Although the surf seemed like it would never quit, I could put it off no longer... Swell's bilge was filling with water again; I HAD to find the source of the leak. With only 2 weeks left on my visa, Swell would have to be ready to leave French Polynesia soon. I reluctantly pulled the goods from both the torpedo tubes, opened up the doors to the engine, and pulled off the stairs. Around the engine, all looked dry...but what's this? The head of a nut...? That's odd...? I shined the light up to find the aft port motor mount cracked and two of the bolts sheared off at the head.
In the wake of that discovery, I spent a few hours at the bottom of the ocean securing George's mooring with some new chain and a scuba tank, and multiple days shuttling back and forth to the city to dash between bureaucratic buildings in an attempt to warn immigration and customs that I was having a few problems with the boat and may not be able to leave as soon as my expected departure date. In order to get an official letter from a certified mechanic to fulfill Immigrations' request, Josh Humbert called his mechanic friend to come down to Swell and have a look. With their help, we lifted the motor in an attempt to better see the source of the water. He reached his hand under the engine and I could see where his fingers touched when they met the fiberglass on the upper back of the keel. It squished like a sponge and water oozed steadily out of the wall! I couldn't believe it...at the same time it felt like my brain squished too.
"It's ugly," was all the soft spoken French mechanic could say. "You will probably have to pull the engine, too."
The thought of another major repair, a haul out, sent chills down my spine. Not only did the idea of grinding fiberglass turn my stomach, but I was out of money. I had spent almost all of my voyage savings getting Swell through her recent repairs...Funny how life gives you what you want...I had wished for a way to stay a little longer in Polynesia, and well, although it was not quite the way I had imagined, it appeared as if wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon. I would first have to fix the motor mounts, and then decide when and where and how to get Swell's leaky hull healed.
Liz Clark sails solo around the world on her 40-foot sailboat, Swell, in search of people, places and waves. She sends us travel updates, stories and photos several times a week.
More travel logs
More photos of the trip
