Last Letter from Loren & Jody Edwards

Nuku Hiva, French Polynesia

12 February 1978

Dear Jody and Kara. It was sure good to talk to you the other night. We'll continue on to Papeete but from there we will have to decide. I would certainly like to see Dad again so whether I fly back or bring the boat back will be the question. We will try to head for Ahe, an atoll in the Tuamotus Group by next Wednesday. It should take us about five days to get there and then we would stay for a few days then on to Papeete. Our maximum sailing is about 9 knots. Gary had an infected toe and I have an infection in my left leg. I scraped it one night on another boat and it took it several days before it got infected. Sores down here don't heal the way they do at home. Instead of healing in a few days, it seems to take weeks before they heal. Time down here just seems to fly by.

Hi Jody - Dad didn't have time to finish this so I get to. He is so upset about Grandpa - we all are but it is very hard for him. I am sure if we had time to get there we would all come home. It is so good he is able to talk to both his mom and dad. Grandpa sounds like is in real good spirits. I sure wish I had been on the boat when dad talked to you instead of running all the errands. We will be trying to call home every day to check on grandpa. We are so excited about Bobbie getting married and would give anything to be there with her. I waited all these years for one of you to have a wedding and then I am gone.

I am on the Restless Wind while Dad is off looking for the anchor. Randi is sick today, so she has been in bed most of the time. I took her to the Dr. this morning only to find out he won't be there until tomorrow.

We enjoyed the other islands - Fatu Hiva is the most beautiful of all the Islands. It has very high steep mountains with many goats. We traded less than half a pint of whiskey for half a goat. It isn't bad if it is cooked a long time.