Knocked off 172 miles toward the destination, it only cost us 10 miles or extra distance so far. Most of that was leaving Denaru and getting out of the reefs.
Sunny and still warm. A decent run for day one. The squall line that comes in tonight or tomorrow morning will not be too much fun, but it’ll happen.
Beautiful day, can’t see but it’s a little bit bumpy too
We continue to hammer down and keep the VMG toward NZ up, well should arrive before the cold front. COLD FRONT? Why did we leave Fiji? Oh yeah, boat work and cyclone season is in our future.
Broke out the BBQ Chicken Enchiladas for diner. Can’t go wrong with some good ole enchiladas!
Fickle as we are, we have pressing matters to attend to. Just like that crazy rabbit from Alice in wonderland.
Well not really, we had a great time in Tonga but we really didn’t do it justice. Lots of whales, some great anchorages, mediocre weather and great weather but Fiji and a chance to pick up a replacement rudder won the coin toss.
Another unexpected fun in Tonga, was we got to cross paths with new and old friends from anchorages past. Some we hadn’t seen since the Caribbean, others from French Polynesia and beyond.
We cleared out on Friday with a Saturday plan. Can’t leave on a Friday, it’s bad luck, and that would have meant missing a Friday happy hour. Saturday morning came all too soon.
A cruise ship was arriving so no need to stick around. Under way and raised full sails. Soon enough, wind picked up and overpowered the one rudder. Oh my, this is going to be a long 400 miles. Reefed and tweaked, and tweaked, and finally came to an agreement with autopilot.
We agreed, not to give him too much sail to deal with and he would meander down the course, like he was the one that stayed too late at happy hour. One reef in the main and various furls on the headsail and we have some decent balance. With the exception of the quartering seas that induces lots of rudder use, we have successfully knocked out 150 of those 400 miles.
With the exception of the rough waves and winds at the start, why did we chose to leave in a squall?, it’s going well out here.
The guess to go east worked out. The weather guys woke up from their night out and started following the program. A little late, but at least it’s in the ballpark.
They must have been still a bit hung over and just to start the night off right jumped right into a Jäegermeister shot! Just as it got dark the first squall came out of the darkness. No rain, so radar didn’t pick it up. I saw a darker spot in the sky and reduced a little more sail. Just then, Whoosh, winds were up and we were making course changes to reduce wind on the sails. Just as in any club, gotta watch out for those Jäegermeister shots, we will call this one the Warning shot.
The warning became appreciated a few hours later.
The moon rose and the stars remained hidden, I guess it was going to be one of those kinds of parties. The weather guys must have made a connection at the club. A long white cloud appeared in the sky and so did the winds. The 80’s music playing was “Duran Duran, hungry like a wolf” and you can just see the dance floor flailing about at warp speed. Now thankful for the warning shot, just a little course change can take the edge off. Of course, now no longer going the correct direction. After what seemed like forever out on the dance floor, the DJ played the breather song. Probably something by “Bryan Adams”. Back on course.
Like any good DJ, the process is repeated again and again all night long.
At day break, the Roxbury closes and it’s time to see what you couldn’t quite see in the club last night.
Morning looking good, some breaks in the sky. Still breezy, and bouncy. 250 miles to go, or put differently 1 or 2 more club nights.
Club gear! or staying warm and dry leaving New Zealand
