Well, we're still enjoying French Polynesia.  We left
Papeete on Thursday, and spent a peaceful day on
the hook in Cooks Bay on Friday.

Saturday we picked up the hook and made the 80
mile trek up tu Huahine.  On the way the Naiad
stabilizers decided to give up the ghost - they put
all 10 quarts of oil (hydraulic fluid) into the bilge!
Seems we popped a high-pressure hose, and the
rest of the hoses are so old and brittle we're going
to replace them all, along with O-rings and other
fittings.  So we'll be back in Raietea on Tuesday
waiting for parts delivery.

Right before we left Papeete we filled up on duty-
free fuel.  Price was 63 CFP per liter - current
exchange rates translate to USD2.60

Paul:

It pains me to hear an experience like yours where you
had been traveling for a while and then lost hydraulic
power because of a leak. You might consider setting up
an hourly check procedure. That would be accomplished
while on watch. Buying a simple infrared temperature
checker and flashlight can help. Develop a checklist
of items to check for temperature and areas to inspect
for fluid leaks ca help. Checking temps of items like
the bearings of the alternators and at the exhaust
manifold outlet for each cylinder or the water pump
bearing can give you idea of a problem developing.
There is a myriad of things to check at each watch and
developing a sequence to not check all at once, but
maybe every other or third watch can reduce the size.
It can only take ten minutes or so for each watch and
recording the temps and leakage points can be
accomplished by the captain. If there is a wild
fluctuation, that would demand immediate attention.
Without going into the minutia of developing such a
list, you should be able to develop your own checklist
and minimize underway repairs. At least be able to
control it as it develops. For my own experiences,
water pump failures have been detected before the
problem became a major headache.
Regards & fair winds.
Rick Redfern

Paul - hat's off to you! You had a dream, and achieved
it!

For those unfamiliar with Paul, he is one of the
nicest guys I have ever met. Near as I can tell, he
has spent most of his life as most of us have: working
a regular job, which does not leave much time to
develop much more than average boating skills. He's a
sensible person, void of bravado that can get people
in trouble.

Paul is an excellent example of persistence and
perserverence. He doesn't sweat the small stuff, and
his positive attitude has probably been his greatest
asset these last several weeks as he journeyed from
San Francisco to Tahiti.

Congratulations Paul.

Peter