The cylinder bores have been well lubricated with diesel and engine oil to cut down on any further corrosion, the Patrol vessel 'Te kukupa' has arrived with some much needed supplies for the locals and our spare parts, however with the starter motor not been able to turn the engine over it's probably for the best to get Orongo towed back to Rarotonga.

This task is proving a little difficult as the Kukupa's cruising speed is 16knts and below this her engines carbon up! which means that we can't be towed by her. There is a barge coming up from Rarotonga in the next week or so which hopefully will be able to tow her to port in Raro.   

    Natua and I are going to catch a ride with the patrol boat and we are looking at arriving in Raro on Friday some time. depending on how the fishing Patrols go. Ian has elected to stay with Orongo until the barge arrives Natua and I have other pressing matters to deal with and need to get back.

    In Preparation for a miracle, I have pre programmed both the chart plotter and the Autopilot with all the wpt's to get Ian out of the passage here in Penrhyn, from Penrhyn to the Mooring Boat Marine services and I put in off  Manihiki and from there back to the Channel entrance in Aitutaki. All that is required is that Ian turns everything on and set the correct route on the autopilot the electronics will do the rest.

On a lighter note for the last 6/7 days we have had a couple of black tipped Sharks mincing around in the Harbour, just playing up and scrounging whatever they can find, Tom & Jerry as I have nick named them can be quite the entertainers at times and are not opposed to nearly standing on their heads in shallow water to get scraps that have been thrown overboard. I am under no illusion that in a couple of years time their kitten like cuteness will be gone and they will be more akin to a 10 stone Rottweiler!! oh well shit happens...lol, no pictures they seem to be camera shy!

As of 0800 hrs CIT, I have officially handed over operational control to Ian, as Natua and I will be headed back to Rarotonga on the Te Kukupa 'Police Patrol Vessel' we will be stopping in Aitutaki for a short stop on Thursday, departing @ 1600 hrs and will be in Rarotonga on Friday morning in time to watch the World cup final...... Go the Kiwi's!!!!!! 

Although it has been fantastic visiting the Northern Cook islands it will be good to get back to some sort of normality....whatever that maybe.

Mark

Penrhyn Northern Cook Islands