Day 284, Year 1: Back in Rarotonga
Date: Friday, July 28, 2006
Weather: Overcast and Rainy
Location: Avatiu Harbor, Rarotonga, Cook Islands

We made it back to Rarotonga, but the weather here is still rainy and totally overcast. And the harbor is full of boats. Four big catamarans came in here since we left–Endangered Species, Wind Pony, Honikai, and Surabi. Linda from Finland, Rontu from the USA, and Ka Pai from Australia are still here. In addition, a big square rigger, the Soren Larsen from New Zealand, is also here, so the tiny harbor is full. It took a bit for us to get anchored, but we did it in time for Linda to go rent a car and get me to the hospital in time for my appointment to remove the cast. Mark, Michael, and Garrett stayed on the boat to make sure we were securely anchored. The cast removal went smoothly, but all I was told to do was to use common sense in terms of rehabilitation. I wanted to say that if I had common sense I wouldn’t be sailing around the world and I certainly wouldn’t have walked off a dock and broken my leg, but I kept quiet and will try to figure out a rehab program on my own. When we get to American Samoa , I will go to the hospital there and hope for some advice from a physical therapist. I am not to put weight on the leg for two weeks, so that will be about the time we arrive in American Samoa.

It rained all afternoon, so we decided to stay onboard and watch a video. We watched most of South Pacific before heading into town for dinner at Trader Jack’s. Rick, Robin, and John from Endangered Species and Lynn and Dick from Wind Pony were also there. We had a great dinner, a good live band, and good company.

We are hoping for better weather tomorrow, but the reports are not encouraging. I’m just hoping the reports are wrong.