Most of our time this last week has been spent working on the boat. A few of the items on our to-do list are a result of heavy use of the boat over the last 9 months, but most are improvements that we have always wanted to make but didn’t have time. For example, Dallas just replaced our old, worn-out lifelines, the wire ropes that encircle the boat and prevent man-overboard. Being a catamaran, we have more than 50 meters of lifelines in 10 different pieces. Instead of going with the swedged fittings at the ends, he created his own using thimbles and Nicopress-style crimps. One end of each lifeline was shackled, and the other end lashed. Not only was this a cheaper option, but it should be easier to inspect the condition of the lines now. The others were covered in white coating and taped, and there was quite a bit of rust and cracking underneath. Now he is tackling the steering system, which is turning out to be a nasty job…

Lashed end of a new lifeline. Note the white jellyfish in the water. They’re everywhere!

Meanwhile I’ve been doing some deep cleaning and general maintenance of things like winches, cushion covers, and cabinetry. I’m not handy by any means but find that tasks are much easier the second time around. Of course I’m also cooking and taking advantage of the opportunity to get whatever my heart desires from the grocery store. I’m getting used to driving the car on the "wrong side" (as people who aren’t from here like to call it), but when I’m alone, I invariably approach the left side of the car only to find that there’s no steering wheel there. I told Dallas about this, and he one-upped me–he actually got in and sat down in the passenger’s seat the other day!

Cleaning and lubricating the parts of one of the six winches

When we are not working, we are talking about work, so it feels like we are back in the U.S.! Actually, we do a lot of that, but we’ve also had some recreation such as jogging on the very nice beach here, finding some good local music at an Irish pub nearby, and hanging out with Martin from S/V Anima who arrived on Sunday.

Checking out nearby Mount Maunganui

Anima arrives!

Tuesday night Martin fixed us an excellent Austrian meal of wiener schnitzel of pork (apparently it is Austrian law that restaurants must specify if they are not using the traditional veal), baked Camembert (for Dallas), and potatoes. Last night we had him over for a traditional (at least in my family) lasagna dinner followed by a brief (by our standards in the Pacific islands) jam session. It adds a lot to our quality of life to have to a friend around, particularly someone whose company we both enjoy.

Das wiener schnitzel ist sehr gut!

Dallas and Martin have several common interests as well. They have spent several mornings exploring the complex of marine stores that are part of the huge industrial park here. (Dallas says that they have everything from a mill for exotic timber to a foundry for metals.) They also found a local basketball league to join. Would you believe that while shooting around the other night, Dallas met an American who also went to KU! Perhaps we can join him in watching the #1 Kansas Jayhawks in the NCAA tournament in March if we can find a broadcast somewhere…   

It feels like Christmas in July now that summer weather has set in. We’ve had a nice break from the rain, and the temperature has been hanging out around 75-80. I am looking forward to spending some more time on the beach this weekend, but I’ll be sure to take some sunscreen. The ozone layer is much more depleted here (up to 10% at some times of the year!) due to our proximity to the Antarctic ozone hole. It only takes a few minutes to get burned!