Day 103 New crew members

Last day at the marina
For several days, we have said we were leaving the marina but each day brings new activities that seem to keep us here. Our visas expire on the 28th so we will need to leave French Polynesia by then and we want to see Bora Bora before we go but the marina life with our cruiser friends is so pleasant it is hard to get underway again.
On either side of us is a catamaran with a family of four. The kids play from morning to night - mostly in the water and there are rarely any disputes. Sean took them all wake surfing again to the delight of participants and onlookers alike.
Mikaela presented us with a new crew member that we named Francois. He is a small gecko and we hope he will eat his fill of any bugs on the boat. He promptly disappeared and we expect him to carry out his duties in private.
Jennifer presented us with a small potted basil plant that we promptly named Basil (with the proper British pronunciation as in Basil Rathbone). Basil occupies a sunny spot in the cockpit protected from salt spray. We are expecting great things from him as sell on our journey Westward.
In the afternoon we prepared for our last Bitter End in Marina Apooiti. Mark did the barbecue, Kurt made the sushi, Andy provided the certified jet fuel and I invited a half dozen of the French boaters. By the time it was "four fingers" the usual suspects had arrived along with several of our French neighbors. Didier and Marie from Alibi spoke very little English and I ended up spending quite a bit of time with them struggling to make conversation with my meager French. I think we all enjoyed the experience although there were times when we had to work really hard to make ourselves understood. At the end of the evening, they wished us a good journey.