June 9

Laundry Essential

We asked for news and the top item so far is that Click and Clack are quitting! That IS unsettling. Please send your news items to our yahoo address and Sheryl will forward.  Or send to her.

Oh, you were wondering if Barry outwitted Murphy?  Of course, he did.  And by trial and error he discovered that you can't put your Garmen GPS antenna next to your Simrad GPS antenna because the Simrad antenna interferes with the antenna for the Garmin GPS.  Fortunately, there was just enough slack in the Garmin wire to move that antenna a foot to the side and it now works nicely.  News to us, but Marilyn & Sam said, "Oh yeh!  Everyone knows that GPS antennas can't be next to each other."

Catharpin Blue (the name of Marilyn and Sam's boat) has an instrument which measures sea surface temperature and outside air temperature.  35 degrees Celcius both.  95f
How do you do laundry on a boat?  Bring Tide and Oxyclean, and a huge bucket and a brand new toilet plunger.  The most important item is a hand-crank wringer, which we temporarily mount in the cockpit .  The plunger is the agitator, the wringer is the spin cycle and the clothes line is the solar dryer. You know what hanging your laundry outside will bring, don't  you.  Rain.  This is only the 2nd good rain we've had in more than a month.  Unhook the entire clothesline from the shrouds, forestay and solar panel/bimini (with the clothes still attached) and mount inside the boat.  Adds to the décor.    

Today, Saturday, we are headed to Fatu Hiva to the S. We have waited for this moment - a break in the SE tradewinds. Last trip we tried unsuccessfully going to this beautiful island but beating SE into SE wind just beats up you and the boat. Today is perfect.