Day 2: Passage from NZ to Fiji

Woke up to no sight of land, still some seabirds about. We can visually see one sailboat in the distance and are in a “lump” of about 8 boats on our radar and AIS system with many other boats pouring out of NZ behind us.

Continuing on with beam seas and winds, which gets a bit old after a while, as you are constantly holding on to something to move about. I’m glad I prepped food the prior days, as we enjoyed chicken risotto last night and breakfast burritos this morning.

Entire day spent with same stable conditions: waves 2-2.5 meters on beam, winds average 20 knots on beam. Made great time. We are heading a bit east of Fiji at this time due to potential headwinds ahead of us, so trying to be strategic about that. Also avoiding an area with some wild currents. And we also look at where the seas are most manageable (we are in a corridor between even bigger seas). Finally, we’re looking at CAPE, indicating more active thunderstorms. And then timing it out to arrive during daytime around Fiji due to numerous reefs.

Last night, as we watched the sun set and the moon rise, I thought of how lucky we are to have a clear horizon in all directions to watch celestial bodies rise and set. On land, normally I look up and there’s the moon; here we see it rise, last night the moon a fiery orange at sunset.

Delicious fresh tuna poke bowl for dinner. The waves made it challenging to prepare, but so worth it! Overnight, winds decreasing, motor-sailed for 5 hours, seas mellowing.