May 27nd 2025

We woke up with the sunrise, like every morning here. Brushed our teeth while turtles swam around the boat and then had a quiet breakfast in the cockpit. Today’s mission: pick up the new chainplate from the other side of the island.

It’s a beautiful drive across Tahiti. What’s wild is how our side of the island always seems to be drenched in sunshine, and then, just a few kilometers inland, rain. And just like clockwork, as we got closer to the metal workshop, the sky opened up and poured down on us. But even in the rain, this side of the island is stunning, towering green mountains, thick jungle, wild beauty everywhere. It’s hard not to fall in love with it.

After a few missed turns, we finally found the small metal workshop tucked between buildings. A super friendly guy came out, and he had the part ready for us. Unreal. We couldn’t believe our luck. He literally saved our trip. We thanked him a hundred times and left with smiles on our faces and a brand-new stainless steel chainplate in hand. To celebrate, we found a cozy little café and grabbed a bite to eat. On the way back, we stopped at a couple of hardware stores to stock up on supplies: tools, wood for the new interior walls, sealant, and plenty of screws and bolts. The errands took way longer than expected, and by the end we were wiped out. But we weren’t done yet. On the drive back to the marina, we stopped at a roadside fruit stand where Alex picked up a bunch of incredibly tasty bananas, sweet, rich, and just the right amount of ripe.

Next, we made a quick detour to a black sand beach. The light was soft, the ocean moody, and the waves were full of surfers slicing through the spray. We sit there for a while, just taking it all in. Then... a moment of panic. As we walked back to the car, I stuck my hand in my pocket - no keys. “Oh no.” I froze. Alex started scanning the beach, which of course was black sand, a perfect place to lose a black car key. Brilliant. But just as my brain spiraled into worst-case scenarios, I walked through the car and saw the keys still in the ignition. Phew.

We made it back to the marina, hauled everything out to the boat, and returned the rental car just in time at the airport. Then came the familiar 45-minute walk back to the marina on foot. By the time we got there, it was already dark again. We dinghied out to Tauha, and I cooked us a warm meal. Just as we were sitting down to eat, it began to drizzle. Suddenly a bright flashlight appeared in the dark. A dinghy was heading toward us fast. It was our neighbors. At first, we were confused… until Alex realized what had happened. Our dinghy was drifting away. We must not have tied it up properly, and it had already started making its grand escape into the open ocean. We were incredibly thankful to have such kind neighbors who not only spotted it but brought it back to us in the middle of the night. The past few days feel like they’ve been riding a wave of luck within chaos or maybe chaos wrapped in luck. Either way, we’ve made it through. I honestly don’t know how many times we checked that the dinghy was tied up properly after that. Just to be sure.

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