No wind, in Marina Taina, Papeete, Tahiti and man its hot. However expensive this Marina may be, its fatal mistake was to give us flat rate electricity. Its thirty something out side, baking sun and 24 degrees in side. We've got the air con on. We'll get our money's worth out of the Electrickery. Tied to the Land, not dingying ashore, with infinite electricity and water - out of a pipe. You have absolutely no idea what a pleasure that is. last time we were alongside with power was Shelter Bay in the Caribbean. We've dinghied ashore with Gerry cans and water a food and everything, charged batteries by engine or genny, watched our batteries, out tanks and our filters like hawks, we had too. And relax.

View From Marina Taina,
over the reef towards Moorea 

Unfortunately is blasting hot out side. I've fixed the wind generator (last worked in Panama). Locked up brushes on the swivel base. Errrr obviously that wasn't all the trouble it gave me. Its on a boat nothing is that simple. It sliced it cable the fold down for maintenance pole system didn't function as it was supposed to. Also the flat plate on the front of the cowling was cracked so I broke it. Its glued back together again and all working.

We think there is no wind. Also its blades are made of glasfibre and have been in the tropical sun for more than 2 years. Their shedding. Despite a shower - infinite water is such a luxury I itch like mad with little pieces of glasfibre in me.

The man arrived today to fix the generator. Poor sod looked awful daunted at the tinny hobit hole full of shite he had to crawl into. He's gone off with the heat exchanger. Here's a pocket explanation of what may have happened. Heat exchanger is a bugger to get at. Its made of copper, with end caps bolted on with steel. It contains an anode. Rust is a normal problem on boats. However dissimilar metals also corrode when dipped in an electrolyte. Such as sea water. Remember I said its a bugger to get at - that where the anode is. Even the professional service guy couldn't check it.

An anode is a piece of galvanically attractive metal, often zinc, that is supposed to corrode first thus saving important bits. Manual says change every three months. NOT every 10 years.

Due to a  lazyness, the above picture is in fact 2 years old. Its the first time I've cut that corner so far this trip, sorry. Must find and charge camera. Anyone who tried the Nuku Hiva video yesterday and it didn't work should find it fixed now.