34:28.71S 174:21.28E

Sunday 1st December – Cabin Crew Prepare for Landing

Well, the winds have been rather kinder to us than the Grib files we downloaded suggested and we’ve managed to sail for a good 50% of today.  The upshot is that as I write (around 2130 on Sunday evening – 0830 on Sunday morning in the UK) we are about 40 NM from the entrance to the Bay of Islands in NZ and so about 50 NM from Opua marina.   Since we are making better than 8 knots at the moment under a combination of sail and a touch of engine we should be alongside the Customs berth in Opua around or before dawn.

We’ve done the usual stuff of heaving overboard most of the remaining fresh food apart from a bit of fruit we’ll eat before Customs/Immigration/Biosecurity et al board us tomorrow morning.  However, notwithstanding the need for a pretty comprehensive clear out it always seems worthwhile to leave them something to confiscate. 

In recognition of the fact that it has now done more than 2 years’ service the burgee halyard snapped today leaving us trailing our burgee on its 9' staff about 30m astern.  It’s possible to sort that kind of thing out at sea but it was a lot easier to recover the burgee, substitute the white ensign for a red and leave the matter until we get alongside. 

So, here we are again.  Lots to do in sorting out solar panels, batteries, aux piggin’ genny (fix or ditch), general spares and possibly a new teak deck.  And, of course, our return to the UK for a bit after Christmas.  Much looking forward to a bit of idle chat in the Opua Cruising Club before we get on with organising the programme for the next 6 months.