On to New Zealand

24 September 2024

On to New Zealand

In Suva, I came on board. After not being on board for almost 10 months, it really felt like coming home. In the afternoon, the guests came on board for the trip to Whangarei and the mood was right there. Some of them are ‘new’, others have been on board for several trips in a row, but immediately everyone was chatting pleasantly with each other. There are 25 of us with 11 different nationalities! What you call a mixed company!

This morning we were supposed to leave at 10:00 LT, but clearing out took a bit longer than expected. That didn’t matter much, we were already happy that it could be done on a Sunday. By noon, the formalities were over and the anchor could be raised. Quietly sailing through the bay, one by one the sails went up and by the time we were between the reefs, which form the natural protection of the bay.

Meanwhile, we were sailing under a clear starry sky and enjoying the balmy evening. The sea is (still) completely flat, as we are sailing sheltered behind the island of Kandavu. In a few hours, that shelter will disappear and we won’t encounter land for the 1,000-plus miles.

The wind is calm at the moment, about 3 Bft from the east-south-east. It will increase over the next 24 hours and, unfortunately, turn further south. That means we will have to steer a slightly more westerly course and later see how we get back east. In the longer term, a depression is arriving that will warily give us southerly winds. Exactly what we don’t need…. But then again, that’s a forecast almost a week ahead, so that could totally change. For now, we are enjoying a lovely start of the trip.