NOT A MEAL ALONE: 'Chain sawing', bartending, and a chilling discovery at the top of the mast in the hospitable Bora Bora Yacht Club Bay

Following my lavish stint at Le Meridien, a.k.a Tropical Adult Babysitting Club, I motored Swell back around the lagoon to the Bora Bora Yacht Club, where some real babysitting was going on. A wonderful young couple, Jessica Gow and Teiva Tapare along with their 10-month old girl, Kahaia, recently took over the rundown Bora Bora Yacht Club facility. They're in the process of renovation with the help of another couple, who also have a 7-month old baby girl. Impressed by my solo sailing adventures, they offered me free use of a mooring and all the facilities ashore for as long as I wanted, as well as a standing invitation to every meal! Being from Orange County, Jessica and I became fast friends in the company of all the French-speakers.

Upon my arrival at the BBYC, all the moorings were full. It was 80 feet deep, so I let out nearly all my chain--rusted bits soaring in every direction. At one point, I looked down and saw a chain link nearly rusted through! Pulling out more, I saw that there was a length of links with only 1/8th of an inch of rusty steel remaining.Ugh. I'd known it was getting bad, but had hoped I could make it to New Zealand on this chain--not so. I decided not to worry about it that day, and instead solicited 'Uncle Evan' on Ironie to pull me on my skateboard to the nearest market behind his bike. I wasn't about to eat oatmeal again quite yet and still felt deserving of some diversion before facing the chaos aboard Swell. That night all the younger cruisers in the anchorage shared a fun meal aboard Ironie, which was topped off with Clare from 'Cetacea' s 'chocolate pudding in a can'.

Ironie and Cetacea left for Samoa the next morning, so I moved Swell onto a mooring and commenced the 'chain sawing' project. I hauled out all 300 feet and using my hack saw and vice, I sawed out the bad middle section. That evening, covered in rust dust, I set out for a paddle around the bay on my longboard. I badly needed to surf and this was my closest equivalent for the moment. As I finished my snorkeling/paddling loop, a grand, sleek sailboat tacked into the bay and dropped their anchor nearby.

"Hey are you Liz?" One of the many people on deck called out.

It was the 'Alaska Eagle' of the Orange County School of Sailing & Seamanship. Bob, a North Shore resident and Latitude 38 reader, had read of Swell's adventures and recognized me. Captain Brad Avery and all 12 crew aboard were instantly hospitable and welcomed me both nights they were there for gourmet dinners and good company.

The next day I went up the mast to see why the forestay was sagging like it was. What I found at the top was absolutely chilling--only 4 of 19 wires of the forestay remained. It appeared that the furler had been chafing against the wire. It was nothing short of a miracle that the wire had not parted on that last brutal day of the passage (which would have meant AT LEAST the entire front sail collapsing into the water, other major damage very possible, too). I thanked my angels profusely and rushed an email to my faithful friend and rigger in Santa Barbara, Marty Spargur, who has already helped me devise a plan to replace the wire and prevent further chafe.

Meanwhile, the BBYC had plans to host a large private party and being slightly short on staff, I offered to help out for the night. They gladly accepted, and I soon found myself behind the BBYC bar serving up drinks for a group of 80 Spanish hairdressers that had won a trip to Bora Bora. Whirling from order to order with a rag stuffed in my back pocket and a smile smeared across my face, it was like being right back at the 'Bummer' in S.B. I jumbled Spanish with French at first, but it soon came back and by the end of the night I'd been talked into touring a handful of young Spaniards around the bay the following day for a donation to the 'Swell Voyage Fund'.

The forecast was looking good to get to the next island east, so prior to the 'charter' I readied Swell for sea, taking the headsail off completely and triple-securing the roller-furling sleeve to the masthead. After hosting the Spaniards on lagoon cruise, I dropped them at their hotel on the other side of the island and returned for a farewell meal with Jessica and Teiva and the BBYC crew. As I sailed out of the pass the following morning, I realized I had eaten not a single meal alone since my arrival in the BBYC bay! I'd even had breakfasts aboard 'Magnet' with my new Dutch friends, Chris and Annika!

New photos up at Swell Voyage Photos.