RAINED OUT

We changed our plans over the weekend and decided to all come into town to get groceries, fuel, and water. The mom and oldest daughter on "Dolphins" are celebrating birthdays on Wednesday, so it seemed better to get our errands done and then all go in search of the perfect beach early in the week. We did come into the main town here on the island and tie up at a free wharf. The grocery store is just across the street and a variety of shops kept us busy all day Saturday, buying things we didn't know we needed. On Saturday eve, the weather changed a bit and now it has been raining solid for 2 days. When I say rain, I mean it is so wet, we've filled up the water tanks. The air is so damp, that nothing dries and the linens are all feeling clammy. The air temperature never drops much below the sea temp of 80, but it's still no fun to be "camping" in the rain. Two of the boats went out to an anchorage just before the storm presented itself, but we stayed on the dock with "Dolphins." They have 4 kids and a large catamaran. We played games and watched movies all afternoon and had a lovely time. One day of rain is a bit of an adventure and it's fun to stay inside and do different things for a change. The second day of rain is a bit disappointing, I'm not sure what we'll do if we have a third. The birthday party might be in jeopardy, as it's planned to be a beach BBQ potluck.

The kids are loving being at a dock. They are riding scooters up and down, just plain running up and down and bouncing from boat to boat, depending on what toys they want to play with. It's a nice break for me, especially since I can get groceries by myself and do my shopping without help. I'm working on getting the boat well stocked up since we're thinking of heading for remote islands in the next month. The trip to Tonga is about 1300 miles and we hope to stop 3 times to break it up. Unless we go to Rarotonga, I don't anticipate seeing a grocery store for that whole trip.

Wyndeavor should be in Rarotonga today and I look forward to hearing all the details, so we can plan better. Mike's dad is flying in for a 2 week holiday later in the week, and I know they are really excited.

If you've written to our imaginecruising e-mail and we haven't replied, please be patient. We haven't been able to get internet since Moorea, so hope to check in Bora Bora next week.

Happy August, Kellie