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Rain, rain, and more rain. And the locals tell me this has actually been a dry cyclone season here. Looking back, we probably should have spent another month finding something fun to do in the States or somewhere else, rather than getting back to the boat when we did. We’re definitely ready for a change in the weather and to get moving again.

With this much rain it was inevitable that a leak would show up. And because it was dripping on Ali’s pillow I couldn’t even brush it off.

Thing about boat leaks is that they can literally start from anywhere. This one was tracked down to a solar panel (actually two), where the wire goes into the ceiling. The leak would come through, puddle a bit in the ceiling, then run off to the side where it would drip down the inside wall, through a wiring hole in the bedroom ceiling, then along the ceiling panel to the final drip. All told, about eight feet one direction and eight feet in another direction. I should count myself lucky for being able to find it at all. Even luckier that I was able to fix the leaks in between downpours.

Trying to air out sails whenever we can.

Wee bit of sun, but always ominous clouds nearby.

This is our main food fridge. We have another fridge in the cockpit that mainly holds drinks, and usually has a meal or two worth of meats in it. Lastly, there is a freezer, but we only have that on when we’re heading off somewhere and really need it.

The view from the marina bar is quite nice. Unfortunately, the food is better, and less expensive everywhere else in town. Nice spot to have a beer and look out at the boats, though.

These are the best knives to have scattered around the boat. I keep one in my rigging gear, and another strapped to the side of the liferaft. I’ve used the knife 100 times and it is still as sharp as day one. It’s made in Sweden, and the stainless steel is actually the real stuff. Every so often I give it a wipe down with some WD-40, just to clean anything sticky off of it, but other than that, nothing. It’s crazy to me that they are $11 bucks. I was just using this again on the trampoline Dyneema and it struck me again that this is probably the most useful $11 I’ve ever spent on anything boat related. I think they have serrated blades, too, but I’ve cut countless lines with this, and find it way more useful. I have nothing to do with the company, but that is an Amazon affiliate link.

Unrolling the new Rolly Tasker Code C sail. Really looking forward to using this sail.

We raised the sail so that I could make sure the dimensions were all good. But when I went to furl the sail the furler just spun round and round and wouldn’t do anything. I was stumped, and there were clouds and rain coming in quick, so we dropped it and I stuffed the whole thing back in a locker. I grabbed the furler and spent at least an hour fiddling around with it, trying to piece together why it wouldn’t work. I was stumped, but at the same time I was thinking, “There has to be a reason for this. I’m missing something. What is it?” I set it aside and spent the next hour or so working on other stuff and letting the problem work in the back of my head.

I’d simply put things back together wrong. This swivel, which is supposed to be on the top of the sail, I had instead attached to the bottom, and then clicked the furler on to it. This piece spins freely, which is what the top of the sail should do, while the furler grabs and spins the sail around to furl it. I had the furler “grabbing” this swivel piece. Boats never stop humbling me. The next day we raised the sail again, and it furled perfectly. It’s ready to go sailing.

I love these blue starfish. They’re all over the place, and always add a nice splash of color. Plus, they just look super chill, like they’re sprawled out on a comfortable couch.

Mud daubers have been a nuisance here in Fiji. At first we didn’t realize what all the little maggot looking things we’d find on the floors were. Eventually we looked up and found that they were falling out of these mud dauber nests. Gross. Every day we find one in a new spot somewhere strange. We have small pieces of tape all over the place in the boat right now, covering random holes. They always find somewhere new, though.

I showed the outside of a lot of our normal shopping locations, but not much inside. This here is the best place in Savusavu for all your meat needs. Three freezers hold a host of random meat pieces I wouldn’t have a clue what to do with. But they have some really nice chicken breasts, and pretty good ground beef (mince). The ground beef comes either super lean or super fat. Once I decided to try mixing the two to try and create something more along the lines of ~85% lean. When she noticed the cheaper fat meat she looked up at me and said, “This one is chewy.” Chewy hamburger. We tried to make the mix, but Ali picked out so much of the fat as she was cooking that I think we just ended up with lean anyway.

The stand up fridge there holds thawed steaks. They have the same things in the freezers, but if you want to cook in the next few hours you can grab from the fridge.

And that is our fancy meat shop.

This is the “Pink Store.” This is sort of the low-end store, but it’s on the other end of town and if I’m over that way and I just need some basic item, I’ll sometimes pop in.

This is Sea Lover’s Wine and Gourmet Grocery. Seems to have sprung up specifically to service cruisers and ex-pats. Two ladies and a guy work in this little shop and every single time I go there I know I’m about to be met by three of the friendliest smiles anywhere. We find all sorts of random things in this tiny store. Really good hot sauces, jams, salsas, and a handful of canned goods we don’t find anywhere else. Mostly Australian imports. Anything they have that is also found elsewhere in town cost about 10% more here, but you don’t mind because it’s such a pleasant experience.

Outside their door, and just next door is the pink store. Straight across the bay is the marina. Right behind me is Grace Road Kitchen, where we’ve eaten a few times, and where I will usually grab the kids a surprise ice cream “smoothie” before jumping back in the dinghy to head home.

Low tide in Savusavu.