Letter to Vivian Parks
Papeete 25 April 1978
Dear Aunt Vivian and everybody,
Thank you for the letter, I have gotten very little mail here and no news about what is happening there. I just mailed a letter to uncle Bob this morning before getting your letter. Here is the information you requested.
1. Charges against the boat are 118,000efp for charter plane to Rangiroa with caskets for mom and dad, 104,138cfp for the search plane, 27,390cfp for the shipping of caskets and undertaker to Rangiroa, 9,250cfp for Kerry’s stay in the hospital, and 5,000cfp for me to the hospital. Total 268,873cfp. I have had this reduced to 267,253cfp or approx. $3,500 US. I am taking care of these.
2. There is $2,500 on deposit here which is refundable – but not until the boat & I leave French Polynesia. It has to be released by customs when I check out.
3. The are holding my passport and the ships papers until I pay the money. There are moorage fees of 250cfp per day – I am trying to get them to let me move the boat to anchorage with no fees.
4. The boat is mostly okay to sail back. I imagine Larry told you about the engine problem. It is okay now.
5. I still am unable to find the hidden compartment Uncle Bob said dad told him about.
6. I will sail the boat back – no one else know where a lot of the things are on the boat or how they operate – nor do I think the expense for a professional yacht delivery would be justified.
7. I am okay – I have had to pull all of my resources together to help myself accept what has happened. My hand still is not up to the way it was – no where near as strong and easy for me to injure again. I also thru my knee out 2 days ago. It is getting better – difficult to get around thought.
Getting out of here by radio is very difficult at this time – weather conditions are not helping and the Russian have begun transmitting on the 20 meter band which also messes up transmissions.
I feel sorry for Kerry & Larry for having had to say what they have. I have been asked why I do not go back ASAP and defend myself. I do not have to. I like myself. I feel good with myself and sleep good all night. I think what I did was what I had to do with what was happening at the time to me, and the other on the boat. I do not like what happened, I wish it had not happened – I would have liked to continue the trip and enjoyed the South Pacific w/mom & dad, Kerry & Lori. Nothing will change what has happened – I do not like what happened - I am working on accepting what happened. I have to live with myself.
Right now I do not know what I am going to do. When I will leave here, etc. I still have to wait for the money to come to get my passport back and the boat’s papers. I imagine will sail from here to Hawaii and then across to California. Let me know if this is deemed unacceptable.
If you want to know my version of what happened – what I believe to have happened write and ask me.
All I will say now is that 1. if I had tried to kill Kerry – I wouldn’t have tried. I would have and she would not be there now. 2. Larry, I can only imagine must have either had a vision or wishful thinking for another 5% of the estate or whatever.
My love to all there,
Gary
May you walk beneath no other Shadow than that of our Lord.