Three factors are really grinding down our nerves and energy in the Marquesas: the rolling in the open anchorages, the heat (how can you get anything done when you’re sweating like a pig even in idle mode?) and the nonos (in places where they make it to the boat).
Hooumi bay is reasonably calm (at least with a stern anchor), the nonos haven’t found us out here and the past few days we’ve had grey rainy weather so it’s been a bit cooler–even inside the boat as we’ve arranged various canvas tents on the fore and aft deck so that we can leave the hatches open even when it’s pouring down (or when the sun is burning down).
We’ve used the pleasant conditions to work on a project we’ve been postponing for months: the tap in the kitchen sink was completely rusty (a low quality piece we had bought in Panama…) and the woodwork around the sink was also in a sorry state due to the saltwater that’s especially hard on varnish (we have a saltwater tap in the sink to save freshwater when doing the dishes).
On Sunday we removed the old tap (we needed a saw to get the rusty fittings out), the gross mouldy silicone and then we sanded the wooden panels. Yesterday we started varnishing, today we’ll add 2 more layers and tomorrow we’ll be able to install the new tap (this time we bought an expensive one–hopefully it’ll last longer) and have a shiny new galley 
