Monday, November 11, 2024: Passage Tonga to New Zealand Day 6
Conditions continue to be lovely this morning, sailing with our main and Code Zero in 15-20 knots of wind, seas only 1.5 meters. This is the life! Scattered squalls about. At noon, wind disappears. We have been advised to keep a 6.2 knot average to get into Opua, New Zealand before the systems hit, so we’re burning dinosaurs now. Wind filled in again and able to sail, so peaceful and calm as we sail along.
On the boat walk-about tonight, lots of evidence of flying fish in the bigger seas; scales covering the boat!
So excited to cook in my calm galley tonight. First batch of noodles were old and turned to mush. Next bag of noodles, full of weevils; overboard that went too. Third time was the charm on pesto noodles. The fridge is looking bare, a good way to have it at the end of a passage. Have I mentioned how excited I am about the food in New Zealand?
We are within a 30-mile radius of both our buddy boats, nice to have “company” out here. I’ve talked about the camaraderie of cruisers before, but it really is noteworthy. This passage has been rough on some boats, one boat dismasted a couple weeks ago – the cruising community jumped into action and ensured the boat had enough diesel (transferring jugs out at sea via creative methods) to get them to New Zealand safely via motoring, success. On a personal level, this global community means weathering wild winds at anchor together, sharing land adventures, friends for our kids (and ourselves), passage-making together, words of encouragement, sharing tools and knowledge, and so much more. This is the end (or temporary pause) of cruising for many of our closest cruising friends, as New Zealand is a natural stopping point. These friendships are deep and we will feel a loss when we part.
Overnight, the wind died again and we had to motor to make our destination safely, uneventful. 223 miles to go…
SV Terikah Adventures 