Well, I am leaving here tomorrow for the Tuamopto Islands about 500 nm away.  I will probably head for the Kauehi  Atoll but the weather will decide.  Winds down there have been severe - upwards of 40 knots.  Many boats have been pinned in, unable to get out and others unable to get into the atoll passes.  In severe winds the current out can be strong - 9 knots is typical, 20 knots have been recorded.

 

The picture is the present view from my cockpit.  Now for four to six days at sea.