Make repairs while the sun don't shine.

That dirty great low that has been blasting us with with constant strong wind for the last few days is lingering like a hangover after a stag night. We are still trapped in Finch Bay, Cooktown, imprisoned in the amazing abode of our great new friends Margs and Mausey. As I write the rain on the tin roof is loudly drowning out the incessant chorus of the frogs in this little slice of tropical paradise.

These few days of rest have been a great opportunity to catch up on some repairs, dry out our gear and wash some very smelly clothes. We are both itching to get back in the boats (or is that just the sandflies?) but the swirling maelstrom outside the bay is enough to justify boiling the kettle one more time.

My kayak has needed a small overhaul, and after just one week of paddling! In actual fact my boat is now about 5 years old (Lain's is a year or so younger) and despite my best efforts to keep it in pristine condition, salt water is not forgiving and my boat has started to show the evidence of many hours on the water.

On day one of this expedition we noticed that my rear hatch (containing two week's food, the computer, sat phone, all the spare parts and many other essentials) had a serious leak. Noticing that the 5 year old neoprene hatch cover was starting to get a bit thin in a few spots I assumed the problem would be solved by replacing the cover (yes, I had brought a spare!). On day two the hatch filled up with much more water so my simple fix was not the answer.

On closer inspection I discovered that one of the rudder line tubes (if they have a technical name then I don't know it) was broken right down at the stern. Let me explain. Our kayaks have a small rope cleated to the deck within easy reach of the paddler on either side of the kayak. Pull the left rope and the rudder is deployed, pull the right and the rudder lifts from the water so it won't be damaged in shallow water or beach landings. For this marvel of engineering to take place the rope passes into a small plastic tube inside the boat that then runs from the main cockpit through the rear two hatches to the rudder at the stern of the kayak. At this point the tube passes through a small hole in the boat and is held in place by a large goop of silicone. Water can enter the plastic tube (with the rope) but it should never end up in one of the hatches.

Perhaps my heavy handed attempts to overfill my kayak with too much gear on day one resulted in this cord being damaged, either way it needed fixing. With some extra, somewhat thicker plastic tube, deck caulking goop, silicone, my trusty Leatherman, two scraped knees, several expletives and a few extra bits from the spares kit I have hopefully now solved the puzzle of the leaking hatches.

In one week I have now repaired the tent (thanks to a hungry rat), two holes in my blow-up mattress, and now my faithful kayak. I hope this is not a pattern that will be repeated every week from here on. While I have been very prepared with spare parts and bits and pieces it is a strictly limited supply and I expect we could find ourselves washed up like Gilligan, trying to fix a sat phone with coconuts and bamboo!