# Across the Pacific to Paradise.



## Cpt Dick Brooks (May 13, 2013)

At 1540 hours on 26th August, 1980, Debut got under way leaving Acapulco Harbour behind us... bound for French Polynesia. After steaming through the channel between the mainland and the offshore island to look for the last time at the famous cliff divers... passing close by the pedalos and Sunfish sailing-dinghies from the tourist beaches... we turned south-west on a course of 230° magnetic. The light breeze about us was caused by the ship pushing her way through the still air at ten knots, and the sea was as smooth and dark as molten lead... without even a ripple. 
Some 30 miles from the coast we met a motor yacht that we knew heading back on a reciprocal course. The 100 foot luxury 'Sirius' had left Acapulco the day before us bound for Singapore, with only the owner and his young wife on board. They were setting up a charter business when they arrived at Hong Kong in the Far East.
We called him up on the V.H.F., and it turned out that all the cheap diesel-oil he'd bought in Acapulco was contaminated with sediment. He'd been replacing his fuel-filters, one after the other, just to limp back into port. He wasn't looking forward to the reception awaiting him, as he hadn't bothered with an outward customs clearance before sailing. I was now glad that I'd bunkered in Trinidad, and hadn't topped up my tanks in Mexico, or I might have been in a similar fix myself.
I needn't have felt so smug because, half an hour later, we had to reduce speed ourselves, as fresh water was leaking from the main engine. At 1945 hours, we turned around and limped towards the coast at six knots, while the engineers tried to work out what had gone wrong. Our main fear was of a crack in one of the cylinder-heads, or in the cylinder-casing itself.
After half an hour of climbing all over the two story block of caste iron and steel, it turned out to be only one of the rubber O-rings in the upper cylinder lubricators leaking. It took four hours to drain the main engine cooling-system and allow it to cool down sufficient to work on, and all of fifteen minutes to replace the inch diameter O-ring. Then another four hours to refill the three tons of fresh-water in the main engine cooling system.
By 0355 hours, we were under way again on a course of 230°, with the open Pacific Ocean stretching ahead of us. Other than for general maintenance, such as cleaning the fuel and oil filters, or adjusting tappets and fuel injectors, this was the first and only time a spanner had to be used on the main engine in all the twelve years I was on board her.
The days passed, one after the other, with light westerly or north-westerly winds and a calm sea. Visibility was good, and occasional overcast and rain cooled down the burning heat of the sun. Other than the engineers continually watching their gauges and generators, with always some small job needing to be done to keep things in top condition, the main activity each day was taking the sun-sights and working out our position. All those on board who wished were taught basic celestial navigation.
Once the initial exhaustion of putting to sea and adjusting to watches had worn off, the crew looked for something to amuse themselves. It was decided to give the coatimundi a name, instead of just calling him Bear. It was finally decided to call him after my drinking acquaintance in Acapulco... Senor Roger Batista... who'd arranged the sale of the Caterpillar diesel-engine for me. He was duly christened in the mess-room, and given a small party in his honour. Not that he was ever called by that name, but was always referred to as Bear... plus a few other un-complimentary adjectives.
On the sixth day out from Acapulco, the inquisitive little creature jumped up on the Furuna radar set, and the distance rings disappeared. Minutes later, the screen went blank and there was a strong smell of something burning. This left me with my old Decca set, which only had a range of 24 miles.
At 0200 hours on 2nd September, we crossed 120° west longitude at latitude 4° 30" north... the mid-point in our passage from Acapulco to Nuka Hiva. From now on, it would be down-hill all the way, and the days would go much faster.
The next day was the second anniversary of Debut leaving Plymouth, in England, on this wonderful voyage of adventure. Nick was the only other person on board the ship from the original crew, but everyone joined in the celebration. I inflated an old 25 man life-raft on deck, after cutting off the canopy, and had the crew fill it with sea-water with the deck-hose. The ship steamed along on auto-pilot all by herself, with all the crew sitting around the pool drinking cocktails.
Over the previous two days, I'd been making myself a King Neptune's costume, with all the accoutrements to go with it. I had Siggy mystified when I asked him to prepare me a large bowl of thin flour-batter, and to bring it out on deck at 1700 hours sharp. With all the crew still sitting about in the swimming pool, they were taken by surprise when I walked out on deck as the Old Man of the Sea... King Neptune himself. They jumped up and down and looked about them.
"Are we crossing the equator?" one of them asked.
"Didn't you see the white line in the sea?" I put to them. "Debut just ran over it!"
They all seriously looked about them, then burst out laughing when they realised their mistake. This was the first time anyone on board had crossed the equator by ship, so each was ceremonially shaved and baptized in the pool. To complete the celebration, Siggy poured the remaining batter over my head, as this was also my first crossing of the equator. The party went on for another two days, so it was just as well no other vessels were coming our way.
The hot, sunny days slipped by, with a slight breeze from the south-west and a calm sea. Each day, the morning and noon sights were taken, which were corroborated by an afternoon sight. On 6th September, we were found to be slightly north of our track, so the course was altered to 215° magnetic.
At 1800 hours on the morning of 8th September... our fourteenth day at sea... land was sighted on the port bow. After taking a fix by radar, giving a distance of 20 miles, I was positive it was the island of Ua Haka, so altered course back to 230°. Nuka Hiva was sighted at 0945 hours, just on the starboard bow. The radar picked it up on the edge of the screen at 23 miles range.
At 1230 hours, we approached... with some excitement... the tropical rain-forested mountains of Cape Tikapo, and I brought the course by stages round to 290° magnetic. At 1320 hours, we entered Baie Taiohae through the rocky headlands and anchored ten minutes later in 60 feet of water off the main pier, with three shackles of chain.
Our excitement was short lived, for on clearing customs into French Polynesia, it was found that we had to deposit U.S. $14,000 as a bond for all the crew on board. This was at the rate of the French U.T.A. airfare back to their country of residence... the most expensive airline in the world. 
After paying out almost all the cash we had on board the ship, we were given our six months cruising permit. It was a good thing that I sold the Caterpillar diesel-engine in Acapulco, or we would have been at sea again within seventy two hours of our arrival. And it was a long way to American Samoa without making a stop... to catch up on our sleep... and missing a party on this paradise on earth.
But nothing could dampen our euphoria for long, for we were in one of the most beautiful places in the South Seas. Never mind that we were nearly broke... down to less than U.S. $2,000 for all the crew put together. Until they could have funds sent out to Tahiti from their families, we would just have to count out the pennies one at a time. All the best, Cpt Dick Brooks.


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## Pete D Pirate (Jan 8, 2014)

Thanks, Dick.
Another intriguing episode.

A question:
Bear, the Coatimundi, sounds like a real character and a worthwhile crew-member - if only to keep you on your toes.
So, how did he usually occupy himself through the day and.. where did he prefer to sling his 'hammick'?


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## Cpt Dick Brooks (May 13, 2013)

*For Pete D Pirate.*

Good to hear from you, Pete, and thank you for your keen interest. The bear was a real characters, and his photographs are included in both volumes of my book, The Back Ship's Odyssey, Book One and Two. He spent much of the time annoying anyone who feared him, and would let the daylight into the legs with his inch-long eyeteeth of anybody who tried to chastise him. Much of his time he spent catching cockroaches and eating them, but his favourite food after his natural diet in Mexico of fresh fruit and fish was a raw egg for breakfast, still in the shell, and a raw chicken leg for his evening meal... and anything he could scrounge or steal off an unobservant person's plate.
And as for sleeping! Many a young girl joining or visiting the ship would ask that, especially as his favourite trick with new women was to put his nose right up their skirts until he reached their knickers. I would tell them, "Anywhere he likes. And if it's right across you neck, then leave him there. When he's toyed you enough he'll go and sleep with his buddy, Siggy, my steward.
He was a right lad! When I arrived in Apia, the Minister of Police put 60 police officer on board my ship to search it... to show there was going to be no favouritism to his family. My wife was first cousin to his wife. I was told about this, because I was ashore at the time, by a New Zealander... Dirty Mike... who was also married to a Samoan. When I arrived on board he had all 60 of them corralled on the boat-deck, with many of the bleeding on their legs.
When the Minister of Police, Laupepa Malietoa, who was also the Crown Prince, brought the information to me in the RSA, where I was drinking, about the viciousness of the animal on board my ship, I told him that he was only doing his job, of looking after the ship while I was ashore. I assured him that my little bear would attack anyone he liked... just for fun. I never had anyone else board my ship without me being present again. All the best, Cpt Dick Brooks.


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