Yes we have been extremely slack over the last few months with updating the blog but the time has once again come and we are about to set off. Tonga via New Zealand. Our first big ocean crossing!! The night before we set out and I have no nerves yet but I know they will arrive later tonight or tomorrow. Kylie says they have already hit.

During our stay in Coffs we have not only spent time making some money but the yacht has seen some upgrades. Externally we now have a bow sprit, mainly for getting the anchor tackle further away from our plum bow. The side benefit being we can also rig asymmetric spinnakers or code zero's (I wish) further out from the bow. We have also seen some minor signage changes to comply with our international registration. You will also notice that our registration denotes Sydney. This is because Coffs Harbour, although one of only 5 ports of entry into NSW from overseas is not recognised. Even stranger is there are other ports you can use for registration that are not one of these 5 ports and some around Australia are even land locked??







Inside we are starting to become one of those boats we were once jealous of. We have turned the ice box in the kitchen into a very efficient fridge. Its power consumption is so far ahead of the pre manufactured one we already had. If we had the money i would be tempted to remove the old fridge and and just build one from scratch as we had done in the kitchen. Put simply our home made one has much better insulation properties resulting in less running time.
We have also removed one of the toilets and installed a 2.2kg washing machine in its place. While travelling last year we regularly had problems getting clothes to dry due to the humidity or temperature. The spin cycle on the machine is there for a god send.




We have also constructed a new doorway for when we are off shore. The wash boards are good but to get out if you were shut in required firstly partly opening the hatch then removing all the boards. Once outside you then had to put it all back in place to keep the water out or take a risk. The new door simply swings open. All we now need to do is turn the handle, open the doors, step out then shut them. Quick simple and hopefully effective.





It also reminds me of hospital doors (its new nickname).

We have also added a boom brake to help control the boom. I wont bore you with photo's of that.

So once again we are back onthe blog regularly so that family and friends can keep up with our latest news and where we are.