Today was more of the same thing as yesterday - rain. We are dejected and despondent. Not only about the weather but the number of things which have broken on this passage. Especially coming just after spending 5 months fixing things. First there's the gearbox. The jib boom traveler car and outhaul which exploded on our 3rd or 4th day out. The generator, which we just spent over $1,500 more dollars to repair in New Zealand stopped putting out power on the 2nd day out (the generator engine runs smoothly however).

We had good wind and rain all day. Double-reefed with staysail only and doing 6k in 26k wind in the afternoon. In the evening it moderated a bit. I was going over how we would get into Suva without using our engine, since the gearbox is flaky and slipping, and I finally suggested we try to fill it at sea. It was quite a battle in the deep hole of our fuel locker, to reach the gearbox dipstick. Sure enough it was a quart low and we filled it. We just filled it two weeks ago in New Zealand after we had the mechanic come look at it. We also used the motor for over 20 hours on the passage before it started slipping. It seems clear the problem is a leak. What to do about it is another matter. I will begin making inquiries on Monday about who does trannies here, but I have a feeling the real horror will be removing it from the boat.

We arrived at Suva this morning at app. 9am and were directed to anchor in the Quarantine area (where a health checkup is made before allowing entry to the country). We were jerked around about when the officials would come, in the end waiting till 3pm. After we cleared customs and health we moved the boat to the next bay over where there is a little island with a nice beach. Tomorrow we decompress, and get used to the heat.