00 36S 80 25W 8 March 2005
Hello from Harmonica in Bahia, Ecuador,
A couple of friends have asked where we are, and a couple may have
discretely asked during the summer what mental exercise we use to
prevent our minds from vegetating. Well I am pleased to report a
conversation with a German anthropologist who worked for several years
with indigenous tribes in Ecuador's Amazon drainage, The Oriente, who
confirmed what I have read: That people in several of the dying
non-industrialized societies have better logical & mental abilities
than we do. So there!
I, Dave, arrived back a week ago after 7 months away from Harmonica,
which has now been sitting in the Rio Chone for 8 1/2 months. Since
then I have been unpacking, checking, repairing, and catching up on
maintenance. The bottom is a mass of weed, and there was predictable
mildew inside, but the batteries were well charged without being boiled
dry. 2 hoses below waterline had developed little splits, which was the
most alarming damage, but little water got in.
My plan for yesterday was to fix the stern toilet, which was leaking
some seawater. In the mean time, I used the front toilet, but it would
not pump. I checked & cleaned the filter. I dived into the murky
waters under the boat, found the through-hull in the weed, and poked a
screwdriver up it. Still no joy, so I took of the bronze hose barb off
the back of the through-hull and found a fish stuck in the casting
(tail first). While in the front head, I saw that there was still some
old wire-reinforced hose under the sink which was rusting in an ugly
way, so I replaced that and finished about 9.30pm.
For diving, I have been using a ski racing suit, but I either bought it
too small at last years used ski sale, or I have put on a lot of
weight. Maybe both. Harmonica's bottom had been a worry, but thankfully
the growth scrapes off quite well. The propeller is unrecognizable as a
propeller, but I am confidant that some hard scraping and banging will
find bronze underneath. When I come out of the water, I am covered in
little aphid-looking things which are actually tiny shrimp. I would
love to know what makes the banging noise against the hull. At night it
is so loud, above the crackling from small crustaceans, that it sounds
just like somebody knocking on the side of the boat. It comes from
underwater. Sometimes there sound to be two sources working along
different parts of the boat.
Bahia is a quiet coastal town but not ideal for major shopping. Manta
is 3 hours south by bus or 2 hours by car and one of the cruisers is
going to drive there tomorrow. I shall take a ride to look for a list
of things including a new controller board for my frig, a sheet of
stainless steel to protect the frig and any future drips of salt water,
some more hose to replace what I used in the toilets, and as much
provisioning of food as I can carry.
Jan will come down from Canada on 6 April and we shall head west for
the Galapagos & French Polynesia soon afterwards. We won't expect
to see such cheap or well-supplied shops for many months. If I can get
finished on boat jobs before then, I shall either explore the coast
south of here or head back into the Andes for a few days.
I have read much more than I used to. I had the folding bicycle out for
a couple of rides to neighbouring towns. And, Oh dear, I see it is time
to go ashore to hunt down a wild restaurant for lunch.
Dave on SV Harmonica