37:17.359 S  174:48.716 E

28/10/08

We ticked off another 45 miles today, motoring in the beginning and having a lively sail for the second half.  There are imminent gale warnings but we’re now in a very large bay only 35 miles or so from Auckland and the weather is in the SW to NW sector so it won’t be a problem for us.  We’re in Omaha Cove near Leigh, a small seaside town which hasn’t yet got going for the season. A few places are open Thursday to Saturday but nothing on a Tuesday, so we’ll dine al fresco au bateau.

We are planning to arrive Auckland on Friday but if the weather is lousy we may go earlier.  This has been a recce for a later summer cruise when the water is warm.  There are many many places to stop and a lots of diving to be done.  We were escorted out of the Bay of Islands by  Dolphins and many operators offer a chance to swim with them.

The automatic pilot motor is definitely dead. At least it’s not an intermittent fault. The Starboard Helm has got very clunky and there’s something worn in the rod linkage so we’re trying not to use it.  Actually it’s quite nice to be helming by hand.