Year Two
Date: 7/5/2008 10:00
Weather: warm smooth seas and 15knts
Location: South Pacific Ocean, Tasman Sea (32 25.46' s, 163 30.11' e)
Author: Peter

We cleared customs and checked out of Coffs Harbour Australia at midday on Sunday the third of May. After a few hiccups in the harbour, namely forgetting to reconnect reefing lines after the twilight series, we got away on a close hauled course averaging 8knts. The breeze stayed SE for the next three days with intermittent squalls each evening and around Lord Howe Island requiring lots of sail changes. We Passed Lord Howe after two days and 6 hours of sailing and would have enjoyed the stop for a break but at this time the wind was up, it was raining and just on dark. Not a good time to enter.

Since then the breeze has slowly been rotating to the SW except during those nuisance squalls. We are expecting some stronger winds just as we reach the northern tip of NZ but are hoping the forecast is wrong. We will then sail directly to Opua in the Bay of Islands to clear into NZ. We were planning on ten days to cross but we are well ahead of this as long as we don't get another six hours of no wind like we had this morning.

Thankfully the seas so far have been kind. We have passed two whales, a pair of spinner dolphins, a few albatross and some mutton birds. Otherwise not a great deal of wildlife so far. The Tasmanian coast is still amazing in my eye's for this. Our only other entertainment has been chatter on the VHF around Lord Howe. We have not seen another boat since the first 10nm where we passed 3 yachts heading to Queensland for the season and 1 large ship heading north.

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