August 13

The captain (that's me) still feels like crap. About 2 days after I returned from New York I came down with a killer upper respiratory infection. A tight chest cough and clogged head are my major symptoms. We had planned to leave Port Vila shortly after Jonah and I returned from the US but here we are still almost a week later. I am felling a slight bit better this morning, though my nose is burning and raw. My cough has begun to loosen and the agony of a tight chest is fading. Not that I like to complain, but... At least the weather has been lovely, though I haven't left the boat for 3 days. I have been drinking hot tea nonstop for three days in an effort to keep my throat warm and moist.

Meanwhile, Kate is biting her knuckles she is so anxious to get our of here. Alas, I lack even the minimal amount of strength needed to hoist the mainsail and thus we cannot leave. Jonah is having big fun though playing with Shane from "Kekemalou" (Polynesian for 'smooth seas') an Australian boat we met a few days ago.

Our new friends on "Valere" (with an accent over the final 'e' and pronounced 'Valeray') have left Vila already and we had planned to travel North with them as Craig, the skipper, is an avid diver and his wife Carol is not. Craig and Carol have an adorable 15month old baby girl (Moorea) and Kate spent a good deal of time with them while Jonah and I were away. Fortunately we are keeping in touch via SSB (HF Radio) each morning and as soon as we leave we will head for wherever they are. We are anxious to do some serious diving.