37 02.90S 175 56.09E - Slipper Island

Aurora_b
Mike and Liz Downing
Thu 29 Mar 2012 09:21
Finally broke the ties with Tauranga! The dry weather is continuing this week and it would be ideal for sanding the deck, but it's also a good weather window to head north, and they have been few and far between. So the lines were cast off and we headed out of the marina yesterday evening to anchor just outside, to stow all the ropes and fenders and get the boat ready for an early start today. As there are still over 100 lost containers somewhere in the sea, hopefully on the sea bed, the message repeatedly given out here is to be cautious and keep a very good look out for them and any other debris still floating around. So it's day sailing until well clear of the area. Today we sailed 40 miles north and are anchored on the western side of Slipper Island - a small island about 2 miles off the coast that gives good shelter from the current south easterly winds. We had expected a very gentle sail, good to get us started again, but the wind was brisk on the starboard quarter or directly behind, with quite a boisterous cross-seas swell which did it's best to collapse the sails we had up. So it was straight back into downwind sail with both genoas set and the windward one polled out. This gave a good speed, 6 to 7kts, most of the time and we arrived her quite early at 14.00. 
 
There's still talk of a big storm arriving from the tropics early next week, so we're not hanging around and hope to be on our way again tomorrow, and be somewhere very secure by Sunday, should this storm head for NZ.   
 
A fly past for the 50th Anniversary of the New Zealand Air Force. 
 
Aurora B anchored on the western side of Slipper Island.
 
Above and below - pictures of Slipper Island.