19:03.239 S  169:55.457 W

25/08/09

14:30

We cleared the Beveridge Reef pass at 13:00.  The wind is a healthy SSW Force 5 just forward of the beam.  Its only 140 miles to Niue and we’re not in a great hurry so we’re sailing with two reefs in the yankee and one in the main.  We were lucky to have a couple of calm days in the Reef, it’s not so pleasant when the wind is up.

26/08/09

01:30

 The wind didn’t stay on the beam and has gone SE and dropped.  The resulting sloppy sea up the backside is not at all popular with the crew. Will have to go South 10/20 degrees to make it bearable.

15:00  We moored up at nine this morning, greeted by several humpbacks on the way in.

It was an uncomfortable night for all but worth it to be surrounded by such magnificent animals.

The local radio operator wouldn't contact customs untul we had our dinghy in the water. Once I was in the office, the formalities were painless, everyone is very pleasant here.