And we're waiting, we're waiting...

Conrad and Mark surfing and boogie boarding

When we mailed our roller furler to Australia to get the seals and bearings replaced, the friendly and helpful Munda Post Office worker, Riko, couldn't find the receipt book. Apparently our package was the first one of the year sent from this branch (yes, it was almost June; yes, they operate on a calendar year). This gave us pause. We'll be on the edge of our seat waiting to see if/when the package gets there.

Cleaning the day's catch at Zipolo Habu Resort

On a positive note, Matt has gotten the freezer to start running again (knock on all available wood). Cruiser's Forum, which has an often-deserved reputation as a bastion for outspoken curmudgeons and armchair sailors, proved its value when you get the right people responding (including a guy who had the same symptoms with the same unit).  With detailed email assistance from Pete of OzeFridge, Matt removed the possibly air contaminated coolant from the system and re-added fresh coolant. The freezer has stopped drawing extremely high amps and the box is getting cooler. Matt is treating the system like an intensive care patient, taking its vitals every hour and speaking to it in soothing tones. He is going to rewire the freezer to go directly to the battery bank and maybe run the pump through the freshwater system to avoid getting sea critters stuck in the filter. If all goes well, we can avoid a couple thousand dollars for a new compressor and additional waiting time. And we won't have to have a mega-BBQ to eat all the meat that's still sitting in an on-shore freezer (thanks Jan!) waiting for the outcome of this saga.

The kids love the surf break around here and Conrad has been able to stand up on the board like a pro, proving that he doesn't get his balance from me. There are schools of mullets here that jump out of the water in unison by the hundreds probably being chased by the otherwise friendly black tip reef sharks that endlessly circle the small bay we're anchored in.