Trials and Tides: Waiting in Nuku Hiva
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As many of you who follow along with our daily updates already know, we are currently sidelined in Nuku Hiva with a broken engine. What we thought would be a manageable repair has turned into one of the most frustrating and drawn-out challenges of our entire voyage.
The Part That Didn’t Exist
Before we left for the U.S. in November to spend the holidays with family, we ordered what we believed was the critical part needed to resolve our engine issues. We paid for it, confirmed it, and left feeling confident we were on track.
Three weeks into our trip, we got the news: the part didn’t exist.
Not only did that supplier not have it, but no one did. Not in the U.S., not anywhere. It was a crushing blow. We returned to our little island knowing we were far from finished.
The $1,500 Mistake
Back in Nuku Hiva, Dan teamed up with a fellow marine mechanic who lives aboard his own sailboat. Together, they removed the fuel injection pump, the suspected culprit, and we went through the long, painful process of shipping it to Tahiti for repair.
We had done our homework. We had even visited the repair shop in person while passing through Tahiti earlier. It all seemed solid.
Six weeks later, the pump finally returned.
Dan and his helper carefully reinstalled it.
Then, during pre-start checks, they discovered the sump was overfilled. We now had fuel oil in the lube oil sump.
It must have siphoned from the fuel tank while we were stateside.
We needed to remove the fuel and flush out the sump before we could start the engine. No big deal, easily done. It was now time to prime the fuel pump and bleed air out of the fuel lines.
First crank…only air, second crank…the same, third crank…CLUNK!
Dan checked, and the shaft was frozen and correctly diagnosed the engine had fluid in the cylinders, causing a hydraulic lock. Dan now had to remove the fuel injectors to pump the fluid, yes, it was the same fuel/lube oil mixture, out of the cylinders. Done. Crankshaft free, new injectors and fuel tubing installed. Time to do pre-start checks. First step…check the oil level.
What he found was almost unbelievable. The sump was, once again, overfilled with fuel/lube oil mix. Dan extracted himself from the engine compartment and sat on the couch with a blank stare. The only way for that to happen was by fuel leaking back through the injector pump that we just had repaired.
The one seal we specifically asked them to replace, the one causing the issue, had not been replaced.
They had cleaned it. They had worked on other components. But not the one thing that mattered.
$1,500 later, we were exactly where we started.
Shipping in Paradise
As if that wasn’t enough, our watermaker also failed.
We ordered parts, and our son Derek kindly shipped them to us. What should have taken two weeks turned into a month-long ordeal.
Customs in Tahiti held the package, demanding excessive documentation. Detailed receipts, shipping costs, item breakdowns, everything. We explained that shipping was free through Amazon Prime. That didn’t matter. They still required paperwork that didn’t exist.
Another week lost.
A Hard-Won Victory
The one bright spot in all of this was the watermaker. Dan fixed it.
And not just a quick fix. This was a full rebuild. Hoses, high-pressure pump, wiring, fuses. It was a massive job. But now, when I turn on the tap, fresh water flows.
After hauling water a mile from the store, loading it into the dinghy, and bringing it back to the boat, it feels like absolute luxury.
Fortunately, we have learned to enjoy the victories. At the end of the day, we can relax in our floaties and watch the sunset and be very thankful that we are: still alive, still in love, and still afloat. However,, it was a sad day when one of our floaties popped. There are no such things as these on this island.
Back to Doing It Ourselves
Now we wait again for the correct seal to arrive from the U.S.
This time, Dan will fix the pump himself.
We tried to rely on professionals. Time and time again, that has not worked in our favor. The reality is simple. No one cares about your boat like you do.
And Dan has proven, repeatedly, that his work is better than anything we can pay for.
Beauty in the Waiting
Despite everything, we are not in a terrible place to be stuck. We are in the Marquesas. It is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. We got to attend a concert on the water. A French couple on their catamaran have given concerts in several harbors. Everyone shows up in their dinghies and ties onto the back of their boat. He plays amazing music while we have our adult beverages and snacks. We were blessed with an unusually beautiful sky the night of the concert. It was amazing.
The sunsets are unreal. The water is alive. The harbor is peaceful. We swim in the evenings and remind ourselves that this is still part of the dream.
And then there are the manta rays.
They come right up to our boat to feed. When we take the dinghy out, we often stop just to watch them. One came so close I was able to reach down and gently touch its wing.
It felt intentional. As if they were checking in on us. Encouraging us.
You have been here long enough. It is time to go.
We could not agree more.
What’s Ahead
As soon as the engine is repaired, we will finally be free to explore the remote atolls we have dreamed about. Diving with sharks, swimming with dolphins, and drifting alongside manta rays in open water.
We are ready. More than ready.
In the meantime, I have had lots of time to write and do podcasts. Podcasts are a great way to tell our sailing stories and get the word out about my books. They have definitely seen a huge jump in sales now that I have completed over 30 podcasts. My newest Mermaid Tails book in the series has just been published!
Marlin wants to be the fastest merperson in the sea. However, when he and his friend Coraline go on an epic race, it leads them into dangerous waters. This is a story about courage and resilience for young chapter book readers.
There is a glossary of terms at the end of the book that educates readers about ocean currents and weather. You can find Marlin on Amazon.
A Glimpse of What Got Us Here
I have also been busy finishing Book III of the Riding the Waves of Reality series, which captures the raw journey that brought us here, from the Caribbean, through Panama, and across the Pacific.
That passage tested everything we had.
Sneak Peek at Riding the Waves of Reality III: Crossings and Curses
(Here is a sneak peek of one of the many adventures.)
We set off anyway. The beginning of the passage was almost deceptive. The sea was manageable, the waves not nearly as aggressive as we had braced for, though the wind shifted often and the current kept us working. It felt like we might slip through more easily than expected.
Then the storms began to build.
We were in contact with a boat ahead of us, S/V Wild Rumpus, friends making the same passage, and they became our eyes into what lay ahead. Their reports grew more concerning, bigger seas, stronger storms, and at one point, a massive hawk-like bird landed in their cockpit and refused to leave. It was so large and intimidating that they stayed inside their cabin until it finally departed the next day.
Dan stayed glued to the weather, threading us along the edges of the storms. Lightning exploded on the horizon while we skirted just outside their reach. For a while, it worked.
Then it didn’t.
The sky ahead darkened in a way that left no question. The wind began to rise. We reefed the sails, preparing, knowing there was no way around this one. Exhaustion caught up with me and I went below, convincing myself I could sleep. It felt like minutes before I heard Dan shout and the engine roar to life. I knew instantly something was wrong.
I climbed into the cockpit and into one of the darkest nights I have ever seen. The wind was howling. Lightning surrounded us, bolts striking the ocean with a violence I could not comprehend.
We were not avoiding the storm anymore. We were in it.
Dan had started the engine because we needed to run. The only place lightning was not striking was where we had come from. The radar showed a narrow gap behind us, and without hesitation, we turned into the wind, dropped the sails as fast as we could, and fled.
A few hours later, we were clear. We had not been struck. We were still alive, still in love, and still afloat.
But I did not want to be out there anymore.
By daybreak, we had changed course. There was a harbor we could reach before nightfall. We would be illegal. We did not care.
We were going in.
If you have not read Riding the Waves of Reality I and II, now is the time.
Because Book III is coming, and it may be the wildest one yet.
As always, thank you for following our adventures! We appreciate your thoughts and prayers as we undertake this voyage around the world. Yes, we have a few setbacks now and then, but we have never regretted a single moment of making the decision to sell everything and sail around the world.
Thank you for your support; it means the world to us.
Fair winds,
Captain Dan and First Mate Alison
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