Day 2 and a half

Kahia
Paul and Catherine Davis
Mon 5 Nov 2012 13:55
23:10S 179:02W
 
We hope our last post is on line, somehow it came up as undelivered and out here there is no way of checking. All is well aboard and the day flies by, so I am writing this on my night shift as I forgot to write in the afternoon.
 With over 26 boats on the way the roll call mornings and early evenings takes a good 45 minutes on the SSB.
At 08.10 we also tune into Golf Harbour Radio (8752KHz, 8297KHz), an excellent weather support from New Zealand run by David and Patricia for all yachts sailing to NZ. David gives the weather report at 08.30 (local  time) before and after this, boats check in and are given a specific forecast for their position and speed. This is how we can plan our route. With the wind building up, heading down Fiji and our way, it is very helpful to get more information for what is predicted on different weather models. We are glad we have been able to sail at a good speed of 7-8 knots over the ground with ESE winds Force 4-5, so that we get South as fast as possible to hopefully get out of the range predicted for the high winds in 24 to 48 hours.
30 miles to North Minerva Reef, we will be happy to be well past both of them tomorrow. 
Today we collected small particles of pumice washing up on the decks. There are bigger pieces dotted in the sea, a reminder that there is volcanic activity around here, as we are sailing parallel to the Tongan Ridge.