The Society Islands are unique in that they are mountainous like Marquesas Islands, but they are fringed with a coral reef. The passes are well marked and the anchorages protected, it really is boating paradise.

Our first stop in Moorea we anchored in Cooks Bay and spoke with several of our fellow cruisers about running inside the reef; you just follow the white stakes and pass on the ocean side of the white stakes. They did warn that you need to be within 10 feet of the stakes and run “line of site” between the two stakes, which zigzags through the reef. Following the markers and staying within 10 feet of the marked pass, you can run your dinghy full speed with just inches of water above the coral on both sides. Exciting and very handy as the distances between the bays and dive sites can be a couple of miles and running outside the reef is open ocean.

Our first day in Moorea we decided to run over to the Topdive dive shop at the Intercontinental Resort about 5 miles from Cooks Bay. About halfway we stopped and chatted with our friends on Persephone who decided to join, by following us in their dinghy.

As we rounded the point near Topdive I saw two red markers for the channel to Topdive – which didn’t make sense as there should be a red and a green. As I turned past the second red marker – we ran the zodiac at 20+ knots into a coral head.

I said to Christine – “the motor is off”, she said – I know “I can’t hear it”. No “it’s hanging by the cables”… underwater. The zodiac had a breakaway motor mount – which broke away. So other than in the water, the motor (Yamaha 50hp 4 stroke) was not damaged.

We quickly discovered it weighs 300lbs. No way Christine and I are going to stand in waist-deep water and flop it onto the seat. Our friend Wayne on Persephone happened to be a mountain / heli ski guide and with some very clever “rope and line” technology four of us managed to get the motor onto the zodiac. The Persephone dinghy towed the whole mess back to Gray Matter.

We hoisted the boat and motor onto the deck and within minutes we had four fellow cruiser / outboard motor mechanics onboard. Remove the starter – put it in the oven (who would have thought of that?). Drain the carbs, drain the oil, remove the spark plugs – hey where’s the spark plug wrench. After a fruitless search for a spark plug wrench we decided we’d had enough and we needed a cocktail.

At 7:30am the next morning Mike from Time 2 (Nordhavn 57) showed up with a spark plug wrench he handcrafted in his engine room workshop overnight. We removed the plugs – cleaned the cylinders – installed the starter – hooked up the water hose – and, voila, the motor started.

Now what to do about the zodiac. Mike from Time 2 mentioned he had seen a very nice fiberglass boat manufactured in Tahiti. Christine and I hopped the ferry to Tahiti (from Moorea) and checked out the Maoti 14 at the Nautisport shop in Papeete. Boat and motor will weigh 1000 lbs – well under our 1500 lb davit, and it will fit perfectly on the deck of Gray Matter. A quick negotiation on the motor swap cost, and delivery schedule and Gray Matter had a new Tender.

The new tender with a deep V can run in the ocean swells and carry four divers and gears, so it is perfect for our “mission”. We’re very thankful for all the cruisers that came to our rescue, and fortunate that we were able to find a replacement at a reasonable cost, and we leave Tahiti with special souvenir and memory.