We are getting ready to depart from Minerva reef tomorrow (Monday 11th Nov) morning to continue the passage south to New Zealand. Connolly and I have had a relaxing few days anchored safely inside the reef protected from the ocean waves. We have dried out and cleaned Sea Monkey, eaten and slept plenty and visited with some cruising friends we knew who were also here.

Now we are preparing for passage again and have packed up the dinghy, stowed everything securely, run the watermaker to fill the water tanks and are currently cooking some delicious meals to put in the fridge so they are ready and easy to grab once we are out getting bounced around some on the ocean waves. This morning I used up some supplies we have had on board for a while to make dulce de leche and also a chocolate cake cooked in the big frying pan with a lid that turned out very successful! Connolly made some great chicken fajitas for lunch and is currently working on an eggplant, garbanzo and tomato biriyani curry for the passage. After that I will do a pasta with chicken in a creamy pink sauce and we will chop up/fry some salami and chorizo ready for sandwich fillings. We already have some leftover green Thai curry in the fridge too. And some people ask what we manage to eat out here in the middle of the ocean hundreds of miles from anything thinking that we must live off cans of baked beans!!

The weather looks like a pretty good opportunity for the passage with no really strong winds forecast but some moderate winds and bumpy seas for a few days maybe Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and then some lighter winds that might require some motoring around the weekend. It is approximately 800 to 900 miles to Opua NZ for us depending how direct a line we choose. I will try to send an update or two along the way.

Phil