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American Spirit II - Day 146; Final Provisioning and Leaving Niue for the Kingdom of Tonga; Friday, May 30, 2014



Up at 7:30 AM. First order of business before breakfast was to apply the 'temporary fix' to our broken shroud. Joel did this using 2 bear clamps borrowed from the boat Chez Nous, and some Dynema line. Strong as steel. If the shroud breaks before we get a new one, hopefully our temporary fix will hold the mast up long enough for us to drop our sails. Next we called a company in Florida called Yacht Power. Used the satellite phone. Ordered 6 new generator impellers, a gasket, and some other generator parts. Will be delivered to my daughter Angela in Charlotte, North Carolina. She's visiting us in Fiji June 29. She'll be bringing so many spare parts with her that she'll need an extra large suitcase just to handle them. We also ordered a new ICOM radio for Nexus since they gave us a spare one to replace our VHF radio with.

After breakfast we dingied to the wharf. The first stop was the fruit market, where fresh fruit was sold on Tuesdays and Fridays from 6:00 AM to noon. Except today there was no one there. So much for fresh fruit for our next leg. We have plenty of fruit in a can, just not fresh. Then I dropped Joel off at the Niue Yacht Club, where we're both members now. While he checked the internet I drove back to the hospital to query the pharmacist about the Doxycyline prescription I'd received the day before. He was off work today. And the front door to the hospital was locked. I got into the hospital via a side door, talked to the nurse I'd visited with previously, and got my questions answered about the Doxycyline. It was in tablet form and not a capsule. I wanted to make sure I had the right stuff. And the prescription had written on it 'Doxy.' I wanted to make sure that that was short for Doxycyline. I was told it was. I guess the proof will be in the pudding. If my infection gets better (disappears), then I'll know I'm on the right prescription. If it doesn't, I'll go to plan B, which is to take some Doxycyline capsules I have from the US as a back up. Or the drug I took in Bora Bora. I know that one worked, and I had the doctor give me an extra prescription for 'future use.'

Picked Joel back up and we went to the liquor store to buy some Captain Morgan, Appleton Estates, Bacardi and another case of Red Lion beer. We bought 'duty free' so the cost was 1/2 of what it normally would be. We're allowed to buy duty free because we're foreigners and can do so on arrival and departure from Niue. John and Jane from Seaduced were at the liquor store and bought a lot of wine. Must be a European thing. Cases of the stuff. Since we had a car we drove John and the liquor back to the wharf. Joel indicated to me later that John and Jane from Seaduced are a 'dry' boat. Meaning they do not drink while under sail. We do, but no more than a cocktail at sunset, maybe; or a rare glass of wine; and maybe a beer or at most two throughout the day. But many boats in the rally are dry under sail. I'd be curious to find out the split: dry/not dry.

I then dropped Joel back at the wharf with the liquor while I went to drop off the car and visit the super market one last time. After dropping off the car and walking to the super market, it started to rain. A lady in a van stopped and offered me a ride. She even took me to the front door of the super market. Nice people. After buying 200 dollars of groceries, I walked to the boat carrying all the stuff in the rain. Bad timing.

Once back on the boat I put the groceries away, did emails and changed my bandage. A lot of fluid drained out as I did this. A good sign. In order for the wound to get better, it has to drain. The day before I'd asked the doctor if he wanted to lance the wound, and he declined. Hopefully that won't be necessary. If it is, we have a scalpel on the boat. And I still have codeine for pain if needed. The area around the wound,which the CDC says looks like a spider bite and which I call a bullet hole, was no longer hot to my touch and painful to my touch. Unless I'm stupid enough to touch the 'hole' itself. I'm not, at least not on purpose.

At 2:50 PM we started the process of untying from the mooring ball, and then departed the area under power, heading almost due west. Due to our shroud problem, it's our intention of motor sailing all the way to the Kingdom of Tonga, 240 miles; and then all the way to Fiji if we can't get the shroud replaced in Tonga. Another 500 or so miles. We know we can get 'fixed' in Fiji. Just not confident we can in Tonga. Joel took a nap from 3:00 PM to 5:30 PM.

When we left it was overcast,looked like rain. The wind was from from the east at 17 knots, with a little north in it, which was good. This allowed us to put up some mainsail (lst reef only) up to stabilize the boat as we motored. With the sail on the port side of the boat, meaning that our lower shroud was not loaded to bear the sail. The starboard shrouds were. There were 2 sets of swells. Big ones from the Southern Ocean, from the southeast; and small ones generated by the trade winds from the east. Rock and roll again. So much so you have to be concerned about getting flipped overboard while in the cockpit; or hurting yourself down below by being thrown about the cabin.

We lost sight of Niue thru the overcast and mist at 5:00 PM.

Dinner at 5:45 PM consisted of freeze dried New Orleans Style Rice with Shrimp and Ham. Plus a mixture of vegetables: ca
carrots, peas and corn; fresh bread and strawberries in a can. The strawberries were terrible. Soft and mushy because they were in a can with syrup.

Right after dinner from 6:15 PM to 8:00 PM I took a nap because I had the first watch from 8:00 PM to 1:00 AM. Joel handled the communications net at 6:30 PM. Six boats were on it.

During my watch Seaduced was visible on our aft starboard quarter, slowing making way to us. They'd pass us during the night.

337 Days until home.

Brian Fox

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