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9/18/01:   On my 0400 to 0700 watch at the helm, I watched the sun rise and the moon set nearly simultaneously. It was a five day sail to Manihi, an atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago. It looks just like what you would see on a South Pacific post card; beautiful and peaceful. It was here that we heard of the terrorism at home. I felt conspicuous and self-conscious regarding the incongruity of my being in this heaven while my family and friends were experiencing some hell.

We spent about three days in Manihi and then sailed over to the atoll of Ahe which was in sight of Manihi. The entrance into the lagoon of Ahe was our first white-knuckle passage of this kind. Cosmos survived it in spite of the tidal current, rocks, coral reefs, screaming and hollering, bad advise, differing opinions. In the anchorage near the village of Tenukupara, we anchored next to a French boat we had seen in Ua Pua, Marquises, named Nausicaa. We invited them over for dinner and Don made Pizza. They are a lovely family of four. The father is Vincent, mother is Valerie, daughter Charlotte about 11 years old and young Vincent Jr. is about 9 years old. It was a lively evening with lots of conversation, the kids loved the Cokes, the grown-ups liked the wine, we all liked Don's Pizza, and Valerie didn't have to cook dinner. These folks were our first dinner guests, and it was a success.

As usual, we had some repairs to make after this sail to the Tuamotus. These consisted of sewing patches to both sides of a batten pocket on the mainsail, sealing window leaks, replacing a worn out potable water pump, changing the lower end lube oil in the outboard motor. Still feeling industrious, we decided to install a set of grab rails. These grab rails were the result of a project we planned in Ft. Lauderdale and finally got around to carrying it out. Actually, we planned several projects back in Florida to be done later during our travels. We 'engineered' the jobs, purchased the hardware, bagged and stowed everything for a later date to be announced by Captain Joe. We still have four projects to go out of at least a dozen.

Also in Ahe, we met another American, Bill, from Los Angeles. Captain Joe tells you a lot about Bill, and his Pearl Farm, in his latest newsletter. Bill told us how much he enjoyed having Americans to talk to, and I know how much we enjoyed talking to him. He is the second American that we have encountered since we left the States. Yes, I know, we didn't come all the way out here to see Americans. I am still thinking of the life that Bill has led here in Ahe, compared to our own, in the hectic Eastern U.S.

This afternoon, Bill came in to the town wharf to pickup his granddaughter and take her home after school. As they sped past Cosmos, sitting side by side in Bill's skiff, he turned toward me, and with a big smile and a wave, gave me a 'thumbs up'. This was in regard to the one thing that Bill and I have in common: we each have a lovely little Granddaughter that we spend special time with.

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9/20/01:   Yesterday we sailed from Ahe to Rangiroa; the largest of the Tuamotu Atolls. We sailed overnight and had a late pancake breakfast in the cockpit after anchoring in the harbor of the town of Tiputa. This was the most pleasant downwind sail. I made 130 gallons of the finest water, from seawater, with the water maker aboard Cosmos, during this sail. Our not having to worry about having water is a very special advantage; we are quite fortunate. We like this anchorage and will probably spend several days here. Because of this, we put up tarps for shade over the boat and set-up the wind generator. Tomorrow I plan to do some preventative maintenance on the water maker and change the port propeller assembly under Cosmos.

9/22/01:   I did work on the water maker, yesterday. It has always been a pleasure to operate and/or work on a well-engineered system or machine. It is especially rewarding when one can sustain, or even extend, the longevity and proper function. When we know that we won't be making water for more than four days, it is recommended that we run fresh water through the water maker in order to flush the salt out of it. (desalinate the desalinator) I discovered a method, sequence, of shifting the valves in Cosmos' water maker while flushing it that enables me to do a very thorough desalination. This prolongs the life of the precious, expensive, filtering membrane. Isn't that wonderful?

Also yesterday, I replaced the port propeller assembly. If you are not a boater, then this feat will not mean much to you. Normally, when a prop needs to be changed on a boat of this size, the boat has to be hauled out of the water. This triggers a sequence of events, the most objectionable of which is the expense. Cosmos has Volvo Saildrives in each haul so the propellers are accompanied by zincs, line cutters, nylon washers, tail cones, and locking bolts. I was able to replace all of these components with new ones at no expense, no lost time, and no hauling out of the boat, while in 50 ft. of water, by using Captain Joe's Super Snorkel to provide myself with breathing air while I worked under the boat. The Super Snorkel is a small gas engine driven air compressor with 60 feet of hose and a regulator-mouth piece. This outfit and the usual fins and face mask and weight belt will allow two of us to dive anywhere, up to 60 ft. deep, for as long as there is gas in the tank. We were experiencing a lot of vibration with the old propeller assembly, so, it was very satisfying to be able to change it. I won't mention the cost of the Super Snorkel.

Today we rented bikes and pedaled the length of the Motu and back. An Atoll is a lagoon-encircling reef of different sized Motus or islets. We bought souvenirs, tee shirts, groceries, lunch, and pearls. We also found a resident selling Internet time on his computer. Captain Joe downloaded the Message Board from Cosmos' website and now we are trying to respond to all of the messages; great fun. We've been looking forward to doing this.

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