinking Kava. 162135 is me Yesterday, politics aside, we raced dinghies, this is not me and Matt's idea of a good dinghy, there are no A-Class cats or 14s or 600s here. Just lasers and opies. Mostly opies. I begged not to be in an opie. I don't fit. If I were to stand up I'd be in serious danger of catching my testicles on the top of the mast. I did end up in an opie, Brian had signed his kids up for the Yachties V Kids racing, despite Annie's inability to sail. The tide was more than the wind anyway. I ended up being ballast and trainer for her. We lost. 14+ stone of Tom will really slow down a boat the size of a washing up bowl. But at least she could steer while I bailed out. To raise money for the yacht club kids training bets were being placed on the outcome of the races. Since we'd no idea who the good kids were, and as every dinghy sailor knows yachties can's sail for s**t, this was a safe money making scam. Hans off Natiboo did well in his optimist. But two local lads on port tack carved him up when it was his right of way. I got back just in time for the last and arbitrarily "The Final" laser race. There was for once more breeze than tide. In the opie race I'd been ballast in the fastest thing on the water was Charile from Miss Tippy swimming along with her opie on a string. I've not sailed a laser in years, and wasn't much cop then. Somewhere in the depths of the sailing club archives[1] is an old Gybesheet, the club newsletter, which contains the phrase "Tom Capsize Griffiths". Since then I've sailed 14's and my RS 600 both which make a laser a piece of piss. So there's me slinging the boat around the tinny start line area. Roll tacking, leaning in to gybes and pumping out. Looking quite respectable. Didn't knock my head on the boom once. The Blue Water Rallyists had been drinking pretty steadily for several hours by this time. A lot of money was promptly put on me apparently. There were only 2 lasers out. Me and a Fijian kid. Maybe 12, maybe a bit older. He had battens in his sail, I didn't. He got to the, slightly mobile, start line early and bore off down it. I arrived just behind him headed up and stopped rather than slide along it. He was defiantly over when the whistle went, but I had the pin end. So far so good. I was behind and to windward of him. He managed to tack ahead though. I rounded the top mark a couple of feet behind. In a panic cos it had a trailing line yanked the dagger board up in case bore off better than him and we were neck and neck downwind. My better bear off worked well. He didn't squeeze me as much as he should when I got the inside line at the bottom mark so I could do a good rounding. His mistake, I think he was trying to do my favourite trick of letting the inside boat run wide cos he can't actually turn till past the mark, but he left me too much space I did a good rounding. We finished lap one with me a boat length ahead. The guy's in the committee boat did seem to have different expressions this time. We tacked opposite ways, he called starboard on me as we crossed. I held my ground and there was at least enough room for a credit card between my rudder and his bow as we crossed. No doubt though he was gaining. Cos when we crossed next I was on starboard and he had to duck me. I enjoyed that. That was my fatal mistake. Cos even after ducking me he was still laying the top mark, I should have tacked already. So much for being horrible to Fijian kids rather than concentrating on the course. He rounded ahead of me, and better this time. I caught him again down wind. Right along side, my boom over his boat. Only this time he was set for the inside line on the bottom mark. Dang. My rounding was aggressive, this time you'd have got a rizzla between my bow and his rudder. Too aggressive. couldn't get the sheet in smoothly or fast enough. I tacked off, nothing to lose at this point, my only hope was he'd run out of wind on the right hand side of the course. He didn't my gamble just meant an extra tack to get to the line and he won. On behalf of the members of Brighton Sailing Club, The Nuie Yacht Club (of which I am a member) and the the Rallyists I apologise he beat me. Not by much. I had a good time, and one thing I really miss on these trips is the dinghy sailing. Much latter..... The Guy driving the Committee boat says to me "Your a hell of a laser sailor", I thought that that was nice and said modestly said I wasn't. Didn't think much of it. I was, despite having a bi for the heats, given the second prize in the lasers. I just assumed it was chaotic organisation. Some time later the Commodore was chatting to me, and said. "you had us worried there, you bloody nearly beat our national representative". I feel much better now. I didn't lose to A Fiji Kid, I lost to the Fiji kid. So that's OK. 1 - The sailing club archives are box in the sail loft with both the consistency and smell of soft peat. http://www.oceanhippie.net/content.php?Res=2352 http://www.oceanhippie.net/content.php?Res=2352 Fri, 09 Jul 2010 15:33:54 GMT its three hundred miles to Fiji, we've a full tank of gas, half a pack of rolling backy, its mid winter and we're wearing sun glasses. "Ronseal" The fuel's gonna come in handy got 5 knots of nor nor west breeze, hard on the wind at west nor west. Speed three knots.I've as usual an iPod touch loaded with Mash, Dollhouse, Futurama and movies. Its also got the iPhone version of Civ. If you don't know Civ. you haven't lived.It should have the special edition of The Secret of Monkey island. You do know what that is right? Unfortunately the download for that failed due Tonga internet.Obviously I not playing or watching any of them. Catching up on the blog (on the iPod) and listening to tunes. Chesney's "I am the one and only", "Temple of Love", "on the ropes" the wonderstuff. Good and little known track, spotify it. Not at all like size of a cow. Waterloo sunset fades out and is replaced by Iggy Pop telling us he's a real wild child. Hmm I think Iggy might be offended by me listening to him whilst only doing 3.8kns. Tongan Feast Tonga was brief and fabulous. I've had a little more time to get used to South Pacific food. I know corned beef in Tarro leaves when I see it. The Tongan feast confused even me. Freddie, age 11, to his parents surprise ate some tentacle.hmm Tentacle, wonder if I can get DOTT for the iPod.I think it might have been starfish, stood on something on Sunday that looked like it. The plates were banana tree stalks, the bowls coconut husks, table cloth of banana leaves. Mahi Mahi, battered. Fish Cakes in sweet and sour. Chicken in Tarro leaves. Pit roast pig. Tarro root. Tentacle. Meat and swede like stuff. Tongan clams (not my favourite).Europe have just launched into "the final countdown" even I can't take that NEXT >>"Coco Jambo" Mr President, so much for my reputation, just when you thought I was showing some taste. INTERMISSION - boat wakes up genoa away engine on etc. 'However far away I will always love you' Lovesong, not the original by the cure the Punk version by Jack off Jill. Bet spotify doesn't have it. Sorry lads.Were was I oh sod it. I'm going to paste this into one of the fields of one of my contacts so it syncs with my pc. Apple FAIL, there is a sync option on iTunes for iPhone/pod notes but no programs supported. You need an HTML5 browser for soundClick Here for the Sounds in my head as I rodeFor those of you that read about my quality scooter, and wanted a picture of me on it. Here it is. Please note the can of dignity restorer in the front basket. http://www.oceanhippie.net/content.php?Res=2350 http://www.oceanhippie.net/content.php?Res=2350 Thu, 01 Jul 2010 17:46:16 GMT I just found this: "State of Decay" and it made me think of giving Windows 7 a review. Verity Stob writes insightful but techy articles for the register. She? I assume its a she. Uses a Beaufort Scale of cruft to define, just how bad your PC has got. Now I accumulate cruft at a slower rate than most people. I know enough NOT to allow any installer to run without using the "custom" option. But I also use the PC alot. Tom Desktop PC The Back box with the side panel open and the missing buttons and unmatched cd drives as it was 4 years ago For instance my home PC is at cruft for 7 (known as a yachtsman's gale in the real scale). It has a boot menu of many options, left to its own devices it boots to a kernel panic of a missing presumed dead version of Dapper Drake Ubuntu Linux[1]. It crashes regularly, partly cos windows is very unhappy at being installed on a AMD Athlon (64bit), and being run on a Second hand P4(32bit) mainboard thrown out by work. It is held together by physical willpower. Since that is a contradiction in terms I'll explain, bits of it are 13 year old second hand such as its 3.5' drive bought third hand off Matt in 97. I've found its best to only connect the bits I need at any given time, rather than running it with its full compliment of hardware. This physical care (and the odd thump) are not sufficient to make it work. You've heard the phrase "A watched kettle never boils", well this PC doesn't boot with out you sat at it. Your brain has to will it on. Before it got that second hand mainboard off work it was cruft mark 8-9. It is a marvellous machine, with partition tables by M.C.Esher, and a pile of odds and ends (half height firewire card bent straight, second network card additional hard disks and chepo video capture card[2]) piled on top to be inserted as needed. My old Laptop The reason my desk top is in that state is its become largely a test bed and backup of the laptop[3]. By this time into my last trip my laptop, running XP on excellent but old IBM X series hardware. Was at cruft mark 4-5 symptoms different, but no longer visible due to the smashed screen. Errr I'm going to start the next paragraph with a shock out burst I'm going to say something nice about M$. Cruft Force 2 Gusting 3 maybe. Shit that's good. Boot times are lower than the loss in battery performance. The only nasty I could find in the event log. was:Faulting application name: Dreamweaver.exe, version: 10.0.0.4117, time stamp: 0x48c874b4But no particular significance can be associated to that cos I just tried to open a webpage downloaded with flash get on Tongan internet and, more importantly, dreamweaver is made by Adobe. Its not like dreamweaver was ever a beacon of stability before adobe got their half arsed hands on it.Its power management - never great, is worse. But windows laptop has ever worked properly, this one didn't when new. Crashing aps (usually due to removing the hard drive it was reading video from), irresponsible undocks etc cause the brightness controls to die till you re- boot. Which is annoying, but other than that its fine.Better than fine, the reboot is fast, by this stage a re-boot on XP on my old laptop was heading for 15 minutes. If you could get the bloody thing to actually shut down at all. its had the same uses as the old one its been used in multiple internet connection sharing configurations, dinghied, dampened and pickup trucked. It still boots fast and smooth. Windows has developed no nasty habits. Bar the cashing the brightness controls. I've really only just thought about it but its behaving bloody well indeed. Windows 7 good. Verity being a normal person has only gone as far as cruft force 10. Normally that's as high as you go. Hopefully that's as far as you go. Extreme weather is catered for with 11 and 12, though yachts people aren't supposed to survive it. Force 12 = Hurricane strength. If you want to know what cruft 11 looks like try these pictures. Cruft 12 I hope I never encounter, some re-search as been done into the phenomenon however, by the brave, but foolish el reg ventblockers. 1 - OK I'm being optimistic its probably Breezy Badger2 - Etc. Etc. Etc. http://www.oceanhippie.net/content.php?Res=2349 http://www.oceanhippie.net/content.php?Res=2349 Sat, 26 Jun 2010 21:22:28 GMT Remember remember the 3rd and 4th July is the Paddle Round the Pier weekend. After all the time energy an love i've lavished on it (I usually have to take a holiday) you'll all be going I'm sure. Its Fabulous fun. Take your boards your liko's your boats and your canoes. Your SUP's your sit on tops. Hell tie water wings to a Mini Cooper full of elephants and take that! If not just take you kids and your swimmers and your surgical drinking support. Please go, you'll have to (voluntarily and with good grace) give a pound or so to charity, while all my mates work round the clock to amuse you, I guarantee it will be the best pound;1 you ever spend. Don't believe me? Check out The Photo's, this video and the BSC version there of. SIGH... Windows update,thnak you for Fucking up my web browsers ability to play WMV's I liked the VLC plugin - it worked. Windows media plugin does not. Roll on HTML5 video. On route to Tonga, over the Tongan trench. Dropped a kidney bean tin in to rot last night. May not have hit bottom yet it it probably takes a can a long time to sink 5 kilometres. Today its going to reach 7km, and were not over the deep bit just south of here its 9km deep. Anyway, parasailor is up. Its kind of a cross between a spinnaker and a kite. I'm not its greatest fan. Its expensive and complicated, I'm afraid I'm not a fan. It is working though. It really is reducing the roll on the boat. I can actually blog an code without having to hang on with one hand. Last night however when the wind went light it hour-glassed is self in a way a normal kite wouldn't and with the hole the kite and the string wouldn't untangle. We de-messed it. Its snuffer jammed on the bundle of the kite part on the way up this morning. Bloodly thing. The bloke that sells them claims they're easier to fly than a spinnaker. He's lying. It is a good sail. But to be used - in my book, with caution. HTML 5 You need an HTML5 browser for soundDo Not Autoplay audio in future. So I've been adding feature to this site. Some of the Photo Galleries now play atmospheric music at you. A'int that nice*. I've used HTML5 so internet explorer users are buggered till v9 comes out. Since apple and Microsoft are playing fail over open source codecs it might be while before I settle down to converting to HTML5 for the video's. Also I can't re upload all my videos till I get some where civilised. I do, instantly, like HTML5. Even if bloody browser manufactures disagree its designed to work around it. I can specify an audio file to play. And put 2 versions up. An open source .ogg for firefox opeara and crome. And proprietary mp3 for safari. Sigh no I don't know what internet explorer will use. None of the above probably. M$ FAIL cretins. Hopefully this will kill of flash video. When its sorted. Flash I like, for animations etc. But god its awful at handling video. Its also a bloated mass. Good by Flash! The Camera of Dooooooom Nuie Map, well used, so was the camera it was taken with. My camera, is now in the same state as the Black Knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Despite being defeated it is busy shouting, come back here I can still bite you off at the knees. Power Button - NO, battery in = on, out =off Zoom - YES control pad - NO mode dial - YES Video - YES, Macro Mode only (keys to turn it off kaput) Photo -YES, so long as it is good light, see flash Flash - NO, and tries to charge for ever so will not let you take a photo. Menu, delete etc buttons - NO * if it ain't that nice and is actually bloody iritating you can set a cookie that turns it off on any of the photo galleries that have sound. http://www.oceanhippie.net/content.php?Res=2307 http://www.oceanhippie.net/content.php?Res=2307 Tue, 22 Jun 2010 05:32:28 GMT OK I've a normal English Driving Licence. No Motorbike entitlement. 4 kmh S**t Box I only wanted a scooter. Used the famous (and out of date) Cook Islands licence to get my Nuie driving licence with Motorbike entitlement. Can't ride a bike mind. means I've hired one of the 2 scooters on the island. Tom: Can I hire a scooterAlofi Rentals: I dunno, I'll see if it works. Errrrm.... I think it may have done sterling service, in the Vietnam War. Or possibly the Norman Conquest. Yeah here's the check-list: Wing Mirrors - None Indicators - No, if you use the right one there's a sparking noise and the engine stops. Horn - Kaput Electric Start - Buggered Basket - Bent Speed Limit - N/A it don't go that fast, even with a 25kn tail wind. Size - Small Idle - runs for about 15 seconds then stops. Fuel Gauge - like the Bible, it gives a general idea, whilst being violently contradictory* Dignity when riding - None Accessories - iPod loaded with Vagner * This has got worse since yesterday now says empty, or half full regardless of the actual level is. Fun, I F**in think so! The whole island's surrounded by a limestone cliff, remember Quadraphenia? the classic 60's mod movie. I'm from Brighton I do and I wasn't even born. Only Nuie's better. Lets hope we don't repeat the Beachy Head scene, for starters the scooter's not got enough wing mirrors. Any way enough about the scooter, I think I'm going to upgrade the Rock of Polynesia to "most Favour Island Status", when I said to a local that England was F**ked and I was intending to not go home, they said "come live here". Tempted. Sorely. Pete of Bali Blue's response to today's emergency bludget was the same as mine capped with "last one out the country close the door" I said that's supposed to be "Last one out turn the lights out" then realised with England's obsolete power generation that'll happen anyway. Anakapa Chasm (spelt wong) The scenery is amazing (were like the second last post, talking about someone who's seen a bit more than just his home town and Southend-on-Sea). The people are all fabulous. Its dangerous cos every car, pedestrian and workman waves at you and its hard to wave back on a Brunellian scooter with a dicky front wheel without falling off. The Great Nuie beer drought of 2010 Yesterday we finished the last beer in the Yacht Club. Rumour has it the Indian Shop had 3 left yesterday, other restaurants are out. Washaway's out the posh hotel's out. Rumour has it the Matapa Bar (open Saturday's only) has some beer left, but no ones sure. Errrr, I think I just drank another island dry, neigh a country. Fear no reader(I think the s is optimistic), Rum, Scotch, Gin, wine etc is plentiful. Fear not lager lovers, the next ships due in in three weeks loaded down with Steinlager. Generator FAIL Genset dead again, burnt out belt on the alternator, due to seized alternator. Irony. Genset's main 220 volt output is primarily used to charge the batteries, alternator to errrr, charge the start battery. I.E. we don't even friggin need it. Oh yes we do cos its the same belt as drives the water pump that cools the engine, and the tension adjust, like a car its on the alternator. Plan is to get someone to weld a pulley to a lump of metal and use that instead of the alternator. micro; not-so-tough Why oh why is there no lovely pic of my new driving licence in this post. My long suffering, RS600 capsized, dropped, snorkelled and fish bitten camera leaked today so I can't photograph it. Look here for its swansong. I think its a testament to me, that the engineers have designed and refined the Olympus micro; range of camera's to be water shock and generally anything proof. Leaders in the go anywhere camera field. My lifestyle - rather than actual misuse* has killed 2 of them. I'm not proud. Or tired. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow or possibly the day after. bugger the international date line. Rally time changes over tomorrow(Wednesday), Steve was I believe, going to go "All blue water rally Yachts, this is Island Kea you Net controller for today...I here by declare it Tomorrow(Thursday) sianara! Island Kea Out" Unfortunately enchantress who do Thursday's net sorted it out over VHF about half an our ago. We do the morning declare the change, and then they do the evening net cos then it will be Thursday. Trouble 't mill A boat called Enchantress (no relation to the BWR boat) was missing, there only long ranch coms is an automatic position transmission system. They changed destination and stopped at the Beverage Reef. This is a tinny horseshoe of coral in the middle of nowhere, the only bit that sticks above water is a wreck. Its very hard to find on our charts unless you know where to look. Enchantress has no engine. So people were worried. Turns out there OK, they're here. Several of our boats where trying to find them. As was a boat called tar baby, a thirty two footer. Two days ago Tar Baby's EPIRB (emergency position indicating radio beacon) went off. They've been dis-masted. They're now safe on a fishing vessel bound for Samoa. Noboby was available to tow them and it probably wasn't possible in the weather we've been having. I suspect they did the math. Old small boat, mid pacific, uninsured. Availability of mast here zero. So boat is not viable. * OK so apart form the fish biting it indecent, that's probably not covered by the guarantee. http://www.oceanhippie.net/content.php?Res=2304 http://www.oceanhippie.net/content.php?Res=2304 Wed, 16 Jun 2010 23:01:33 GMT Non readers of Terry Pratchett may not have come across the term Dwarf Bread. I think he was taking the piss out of the Fantacy/Science fiction plot tool system. Probably Tolkien's The Hobbit primarily. Almost all sci fi shows have "replicators" which produce food, fantasy books have waybread, or the Dwarves in the Hobbit "cram". Special bread that doesn't go off weighs nothing and gives a fully balanced diet. Allowing the protagonists to go on massive, extended quests with out having to deal with the bugbear of logistics. A review of Iraq or Afghanistan's military problems will unearth an astonishing array of problems that authors can use this plot tool to safely ignore. Note for Americans and other Aliens:A Pot Noodle is an British instant snackA plastic pot with a lid in which some noodle like substance some dried peasand flavourings lurk. Into which boilingwater is poured. A choice of flavours isavailable. To give an insight into the quality, the Beef and Tomato flavour is marked "Suitable for Vegetarians"Could be anything in 'em, except Poodle Terry Pratchett's rather clever take on Dwarf Bread is that you can walk for miles on it, mostly in the hope of finding something other than Dwarf Bread to eat. Kind of like a Not Poodle. Its amazing how much less hungry I feel if the only option is a Not Poodle. I'd be prepared to walk half way across middle earth rather than have to pot noodle. Sauron's Kebab shop sounds attractive compared to a Not Poodle. Remember many moons ago I said we had 400 beers on board. Nearly all gone now. Gone are the Balboas, the Sobernos(Sober? No!), all that's left is the one slab of the "King of Beers". Budweiser. Its piss. I mean I remember the comment from a Brewery tour in the UK "Its made from rice cos its cheaper and its crap" its true, it is made from rice, it tastes of nothing it is without doubt the worst slop I have ever tasted. It makes that bottle of peach schnapps with cigarette ends in it left over after a party seem an attractive bet. Its Dwarf Beer, it will slate your thirst across miles and miles of open ocean, in the hope that you can find something else. Sea water maybe? Hinano Beer de Tahiti When I say its the worst slop in the world, well nobody really listens to that line. The xxxx in the world. You've never seen the world, you've only been to Scunthorpe and the East End. OK So I haven't been to the whole world. But I've been to 45 countries (or autonomous colonies or similar) not counting Wales and Scotland, and I always try the local beer. Its the worst beer in a very significant portion of the world. This is where the problem comes, Nuie's a small islands, the ships come in rarely, there's a bakery come pool hall, no brewery and the Yacht Clubs out of beer. Thank God we've some Hinano left on board, not enough but some. They're a snip at about 5 times the price of the Budweiser. Budweiser its shit That's not really part of the post, its just a header that makes this page friendlier to google and the like. Dear Budweiser Lawyer's, this page is NOT defamatory it is truthful. Your beer is truly dreadful. Please by all means complain to my ISP he'll probably agree with me, he might even be able to drink your foul brew (beer's off his menu cos if gluten I think), or take me to court. I'm convinced having tried your miserable excuse for a beverage that I am right. I'm pretty sure I can convince a jury that I am an expert on beer drinking, I've certain diligently practised. Man that would be a hell of a court case. A thousands of Lagers, 12 of my peers and some glasses. It would make a hell of a youtube video too, the fight between the Judges on who gets too hear the case. Might not be able to prove the 45 countries thing though, I didn't bother to tell some of them I was there saving them time and pasport stamp ink. http://www.oceanhippie.net/content.php?Res=2272 http://www.oceanhippie.net/content.php?Res=2272 Sat, 12 Jun 2010 19:35:12 GMT I AREN'T DEAD Probably, going to be off-line for a while, till Nuie probably. more than a week. Tom http://www.oceanhippie.net/content.php?Res=2244 http://www.oceanhippie.net/content.php?Res=2244 Sun, 06 Jun 2010 16:17:21 GMT Drawing by W. Bligh. The William Bligh Thunk. Thunk. What is that knocking? Knocking at my cabin door? Thunk Thunk, out there darkness, nothing moor! Oh its a bloody mooring buoy, Thunk, knocking on the hull THE SAME bloody mooring buoy thunk the Boring Boring YC. Thunk The noise is quite annoying, last time I was here I was down the blunt end, and Alan had his cabin up the pointy end, near the thunking noise. Still, looks like I'll have to get used to it. Were here, having put up with strong winds disrupting our visits to Raiatea, there's now nothing for days and we want to leave for Rarotonga soon. Sod's and Murphy's laws apply to sailing big time. As Steve put it, being stuck in Bora Bora is hardly a strain or likely to instill sympathy in others. Its very hard to complain about really. Looks like were going for a walk up to the WWII gun battery after some pan cakes. Hopefully there will be pictures. Yesterday's pictures have disappeared. More camera worries. You know I said the water is always bluer on the other side of the reef. Well actually I didn't I said the other side of the Lagoon, but I've improved it since then. It is. We drove round Riatea and this is what we saw. Click for massive version. http://www.oceanhippie.net/content.php?Res=2242 http://www.oceanhippie.net/content.php?Res=2242 Mon, 31 May 2010 18:44:10 GMT We went of yesterday, its still blowy here and the most sheltered spot is here, on a "booowee" off the Taravana YC in Tahaa. We like it here. Meal 2 nights ago was the best fish I've had since Jackie's cooking on Jackal 2 years ago. And That's high praise indeed. Jack can do stuff to a Mahi Mahi or a lobster that would make it glad to be caught. Expensive though. We went off on a bit of a trip again, having been here at the YC for a few days, anchored three times out by a Motu on the leeward side of Tahaa. Three times I dropped it right in the middle of a patch of sand three times it dragged and tangled insecurely in a pile of coral. In the end we went elsewhere. Thankfully there are quite a few mooring buoy's around here. Our ground tackle isn't really up to the depths most places round here. Motu's Ground tackle? Were getting behold the realms of the Ladybird book of boats here. Terminology (both obscure sailing terms and seriously obscure) Aft Backwards in a the boat, or the back of the boat. Anchor A big metal hook thing, used to attach the boat to the bottom of the sea, they come in several types. Anchorage A bay or shallow patch into which the wind is always blowing at the wrong strength and or angle in which it is supposed to be possible to put and anchor down without dragging into something unpleasant Anchoring Parking the boat at sea, can only be done in sheltered water, where it is shallow enough and holding is good. If you have chain you need to use 4 times as much chain as the depth of water, so we have 55m of chain on board. We get nervous if we have more than 15m of water. Astern Behind a boat Atoll A ring shaped islands, where the original volcanic island has eroded away and or sunk back beneath the waves, as its been happening the coral continues to grow around the edge till there is no island, just the ring of coral where it was. Most atolls will not survive global warming. Autopilot A Electronic/Electrical/Hydraulic/Mechanical system that steer the boat for your. See Unreliable. Beacon a navigation mark mounted on something solid, either on land or in shallow water. Beating Going up wind in a sailboat, ins a series of zigzags (slow and uncomfortable), not what is done to mutineers. Berth Either a bunk on a boat or a slot in a marina where you park a boat. Bimini A metal frame and fabric awning open at the sides over the cockpit to primarily keep the sun off, and some rain shelter. Blunt End Back of the boat (stern) Boom Metal pole attached to the bottom of a sail. Bow Front of the boat Bunk A bed Buoy A floating thing tied to the bottom of the sea. These are either navigational marks, which are there to inform/confuse boats into avoiding rocks and shallows or for racing around (usually known as marks). Or are Mooring Buoys which are for tieing your boat too. Cardinal Mark A type of yellow and black marker used to indicate which side it is safe to go. Come in North, two black cones pointing up, South 2 pointing down, West pointing together, and east pointing apart. Chinese Gybe The act of gybing by mistake. Choppy Used primarily as an understatement, especially by the English especially in the past tense. If some ones says "looks a bit choppy out there" tie everything down, don full oilies, and check your life insurance policy. In reality it mean short steep seas, often seen in coastal waters. Not large, but annoying. Close Hauled Sailing as with the wind as close to the bow of the boat as possible usually about 45 degrees. Cockpit A recessed area on the deck of a yacht, where the crew usually hangs out, contains the tiller or wheel to steer the boat, and on most boats the winches and ropes to control the sails. The social centre of most boats in good weather. Crew Flag Unofficial, but almost universal practice of hoisting country flags up the port side of a yacht mast on mixed country crews. E.G. Ornen, swedish boat, flew a Red Ensign and a Auzzie flag on the port side for me and Roz. Island Kea doesn't fly a Icelandic flag at present due to the volcano thing. Cruseing chute A type of asymmetric spinnaker that is slightly easier to set than a conventional spinnaker Courtesy Flag When abroad it is considered respectfully to fly the flag of the country your are in up the right hand side of the mast. If no flag available. Paper cardboard etc can be substituted. Caution needs to be applied to this, in secessionist areas or independent areas you can cause offence by flying the mother land's flag. Customs People who never inspect your boat, for plutonium, crack cocaine, or automatic weapons so long as you fill out forms right. Davits Mini cranes on the back of the boat for hoisting in dinghies. Dinghy See tender for yachtie use, other wise itrsquo;s a small boat. Dodger England: A small piece of heavy cloth attached to the guar rail near the back of a boat to stop spray getting into the cockpit. American's use this term for a spray hood. Donkey See Engine Downwind Usually used to denote sailing with the wind generally behind you or-at-least-no-further- forward than the beam. Sometimes used instead of leeward Dragging When your anchor doesn't bite into the bottom and slides along the sea floor. Dropping the Hook See anchoring. El Nino A weird and misunderstood weather phenomenon in the south pacific, which occurs (according to english people) 9 years in every ten and is responsible for the predictability of wet bank holiday weekends in northern europe. Electricity In boats this is either 12volt batteries or 24volt batteries. + some form of mains, either from shore, a genny or an inverter. Given the range of countries and boats, you need to know if you need 12v 24v DC, 110v 50hz, 110v60Hz 200(ish)v 50Hz or 200(ish)v 60Hz AC or various permutations of the above. No boats have enough of this (whatever it is) Engine (auxiliary) Converts large quantities of diesel fuel, filters, oil and impellers to slow forward motion through the water. Expensive See sailing Finger Pontoon Posh marina's have their docks like this, one boat each side of a finger off the main dock, like the teeth on a comb. Cheaper marinas have just strait dock that your go Stern Too on. Flogging The act of selling ones boat, oilies and nautical equipment when one has had enough of bloody sailing. Four stroke a type of infernal combustion engine, which is complicated expensive, heavy, low emission and totally unsuited for say small simple applications like outboard motors or scooters. Therefore approved by the European minion. Furl(er) Many modern boats have roller reefing/furling you pull a rope and it rolls (furls) up the thing that does it is a furler. Galley The Kitchen area of a boat. Generator (marine) An auxiliary, auxiliary, diesel engine used solely to generate electricity. See Unreliable. Genny See genoa, or generator, depending on context. George See Autopilot Green a colour used to denote left. You leave green buoys to port, vessels display a green light on their starboard side etc. Ground Tackle The anchor and associated equipment, chain or warp. Gybe The act of moving the sails from one side of the boat to the other with the wind behind. Often quite violently. Halyards a piece of rope for hauling a sail up the mast. Harbour Master Man who's in charge of a harbour. Collecting fees, allocating berths, making sure you don't get in the way of something important. Heads Toilet, usually manual pumped affairs with sea water piped in and waste piped out. Headsail A generic name for sails set on the front of the boat. Holding The condition of the bottom in which you are trying to anchor "good holding" means bottom is nice sand or thick mud where an anchor is likely to work well. "Poor holding" rock, or broken shale where you have hope your anchor will bite into a crevicehellip;.. Immigration People who stamp passports Impeller A rubber starfish thing used to pump water round marine engines to keep them cool Inverter Converts the ships batteries to main AC voltage, possibly at a murderous exchange rate. Lagoon This is the area of shallow water between an island and its fringing reef. Leeward Down wind from the observer. Usually the observers boat. Locker Cupboard Mooring Buoy A buoy, usually attached to a large lump of concrete - say an old chest freezer full of cement, with a piece of rope tied to a floating object. Used instead of anchoring. Motu A small low lying coral island part of a larger reef/island, but with water around. Pointy End Front of the boat (bow) Oilies Abbreviation of Oil Skins, now very expensive waterproofs, which no matter how much you spend can't actually keep you completely dry. Osmosis It turns out fiberglas isn't waterproof. This is a bit of a bugger since most yachts are made of it. Mostly a problem with older boats, water permeates the fibreglass, leeching out chemicals, symptom's include blistering on the hull. The problem is massively accelerated by placing a yacht in warm tropical waters. Its the biological process you, like me, learned about at school, which neither you nor I can remember. Osmose To keep you boat in the tropics for a long period (so causing osmosis) to be encouraged. Ok so I invented this one. Pollywog Someone's who's not crossed the Equator, by boat. See shellback Reef Under water or just exposed rocks. Or to reduce sail. (reefing = the act of reducing sail, not wandering around on rocks) Reliable In a marine context this means "only breaks occasionally". Rolly A description, frequently an understatement attached to conditions which cause the boat to roll from side to side and spill your drink. Often used in conjunction to the word anchorage. Running Sailing with the wind behind you (a bit more specific than downwind) Sailing The art of getting wet and becoming Ill whilst going nowhere at great expense. (Mike Pyton quote I think) Saloon The lounge/dinning room of a boat Sheets either a bit of rope used to control a sail or things that are supposed to catch the sweat of the tropics before they soak into the foam mattress (or mop up engine oil) Shellback Someone's who's crossed the Equator, by boat. See pollywog Snuffer A sort or bottom less bucket with a sock attached pulled over a spinnaker on a cruising boat to make it easier to hoist or drop Solar Panels These are the most reliable electrical generations system a boat can have, they are also the weakest. A 2ft by 2 ft panel will put out one amp at twelve volts for about 8 hours a day in the tropical sunshine Spinnaker A large colourful sail, set out of the front of the boat that is impossible to keep full in light wind, dangerous and impossible to get down in strong winds. Spray hood. A collapsible metal fame covered in fabric and transparent plastic, that is mounted on the front of the cockpit to keep rain and spray out. SSB Single sideband radio, a good set, coupled with a good antenna (usually the backstay) and good grounding I.E. a metal place on the bottom of the yacht, the right frequency, the right channels the right licence and the right time of day can be used to discus signal strengths and levels of noise of a up to half way around the world (though only in selected pockets) or a few hundred at practical frequencies. Starboard The right hand side of a boat as looking forward Starboard Hand Marker A green buoy or beacon, conical or with a conical top mark left to starboard on the way into a harbour in system A areas. Stern Back of a boat. Stern Too A practice, particularly common in the Mediterranean where you put the back of the boat to the dock and either put sunken lines on the bow to keep it off or your own anchor to keep the nose out to sea. Swell Long slow oceanic waves often traveling long distances from where they were formed. Wavelengths are huge so they're not a problem till they strike shallow water. System A buoyage Red buoys on the left on the way into a harbour, green on the right. Used every where but the Americas System B buoyage Red buoys on the right on the way into a harbour, green on the left. Used in the americas Tack(ing) To tack is the act of moving the sails from one side of the boat to the other with the wind coming from in front of the boat. Also the forward bottom corner of sail. Tender A small boat (dinghy) used to get from the big yacht to the shore. Tide The effects of the moon's gravitation, the sun's gravitation, the planetary tilt and the elliptical orbits of the earth and sun produce very predictable changes in the water level around the planet. Called tides. These vary the depth of water in any given point predictably, allowing for the flow of water to fill up or lower the water. This makes everything complicated. Even if you've got the tides predicted they're never quite right cos atmospheric pressure moves them up and down as does wind, large waves, especially breaking over reefs etc. Its the flows of water as much as the height that are a right bugger. Towed Water Generator A type of shark fishing equipment consisting of a metal weight with spinning blades tied by string to a small alternator on the back of the boat. Converts half an knot of boat speed to a small amount of electricity (until bitten off). Has 2 sets of blades, one small set for high speed, large set for slow speeds. Normal boat speed is where the little blades are slow and big blades skip out of the water due to excess speed. Trade Wind A large area of constant, and predictable wind over a long period and or large area. Caused by the Inter tropical convergence zone and areas of established high pressure in temperate latitudes. Or something. North East to East in the Northern Hemisphere, South East or east in the Southern. Trades See trade wind Transit Lining up of 2 objects, usually special lights or pole to allow you to stay on a line through say a harbour entrance. Also used laterally to determine whether the boats forward motion through the water is more or less than the tides motion the other way. Two stroke a type of infernal combustion engine, which is simple cheap, easy to maintain, light and for a given value of reliable, reliable. Ideal for small marine applications like outboard motors Therefore banned by the European minion. Unreliable Most things on a boat are unreliable, the sea on which the boat is on is unreliable, the wind is unreliable the weather forecasts are particularly unreliable. Even the (see reliable) reliable things on a boat are pretty unreliable. VHF Very High Frequency, marine radio, used in conjunction with a masthead antenna (that hasn't got salt water in the cables) gives a range of 25 miles Water Maker A machine for turning seawater into fresh water, using the principals of reverse osmosis. They consume large amounts of power, are very unreliable and expensive. Wench A woman on a boat used to pull ropes. As opposed to a woman on a boat solely to do the cooking/cleaning. Winch A winedy thing used to pull ropes. (Not to be confused with Wench Wind Generator A noisy spinning engine of death that generates small amounts of electricity per unit of noise or wind. Wind Vane A mechanical contraption attached to the back of the boat which uses the power of the wind and the direction of the wind to steer the boat an a pre-set angle to the wind. Vaguely Windward Up wind from the observer. Usually the observers boat. Yellow Flag Yachts entering a country must fly one of these up the right hand side of the mast till they have cleared customs, Immigration, quarantine etc. Usually left up permanently. http://www.oceanhippie.net/content.php?Res=2241 http://www.oceanhippie.net/content.php?Res=2241 Thu, 27 May 2010 23:34:47 GMT What can you see? You sea the sea, and Tahiti and the Lagoon. The image below is just a thumbnail. Click to view/download the full version. Click for the full file, or right click and save as to use offline http://www.oceanhippie.net/content.php?Res=2240 http://www.oceanhippie.net/content.php?Res=2240 Thu, 27 May 2010 16:18:12 GMT High Quality Pearls Pearl Farming is rampant around here. Back not like the white ones you get from countries like Japan. First you get your oysters up from the depth of 6-10 meters, they're hung on buoys under the water in strings. look In them with a special tool. What they are looking for is a nice dark mother of pearl inside the oyster. The mother of pearl is what determines the final pearls colour. At this point its time for one oyster in 30 to lay down its life. A nice coloured one gets levered open. The dark skin around the edge gets cut into 30 tiny pieces. Thirty more oysters are levered very slightly open, and a little sack at the bottom cut open, into it is inserted one of the tinny bits of the sacrificial oysters flesh and a ball made of the shell of a Mississippi clam. Why? I have no idea. I suspect its about production time. Pearls take (don't quite me on this) 18 months to 2 years to grow. If you were to put a grain of sand in there, you'd either get a very small pearl or have to wait a hell of a lot longer. The woman from the pearl farm glossed over this bit. A cross section of a pearlNote the Mississippi clam seed Pearl grows from the bit of the edge of the poor old oyster who cops it, and around the seed. When you come to harvest the pearls, they come out in three types. Perfectly spherical pearls. Single symmetry pearls, either tear-drop or button shaped. And asymmetric pearls where there's no symmetry at all. These pearls are made into bead curtains, or thrown out. Dross. The crap pearls are bad news for the oyster, cos there just thrown out. No good. The other oysters that have produced good pearls are re-implanted and more pearls are grown. You can get up to 6 pearls from a single oyster, but since some don't make it, others produce pearls that are crap, eaten by turtles etc there's quite a high failure rate. The larger pearls are rarer since they have to be made using the larger, therefore older oysters - the ones that make it to the fifth or sixth pearl. The good pearls are graded, though colour varies, its not of great importance to the value. The ones around here vary from grey to black with shades of lustrous green and purply red. What they're graded by are imperfections, dimples, lack of lustre etc. Grade a pearls have an imperfection covering less than 5%. Judicious use of drill and mounting and that disappears. As you go down the grades you get more imperfections and less lustre. Low quality pearls can be quite cheap, but then you have to mount them. Good ones in nice settings are costing the blokes on this rally money that could be spent on boats..... http://www.oceanhippie.net/content.php?Res=2239 http://www.oceanhippie.net/content.php?Res=2239 Wed, 26 May 2010 19:46:56 GMT Now we were light winded and then becalmed when trying to make big passages. Now were tied to a buoy with 20, frequently gusting higher wind and lots of rainy squalls. Shame fabulous bay this. Funnels the wind a bit more than we'd like. Cockpit with a View Got soaked going ashore in the dinghy, misjudged a gap in the squalls. Lovely bar the Hibiscus family hotel/pension. We were the only folks in it. This is getting to be a habit. This ocean is painful quiet at present. French Polynesia has always been fabulously expensive. Guess people can't afford to come, last time I was here I was technically. All right defiantly in cyclone season. Even so the place yacht is surprisingly on the slim side this trip. Less busy than out of yacht season last time. Cross pacific round the world travels aren't spur of the moment things and they take a while to prepare for/get going. And once you leave the Windwards/Leewards in the Caribbean there's no where to sell your boat till Australia. This years UK pacific crossers at the left England a year ago. Preparing the boat for a good while before hand in many cases. Many will not have done so in the current climate. French Polynesia is an expensive holiday destination, many cheaper alternatives exist. Guess its bad news for the Polynesians. The French military garrison on Tahiti is to be halved. Not good for the housing market. Maybe the prices over here will drop? Empty Beach, empty bar, the sun goes down alone Three things are produced here, copra - coconut, used in a wide variety of products, particularly the cosmetics industry. Noni fruit, a foul tasting and ridiculously easy to grow fruit that's full of anti oxidants and pearls. Black pearls. The girls on rally have taken to them with a vengeance. However they are also a luxury commodity. I guess I'm saying now might be the time, if your still solvent to look for that paradise trip. All the hotels are mostly empty. Restaurants frequently closed. Don't get me wrong, its not served by easyjet. But.. maybe just maybe, they'll be deals out there. You can get to see some of the most Paradise islands there are, and believe me. They're great. Obviously the weather is inclement today, I'm taking this philosophically. I know that while I may be rained on here, and when it rains it doesn't mess about. Tomorrow or at least next week it will be fabulous again. What I guess I'm saying is if you do come here try and book a 2 week trip...... Just in case. One of our more philosophical tour guides said, "if the French and the tourists left, the Polynesians would probably go back to growing fruit, fishing and sitting under a tree all day." I'm not sure he's right, and he was at least partly Polynesian, Hawaiian originally. But here fruit grows easily, fish abound, reefs protect the islands, and the tree's are lovely and shady. Apparently you get a year of roofing out of palm leaves. 5 out of a different sort of thatch. I've been to Melanesian islands somewhat like that. All thatched huts, fruit, fish and pigs. Deep inside a part of me yearns for a life like that. God I wish I wasn't a geek some time's pretty sure I couldn't live like that. Shame really. The Polynesian Triangle For non students of the Pacific, Polynesia, as opposed the "French Polynesia" is a triangle. The top of which is Hawaii the south eastern corner is Easter Island, the South Western corner is New Zealand. Not the most populous, but in terms of area. Fucking massive. Tonga, Fiji Vanuatu etc are Melanesian. The other islands up towards asia are Micronesia. http://www.oceanhippie.net/content.php?Res=2237 http://www.oceanhippie.net/content.php?Res=2237 Mon, 24 May 2010 17:15:35 GMT A motu Raiatea, and Tahaaaaaaaa? The crew are stuck in a perpetual pronunciation loop. We keep trying to work out whether Faaaha and Faaha are the same place. The trouble is that by the time we get to pronouncing "Fa" "ah" "ah" in attempt to say it we've fogoton whether the las "ah" was an extra a or the "ha". No we've no idea. We've started looking for a Baaaa. So we can sit down and have a beer and try it again with a couple of Hinano's in us. Were in a bay called Faroa, on Raiatea. Seven letters 2 consonants! and sometimes an apostrophe. Next too what used to be a charter base. Yesterday we took a trip up the river at the end of the bay. Too much time spent in the Caribbean, some guy in a canoe appeared and paddled up there with us acting as a guide. Not only did he not tap us for money he tried to drag us ashore to give us fruit. Work it out There's a big difference between the Caribbean Islands and the Pacific Islands. In the Caribbean people will try and charge you for: Looking after your dinghy, tying a rope round a palm tree. Walking the pub. Breathing. Acting as a guide to your own cockpit. etc etc. The Pacific Islands aren't like that. Some woman in Rangrioa (metalled road 6km, loop in one end so one junction) actually stopped when I put my thumb out and tried to give me a lift, with the Gendarme in the passenger seat. Turned out she was in the middle of her driving test. le Gendarme ne pas amused! "I'll have a vowel please Carol. Another vowel please Carol, another vowel please Carol and another, and one more. A consonant please, and just so its no alone another consonant." Guide Canoe Biddy biddy bedierbitbp BOOONNNNGG. "Times Up what do you have for us?" "Well Richard I've got Raiatea". No you haven't that's wrong cos its supposed to have an apostrophe in there somewhere. "You Stripy jacketed, Git" We slipped before I was finished this morning, now In Utaroa, along side the town quay. Nice. Palm trees, water tap is on the other side of the petrol station, closed on bank holiday so I've just done my Laundry. Hopefully the bugs in the Ioranet wifi system will have been sorted out and I'll be able to upload this. We'll see. Diatribe will follow if not. I'd rant to my friends if they were here, and whats the internet for if not for ranting? http://www.oceanhippie.net/content.php?Res=2236 http://www.oceanhippie.net/content.php?Res=2236 Sat, 22 May 2010 17:59:27 GMT Still in Moorea, yesterday, despite some very suspicious VHF usage including the letting slip of the "secret girls channel" - eleven. Pete off Perigriana was disappointed, his 60th birthday and nobody was really paying attention. We were, we just managed to prevent him finding out about it. He was going out for Pizza with only Spirit of Nina. The bar never open's here, even when is says it does. So the darkened bar, came as no surprise to him. The bar maid turning up with a flower head dress and a lei did, followed by the whole rally with food music and booze did. I think he cheered up at that point. I'm feeling it today drank half a bottle of Rum yesterday. We're off, most people stayed for the Party and the Rally's breaking up again. Were of to Raiatea, others are going around the corner to the next bay or to Huahine. We'll be going to Boring Boring then the cook's, It will be good to get somewhere a little cheaper! Anyway, I like the cooks. and Nuie. Uploaded a new video, shot by Steve on Aspen of us leaving Rangiroa, tide was running like a bastard. Here it is. Its in the video's section too. Site Updates: I've improved the search button, a lot. I've added suport to find inividual photos. I've also gone through a lot of recent photo galleries adding tags. So it can now find photos as well. As I keep refereing to boats on the rally, wich means nowt to any none rallyist. You can no look at them using "Boat Spotters of the Caribbean" photo gallery since one yacht looks pretty much like another even to me, not sure how much help it will be. http://www.oceanhippie.net/content.php?Res=2176 http://www.oceanhippie.net/content.php?Res=2176 Sat, 15 May 2010 19:45:58 GMT I bet her internet don't work I'm in Cook's Bay Moorea, there are 3 forms of WiFi available, I've paied for both and neither will work. When everyone asked why we give the Internet away free on Brighton Beach I say "cos were nice people". Its also cos its bloody hard to make it work well enough to charge for it. I understand and sympathise with Ioranet and hotspotWDG, I know its hard. But I have paid, succeeded in paying, all gone through and everything, now give me my bloody password, your unsing chillispot for god's sake, I know that software like the back of my hand. I can make it sit up and beg and Ioranet, it says "No usage time remaining" right next to the history of me paying your for time! Grrrr. The net result is no idea when this will get uploaded. I've been remiss in my blogging since I got to French Polynesia really. Its great here. Exchange rate's improving thanks to Greece as well. As I said the rally is in Cook's Bay, guess what that's named after. He was a captain. Knocked around these parts alot. Far be it from me to argue with such a man about an anchorage. I've been here before, we found it very deep. Errr Al if your reading this we anchored in the marine reserve bit that says "No Anchoring" Doh! Outrigger Sailing Canoe Took a look around yesterday. More pictures of the anchorage are in the Moorea Gallery. From better angles this time. Cos we hired a car yesterday to look around. Last time we were late leaving from Papeete, so were going to get to boring boring in the dark. So we anchored looked and left. Amongst other things one of the posh hotels has a dolphin centre, festooned with writings about "Education". Its a dolphin petting zoo. Where the rich can pay to pet a dolphin. Its not the dolphinarium I object to its the pathetic cover. They've also a sick turtle sanctuary. One of who's occupants was clearly dead. Floating, blown against the fence not moving, with its shell half cracked by the sun and the submerged part of the shell growing weed. Great sanctuary. Hmm my spell check can't get dolphinarium it suggests delphinium..... Part of my lack of blogging is due to the lovely trips I've been doing. Here's some advice, which I guess I already knew. Dolphinarium crap, Guagin museum crap. Scenery awesome. French Polynesia is expensive as hell. The best bits are free. Sunset from Island Kea Fortunately the rally have put on some stuff, the aforementioned outrigger sailing canoe and dancers. I'll do a gallery at some point, I didn't take my camera to the dancers. Katrin has changed card's on hers and I've not got hold of it yet. The above picture is from Gill on Spirit of Nina, she can't complain after all the IT support I've given them! Many of the dancers male and female hips are more blurred than Elvis in his latter, flabbly days. The effects of very fast hip movements in low light. Now I got dragged in the the pig dance in Nuku Hiva (too low light to be usable) others got into this one. I was feeling sick any way. My hips do not move that fast. I'd have dislocated my pelvis if I'd tried that. Island kea Updates The boat is running well. The huge battery bank used to power the boat has seemed week and feeble. The long engine run to Rangiroa seems to have done it a power of good. The last time it had a good charge was Antigua. And that was off the mastervolt nobby battery charger. Mastervolt are in my opinion too clever by half. Because of our generator troubles. We've bought a little Jackal style petrol generator. Its power ouput is a bit messy and the mastervolt detects it and won't charge. Damn. Our main generator is fixed. But not as happy as we'd like. Quite a lot of gunk comes out of the breather from the crank case. Stuck or damaged piston rings probably. We're piping this through the old screen for the water and out a pipe on deck. It seems to be running ok...... touch wood. Island Kea leaves Rangiroa Katrin is Icelandic, not flying the flag right now, financial crisis and volcanoes being what they are. She's got three brothers, all marine engineers. They, she, and the world in general are wondering why they are at home on land and she is in the middle of the pacific with a dodgy marine generator. One of them had a skype call he is positive about our generators survival chances. We got alot done in Tahiti, and I fixed tweaked or played with a lot of peoples IT problems. Also swaped some photos. Steve and Maria off "Aspen" decided to photograph us leaving the pass at Tiputu in Rangiroa. Partly for us and partly I suspect to see what happened. The large southerly swell was throwing waves over the reefs and motus on the southern side. Acting as a pump to fill the Lagoon up. It meant the pass never stopped ebbing. We punched into it and we flew out like a cork from a bottle. They shot video as well and its fab! Not even going to try and uploaded it right now, even if I could get on line. http://www.oceanhippie.net/content.php?Res=2146 http://www.oceanhippie.net/content.php?Res=2146 Wed, 12 May 2010 22:57:16 GMT Its doing what it does a lot in the pacific, raining. A lot. Soaking out there. Do you all feel better now. We've been out on a tour, in the rain. The first stop at the water fall was impressive, its wasn't actually raining. But there was so much spray the results were the same, only colder. The chief was so protective of his beautiful daughter that he assigned 3 of his greatest warriors to keep the boys away. One day she met a boy in the woods, they talked but the warriors drove him away. Next day she went back up the valley and ran ahead of the warriors to meet him. Now the boy admitted that he was in fact the genie of the valley. And created 2 small water falls to hide behind. The third he created to sweep the warriors to their death. Ok that's one version. In the other they were running to stay ahead of the warriors, slipped and fell to their deaths. The first two waterfalls appeared where they fell. The warriors following saw what happened, looked at each other (presumably), realised that the chief was going to kill them, literally, and probably eat them too. And they too jumped and the the big waterfall formed where they fell. You basstards you ate my camera Then my poor, long suffering, camera got bitten by a fish. To add to its previously documented problems, it now has a scratch on the screen. The restaurant had fish pens out the back. Full of medium (ok for England large) fish. I did what any sensible man wound do put the self timer on and dangled it in the water. The little bastards nearly ripped it out of my hands. After the rather poor (and wet), Gauguin Museum, we stopped at some caves, due to the slightly overfull coach I'd ended up in the small extra people carrier. I was late, that's how, I admit it. We were ahead of the mob in the coach, with the Tourism office guide, the big cave with curative powers. Was fenced off, due to health and bloody safety. So I obviously shinned over the fence and paddled in the pool, I was wet anyway. Cured of all athletes foot I heard the Rally representative hissing "get back she's coming", referring to the guide so over the fence I went, and proceeded to carry on my musing on a rock against the gate. The guide duly arrived and said "If you were Polynesian" you'd just go over the gate, we do". I laughed and said I already had. I may not in fact have had my feet cured of athletes food by the medicinal cave pool cos I don't have it, it didn't cure Gauguin's syphilis either. Doesn't cure Syphilis She did have a go at me later for entering a Tiki site and not being a priest. Right in Malaysia I offended the Buddhists, I'm forever bothering the God botherers. Ahhhhh another Religion offended. I was trying to Photograph our first stop, a blow hole sandwiched between the road and the cliff, glamorous. It wasn't doing much so closer and closer I snuck. WHOOSH. My totally redundant sunnies, hooked into the top of my T-Shirt flew fifteen feet down the road my hat went. I blinked my smarting eyes turned to look as it soared away to land 40 feet down the road. Eye's still sting now. If it hadn't been for the bizarre incidents the trip would have been a little disappointing. Yesterday I was sick, like last time I was here. Went sailing on an out rigger canoe anyway. Saw some very pretty Tahitian dancing girls, and went home and missed the pub, I was that sick. Will no go and retrieve photos of said dancing girls, and of me in the outrigger canoe and see if I can't inflict them on you later. Thanks to PierToPier.net (currently running in down town Papeete) I can leave my laptop on board. http://www.oceanhippie.net/content.php?Res=2143 http://www.oceanhippie.net/content.php?Res=2143 Wed, 05 May 2010 19:46:29 GMT Repairing dinghies, is a git. The Brighton Drinking Sailing Club Rescue Boat has had a leak for years, its right next to a joint on the rubbing strip on the side. Instructions say, if you must have an inch of patch from the hole all round. In my experience, and I suspect every ones else's as well you never get a hole more than half an inch from a seam or fitting. Its bloody infuriating. This one is right next to the strip that holds the handles. I suspect - and I did it properly, I used the Shampoo method, it won't work. I suspect it will end up like the SC's rescue boat. Not cured but better. I'm thinking pump once a day not every trip. Shampoo YouBy Shampoo The "Shampoo method" may take some some explaining. As per bloody usual, there's no instructions on the tube of glue. Not a problem its like inner tube repair or contact adhesive, you cover the boat and the patch and wait a while then press them together, forever. So I decided since "a while" is a bit vague. Here's where the Shampoo (capital S is not a typo) comes in. I decided that by the time I'd smeared the glue and cleaned my fingers, the 'orrid, pre Spice Girls band's song Shampoo You, of the classic Album "We are Shampoo" was just the right amount of time to wait. You can listen to this nineties classic using the play button left (hipIplayer). Dinghy's are a yachties best friend, and worst enemy. This is the first time since mid February I've not had to use it to go everywhere. The food for the pacific, including 17 slabs of lager, bottled water, gerry cans of fuel and water its all come aboard by dinghy. Trips snorkeling, the pub, beach BBQ's all in the dinghy. We've 2 dinghies. A soft one, with and inflatable bottom (god knows what that phrase will do when it gets into Google search) and a rib. Rigid Inflatable Boat. We've 2 outboards as well. A heavy one and a light one, actually they're about the same weight. One works and is 9.8hp, its a 2 stroke. The other is still not working, is 4hp. I hate it. its a bloody 4 stroke, EU emissions friendly piece of shit. You put it down wrong the oil falls out. It weighs a ton, its covered with stoopid safety features and its carburetor is a M.C.Esher esque nightmare of pipes nozzles and tiny little holes many of which I have prodded and poked some are still blocked. It will run if A: you give it full welly and start it with the choke. B: You run it with the choke. C: you half choke it by putting your hand over the air intake. This outboard sunk, twice. Still ran.The dinghy called Jesus rose from the dead, after 3 days of repairs. Unfortunately rather than ascend toHeaven its sank to the depths. Frequently I've had troubles before with outboards, there are some tricks. they are some times hard to start, hard to get to idle properly. But mostly if you've problems you take out the spark plug clean it. Take the bottom off the carburetor and get the needle valve working. If your really smart adjust the screw on the carb till it idles properly. The only reason you clean the plug is if you've put too much oil in it. Flooded it (with fuel not water). Or you've been committing the cardinal sin of 2 strokes, too much choke. Starting a 2 stroke. Pull. Pull again, fiddle with throttle. Pull. DO NOT USE CHOKE. Pull again. Check fuel by pumping it to the carb using the bulb if it has one. Pull again. Check for whiff of petrol by now there should be one. Pull with high throttle - helps blow the excess fuel though if you've flooded it. Now if it is not starting you may engage the choke. For one pull only. If it starts, immediately release the choke and rev. If it doesn't start. Take the choke off again and do not re-choke for at least 7 more pulls. Often it will start on the pull after the choke. Repeated pulls with the choke on will either flood it or oil up the plug or both. Making it harder to start not easier. Requiring choke is a sign to my simple mind of clogged or semi cogged jets in the carb. disassemble and clean out jets. Piece of piss on a (small) 2 stroke. Watching my father trying to start lawnmowers as a child I've always wished I'd know then what I know now. It would have made life so much easier. Island by Island we crossed the pacific, and with the exception Jesus things were terrific, such an embarrassment it was to be in that craft, with hats pulled low we pumped and laughed. Pumping and pumping for me in a dinghy, Pumping and singing they've all been drinking, Pumping and bailing "oh god we're sinking", Pumping our way across the pacific.Extract from Roz's Poetry For instance Jesus's outboard sank twice. Pull the spark plug out pull to pump the water out of the cylinder. Rinse. Dry and add clean petrol and start. Remember the bit about pulling the spark plug out before turning it over. Air is compressible, water is not. if its full of water turing it over will break it. Badly. Jesus was Ornen's dinghy, it took 3 whole days to get it too rise form the dead. Unlike its namesake who ascended into heaven. This Jesus tended to descend to the depths. Frequently. Procedure was one to pump air, one to drive and one to bail the water out. Using it alone was a complex multitasking procedure. Dinghies are personal thing. On Ramprasd on my first big trip I shared a bunk with a seahopper folding dinghy. Great idea, it was a flat pram style dinghy. Of plywood. The joints were neoprene strips. It literally unfolded like a cardboard box. It was great to row, it could sail, light winds only or the leeward shroud went slack and fell off. It was found with 2 huge rastas sat in it on land in St Lucia. There after the seams gave out and it sank. That's when I found Jesus. Thorborjn on Ornen came to our rescue, he drove I pumped. Normally most people use some kind of inflatable. Rigid bottom's allow bigger outboards and faster. But are heavy and a bugger to store. Softer bottoms are lighter and can be collapsed, but if you put a larger outboard on them tend to fold up as your going along. An are easier to puncture. They go Psssssst bubble bubble when you hit something, rather than Crump. Neither is perfect, both usually row like a one legged dead kitten so outboards become the norm. To store people often fit davits on the back of the boat to put the dinghy in. If you do that its often hard to go stern too on the dock or go swimming. You can't usually have a wind vane either. There is no right answer here. Will some one please make a dinghy that's: Light Folds up small enough to go in a locker. Won't get punctured Goes fast and takes and large outboard Rows easily fast and strait. Carries a 10 gerry cans or 10 slab of beer + three (drunk) people. bounces off the yacht without marking it. Nope not happened yet. I expect cold fusion first. I'm secretly hoping if some cretinous sales person from a dinghy manufacturer will post a comment along the lines of "my design is perfect" so I can ridicule them. In light of the fact that tis Election day, please use the coment form below to indicate whether on not your prefer: Blog posts about fabulous tropical islands wonderfull natives and me having a fabulous time. Or posts about fixing the boat to dodgy tunes on the iPod. Oh and if by the time you're reading this the Torries are In at least I'm on the far side of the world. And if Gordon's till there, at least I'm on the far side of the world. This is a win win for me I think. http://www.oceanhippie.net/content.php?Res=2141 http://www.oceanhippie.net/content.php?Res=2141 Tue, 04 May 2010 20:02:26 GMT No wind, in Marina Taina, Papeete, Tahiti and man its hot. However expensive this Marina may be, its fatal mistake was to give us flat rate electricity. Its thirty something out side, baking sun and 24 degrees in side. We've got the air con on. We'll get our money's worth out of the Electrickery. Tied to the Land, not dingying ashore, with infinite electricity and water - out of a pipe. You have absolutely no idea what a pleasure that is. last time we were alongside with power was Shelter Bay in the Caribbean. We've dinghied ashore with Gerry cans and water a food and everything, charged batteries by engine or genny, watched our batteries, out tanks and our filters like hawks, we had too. And relax. View From Marina Taina,over the reef towards Moorea Unfortunately is blasting hot out side. I've fixed the wind generator (last worked in Panama). Locked up brushes on the swivel base. Errrr obviously that wasn't all the trouble it gave me. Its on a boat nothing is that simple. It sliced it cable the fold down for maintenance pole system didn't function as it was supposed to. Also the flat plate on the front of the cowling was cracked so I broke it. Its glued back together again and all working. We think there is no wind. Also its blades are made of glasfibre and have been in the tropical sun for more than 2 years. Their shedding. Despite a shower - infinite water is such a luxury I itch like mad with little pieces of glasfibre in me. The man arrived today to fix the generator. Poor sod looked awful daunted at the tinny hobit hole full of shite he had to crawl into. He's gone off with the heat exchanger. Here's a pocket explanation of what may have happened. Heat exchanger is a bugger to get at. Its made of copper, with end caps bolted on with steel. It contains an anode. Rust is a normal problem on boats. However dissimilar metals also corrode when dipped in an electrolyte. Such as sea water. Remember I said its a bugger to get at - that where the anode is. Even the professional service guy couldn't check it. An anode is a piece of galvanically attractive metal, often zinc, that is supposed to corrode first thus saving important bits. Manual says change every three months. NOT every 10 years. Due to a lazyness, the above picture is in fact 2 years old. Its the first time I've cut that corner so far this trip, sorry. Must find and charge camera. Anyone who tried the Nuku Hiva video yesterday and it didn't work should find it fixed now. http://www.oceanhippie.net/content.php?Res=2112 http://www.oceanhippie.net/content.php?Res=2112 Fri, 30 Apr 2010 15:14:32 GMT Yellow Fish Oh dear, my new Olympus indestructible waterproof freeze proof (handy) camera is slowly expiring. I say new one, the first one made it to Fiji last time before it decided to leak. It soldiered on above the waterline and was sent back as a corroded wreck with a dodgy cable flapping loose front. Marked repair under guarantee. They sent a new one. It has: A dent in the front (RS600 related I think) Intermittent flash - Flash. dun dun dun dun Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. The trim around the lens, is somewhere in Nuku Hiva. Water in the battery compartment. Jamming battery catch. Da Da Da Da I suppose its had two and a half years of use, its been on F18s, Hobie 18s rescue boats launching off Brighton Beach, the RS 600 the i14. Not to mention sailing 5000Nm across the Caribbean and Pacific. Its a case of Dive Another Day, and see if it still works. More pictures from, what's left of it, to follow.