Kauehi. The floating neighbouhood.

Tashi Delek
Mike & Carol Kefford
Thu 12 Jun 2014 17:43

The day before we arrived on Kauehi we had heard on the radio that Elena’s starter motor had failed, which meant no engine which is not good generally on a yacht.  (We know this all too well from our experiences with the fishing net approaching the Cape Verdes – see November 2011.)  It is not good specifically when you need to get through a narrow pass into an atoll and deal with standing waves, current and  whirlpools. Without hesitating  Moana Roa had gone back out and towed them in.

 

They were secure and anchored down but a long way from the nearest repairs and spares in Tahiti so they faced missing the rest of the experiences yet to be had in the Tuomotus  and a nerve wracking sail to Tahiti without the security of an engine to use, not only to assist getting the boat head to wind to get the mainsail up or when the wind drops and you can’t sail, but also to charge the batteries to run the navigation equipment and other electronics.  You can of course do it all the old fashioned way but not having radar, automatic identification system or, worse, no lights at night means that safety is compromised.  Alternatively they could have sat at Kauehi for however long it took to arrange purchase and delivery of a new starter motor.   Given Dancing Bear’s experience in getting spares for their autopilot couriered to Galapagos this would have been several weeks and we are now yet more remote than we were there.

 

When we heard this story unfold over the radio we were a day away from the atoll and were very, very glad that Mike had splashed out on a spare starter motor before we left Trinidad.  Of course there was no way that our starter would fit their engine, the boat was built in Russia.

 

Once we had dropped anchor David came over and, just to be sure, we asked what engine he had.  Not only the same make but the same model as us!  The hull had been built in Russia but the yacht had been fitted out in Holland and, of all the engines it could have had it was a Yanmar.  With some trepidation and not wanting to get hopes up, we produced our spare starter motor.  Twenty minutes later a very, very happy David calls on the VHF to say it fitted and the engine started first time.

 

The pleasure we have got from being able to help not only fellow yachties but a very lovely family has been immeasurable.  We were pretty much as delighted to have assisted as they were to have a functioning engine again. 

 

But there were more rewards to come.  We got back to the boat after a walk ashore to find homemade flapjacks, raisin bread and an invitation…….. 

 

Once again, the real delights of this life come through the floating neighbourhood, as much as from what we see and what we do.

 

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