May 26th 2025

Today is Monday, the shops reopened, and we were finally able to pick up our new batteries. First thing in the morning, we drove into Papeete. At the store, no one spoke English, so we relied on my two-and-a-half words of French, a lot of hand gestures, and ChatGPT. And somehow, it worked! Just half an hour later, we had three new 150Ah gel batteries packed in the back of our little car. Each one weighs around 35 kg. How exactly we’d get them onto the boat? A problem for future Alex and Niccy.

Next: the chainplate problem.
We visited a sailing store and tried to explain what we needed, but they didn’t even seem to know what a chainplate was. Alex made a beautifully detailed drawing, but they still didn’t get it. So, on to the next store. We didn’t have high hopes, the place didn’t look like somewhere that would stock something as specific as a chainplate. And we were right: they didn’t. Also, chainplates come in hundrets of shapes and sizes. Still, we didn’t give up. We asked the guy at the counter if he knew any metal workshops that might be able to custom-make one. Again, low expectations. But surprise! He did know someone. He gave us the number of a guy who runs a small metal shop on the far side of the island. Definitely worth a try. We picked up breakfast sandwiches from a local bakery and sat in a shady park by the water. I messaged the metalworker on WhatsApp and sent him Alex’s drawing. And… he replied almost instantly. Even better: he just so happened to have a piece of stainless steel that was almost exactly what we needed. A bit wider and thicker, but totally workable. He said he could finish it by the end of the week, or even by tomorrow if we were okay with paying a bit extra so he could work overnight. Umm… yes, please! Sailing before Alex leaves? Worth every penny.

With spirits lifted, we drove back to the marina and began the next challenge: installing the batteries. First, we dinghied out to Tauha to remove the old ones. Alex did most of the heavy lifting, literally. He disconnected the dead batteries, hoisted them out of the boat, and somehow managed to get them into the dinghy. I had trouble just lifting one; how he balanced them while the dinghy rocked, I don’t know. Two of the gel batteries were visibly broken. The third looked okay… until we tested it. Also dead. We brought them to the marina’s disposal station, then loaded the new batteries into the dinghy, wrapped in trash bags for splash protection, and headed back out. Alex started lifting them onto the boat. And during battery #2, I had a flashback to my first-night luggage incident. Sure enough, when he pushed the second battery up, the dinghy slid back. The battery was hanging halfway off the boat. With one final push, he got it on safely. After that, he agreed to tie the back of the dinghy to the boat, too. Lesson learned.

Once all three batteries were onboard, we started prepping to attach the quick-connect terminals we’d bought to make setup easier. But... problem #1: the screws didn’t fit the battery posts. After tossing around ideas, Alex decided to cut the bolts short. Annoying job without proper tools, but he managed. Then came problem #2: while tightening the brass connectors, one of them snapped off. Just like that. Sheared clean. We sat there for two minutes in stunned silence (only some swearwords fall here and there), Alex beating himself up, and me reassuring him that this kind of stuff just happens.

After regrouping, Alex tried twisting the broken stub against the threaded core, pressing as hard as he could to get traction….and…it worked. It came off! From defeat to success in seconds. He got the connectors on, hooked everything up and boom: power on Tauha. We were sweaty, exhausted, and totally relieved. We dinghied to shore and treated ourselves to a long, glorious marina shower. Back on the boat, we made a good dinner, fell into bed, and passed out happy.

Tomorrow: chainplate mission.

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