Day 127 Travel delayed

Unfavorable winds
We get weather reports from a system called Gribb files which originate from satellite images that are analyzed for wind, wave and current and then projected out for several days in advance. By looking at these pictures and guessing at the reliability of their forecasts it is possible to minimize the risk of encountering storms and to maximize the possibility of an easy passage.
Currently the wind is blowing from the North. Suwarrow is North of Rarotonga so we could not sail there directly but would have to tack back and forth at a 45º angle to the wind. This "point of sail" is usually accompanied by rough and bumpy sailing so if more favorable wind is forecasted, it is better to wait. The forecast is dominated by two weather systems that are moving across the Pacific so the predictions will probably be pretty accurate. On Friday, the wind should shift to be from the East and by Saturday, the Southeast trade winds should return. Mark does not want to leave a harbor on a Friday - especially Friday the 13th - so it looks now that we will leave on Saturday.
I had to go to the post office to get a gift off to Sir William as I had missed the "Molly express" when she left on Wednesday night. It should arrive on time in any event.
A few words on yesterday's provisioning... The "Med moor" leaves the stern of Southern Star about 15 feet from the harbor wall. (see the pictures) At the wall, there is a steep 10 step metal staircase that must be climbed. At low tide, the bottom step is just above the water and at high tide the bottom two steps are immersed. The dinghy is tied with two lines, one to the boat and one to the stairs so it can be retrieved from either side. When waves are coming into the North facing harbor, as they have been for the last few days, getting in and out of the dinghy at either side is an athletic event. If you are attempting to transfer a case of beer or two dozen eggs, it looks like the guy in the circus who balances plates on sticks. The dinghy is bouncing up and down usually in an opposite rhythm from the boat so a one foot wave means that the ladder on the stern of Southern Star is moving up and down about two feet from the dinghy about once every two seconds. The trick is to step on the ladder of the boat and grab the railing (hopefully with two hands) when the ladder is down the furthest and then ride it up away from the dinghy while climbing into the boat. Notice I said two hands. What about the two dozen eggs? There are two ways to accomplish the transfer of items. The easiest is to have help from another person on the boat or on the ladder. The second choice, if you are alone, is to put all the items in a backpack. Yesterday, I had so much that it required several trips. This is equivalent to a half hour at the gym and a lot cheaper.
We ended the day at the movies one more time. There was a rather senseless zombie movies playing but everyone else wanted to go so I tagged along. It had more dialogue than the last movie we watched so that was at least worth something.