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