Yes, it has been a long time since we had a blog entry and that has meant that we have uploaded entries retrospectively and now out of order, we are sorry for the disruption to our service and (hopefully) your enjoyment.

The past three weeks or so have been bizarre to say the least. So let’s bring you up to speed with the comings and goings of Beaujolais (or not as the case may be).

Having berthed at Marina Taina, Roger set about organising all the work to be done. Yes the list was, as usual, extensive. The sails needed repairing, the refrigeration wasn’t working properly (there’s a surprise) etc etc.

I was due to fly out to the UK via the states at the end of the week and Roger was due to fly to Austria the following day.

 As Tom & Selme were unlikely to be here when we returned, we took a day off and hired a car to tour the island.

Once we cleared the city centre and travelled through the more rural areas, Papeete was slightly more appealing. We had a tourist map which showed recommended places of interest.

Now Tahiti has an unusual traffic system. They start at No 1 (no surprise there) in a clockwise direction from Papeete,  with numbered markers at 1km intervals right around to the causeway to the little island of Tahiti iti (little tahiti). But then they start again at No 1 but this time in an anti-clockwise direction.

So all the places of interest are identified by the nearest No marker. Which sounds simple, but as it is French, it is anything but.

Because they have few, if any,  signposts directing you to the particular place of interest.  So consequently, out of half a dozen or so places we were interested in seeing, we only managed to find about 3!.

First on the agenda was the blowhole. This is where the sea has eroded the cliff under the road and forces itself out of the other side with some force.  The beach had good surf and there were a few people surfing.

After there we headed up to the waterfalls, where we hoped to have a picnic. The way up to the waterfall was via lovely paths through beautiful gardens and jungle. If we had not realised we were back in civilisation before, we did when we arrived at the waterfall.

Remember how I swam in the waterfall pool in Fatu Hiva? Well we had expected to do the same here. But instead we were greeted by signs that said, ‘do not swim in the pool, danger of falling rocks’ and the pool was fenced off. You can imagine our reaction.

Then to make matters worse, the mosquitos were rampant and voracious, so the picnic was a hurried affair.

 After missing several other spots, we stopped at the caves. Once again, no swimming and fenced off. But this time, in a moment of rebellion, I ducked under the ropes to take a closer look. Roger, seeing this, picked up a stone and threw it behind me, which sent me yelping and scurrying back to the path, while he and Tom laughed their heads off.

I think to be honest, the bureaucracy and reminders of all the things we hate about ‘the civilised world’ spoilt the day for all of us. Because it was the very thing we were all trying to leave behind.

After a disappointing day, I spent the evening packing, ready for my flight the next day.

So there we were, Roger & I, in the queue for my flight, when they announced that all flights were cancelled due to the Firemen’s Strike.

I was given a telephone number to call to check when flights were to be resumed. But we didn’t hold out much hope of anything before Monday, as it was Thursday night and only one day to the weekend, plus our experience of French militancy ( I was once caught in the lorry drivers blockade at Calais and only escaped by cutting a hole in the car park fence in the middle of the night, but that’s another story) told us not to hold our breath.

So I immediately called United Airlines and cancelled my connecting flight to the UK and was luckily given a credit for the cost, I then called the UK and cancelled my appointment with my orthopaedic consultant.

Roger’s flight was cancelled the next day and so we had to wait to see if he could still make his meetings in Europe.

As I could not get a refund on my Tahiti/Lax flight, I decided I would fly to Jacksonville and pick up all the spare parts Roger had ordered. Lynne, through her connections was going to try and get me an appointment with the top knee man in Jacksonville as soon as we knew when I would be there.

Four frustrating days of phone calls did nothing to make Tahiti any more appealing. We were in limbo, because we couldn’t do anything or go anywhere as we had to be ready to go at a moments notice. Roger had passed his deadline for getting to his meeting, so was slightly more flexible than I.

Finally, at 7pm on Monday I received a phone call telling me to be at the airport in 30 minutes to check in for my flight, which they were hoping would depart at 11pm. So that gave me 30 minutes to get online to find and book, a flight from Las Angeles to Jacksonville, organise a cab and get to the airport. It is quite incredible that we have the ability to do in 30 minutes what once upon a time would not have even been possible out of office hours!!!!

Roger e-mailed Lynne and she arranged an appointment and negotiated a discount for me, which at 3 days notice was no mean feat.

So there I was in Jacksonville for 10 days, I had a list of tasks to do and a shopping list a mile long.

Both of our laptops had given up the ghost, so I had to get replacements for both of us. I had e-mailed my friend Stef to do the research for me as he is into computers and knows more about them than I do. So Roger & I had used the info he had sent to select our laptop, so that made my life easier (thanks Stef).

I then had to get the hard drive from Roger’s old laptop backed up to save me having to carry 3 laptops back to Tahiti.

As our underwater camera had died, I was hoping to replace it while n the states, but alas it didn’t work out that way.

In the meantime, Roger was having a good time back in Tahiti. It was the weekend of the Puddlejump regatta from Papeete to Moorea and he had been invited to crew on Delos with Brian, Erin and Brady. Brad and Cat off Ghost were also aboard and they had a blast, but you’ll have to wait for Roger’s entry for more  details, as all I know was there was a lot of partying and great snorkelling.

My visit to the consultant, while painless, was not good news. I had torn the Posterior Cruciate Ligament in my good knee (the new bionic knee!!). The options I was given were to wear a brace and physio, to have an dished implant put in (assuming they made one that was compatible with my knee) or to have the head of the femur replaced.

So I now had another decision to make, but had to wait another 4 days to find out if they could actually get an implant. Darryl and Phil were waiting to step in and take over as crew, should it be necessary, so they too were on tenterhooks.

 I have to say Dr Heekin was most impressive. He knew everything about my knee, which was experimental 4 years ago. He was also impressed by the surgeon who had put it in, saying it was an excellent job.

Over the weekend I tried to work out all the options, but all I kept getting were more questions. So the day before I was due to fly back to Tahiti, I was able to schedule another appointment with him, just to get some answers. So after much internet research and a refreshingly informative discussion, with Dr Heekin, the decision was that I would wear the brace and do physio for the next 6 months and then review the situation. I have to say I was surprised when I got up to leave his office, instead of shaking my hand, he opened his arms and said ‘give me a hug!’ Not part of the service on the NHS that’s for sure.

As for Darryl & Phil, well I am going to spend the next few weeks assessing whether or not I am confident and capable of continuing with the trip. If not, I will fly home from Roatonga and they will fly in and join Roger, for a ‘boys own adventure’ to Australia. So watch this space......