Tahiti- 26 July 2024
It was a jobs day so to inspire us we had bacon and egg with baguette which made the crew of Firebird (an Oyster 88 feet) next door very jealous as they could smell it!!. It was cleaning day and also the sail man was coming.
We had a really good clean inside which takes time but it is quite satisfying once finished. I also put the Blue Baron under the front bunk and took the Red Barin out which I am going to try and sell. It was then the outside we cleaned and it was good to get rid of grime and dirt and to make Stormbird look good again. The three of us worked hard all morning on this.
The sail man came and basically said he could not take the sail off and that we should get it off and bring it to his workshop. I was not that impressed with this but he did deliver Firebird three repaired sails so they would not go to any old sail maker. He suggested some people who might help take it off. Other workmen came to look at the heads (toilets) and the steel plates required for the back of the turning blocks. They said they could help with the sail but wanted £225 to do so.
Andy and I therefore set about preparing the sail for dropping and I chatted to the Skipper of Firebird who we had come to know a bit over the last few days and said could I borrow a couple of his crew for about an hour in return for some beers. He agreed and so we got the sail out of the mast and flaked (rolled it up) it on deck and got it into its bag. This was very satisfying and we will take it to the sail man on Monday as they do not work at the weekend and we will have a car then. This saved me a few bob!
We finished our jobs about 3.30pm having stopped for lunch. We then chilled and showered and had a drink. In the end only the Skipper came for a few beers which was nice and I do not think he was keen on the rest drinking as the owner was coming tomorrow. He was from Hamble and recognised Stormbird – it is a small world.
It had been a nice day in Tahiti and whilst working we look over the blue waters of the reef and over to Morea. We will go into Papeete tomorrow and explore. We had steak and broccoli for supper which was nice.
The picture of the day is me sitting on the boom having got the sail down.
Crewing Opportunity Year Two
In addition, in year two I will be going from New Zealand in early January 2025 across to Sydney and up the Eastern Australian Coast, Indonesia and probably across the Indian Ocean to Cape Town and I will need some more crew.
If there is any interest do email me at hine.nick9@gmail.com
The blog will continue as we move through French Polynesia and beyond.
If you have any comments or suggestions about the blog do email me on hine.nick9@gmail.com I can only upload one picture a day and visit our website www.stormbirdgoesglobal.co.uk