Okay, okay, no more griping about the discomforts of passage making. We had idyllic tropical sailing for the last two days of our voyage, consistent, 15-20 knot winds from the northeast that felt like an easy, tropical breeze. We had sunny skies, full appetites, whale spout sightings, and enough avian fly-bys to make staring at the sea a worth while activity.

In the last week, we’ve experienced an incredible array of sailing conditions. Our third afternoon out was sunny and comfortable with 15 knot winds coming from the northeast. We took a northerly course, and held a fast paced beam reach as the sun set, washing the sky in lilac and magenta.

Two hundred and thirty eight miles north east of New Zealand: Dominic is spooling spectra line on his new reel, Dad is finishing a novel on the starboard settee, and I have no pressing chores, time to sit with pen in hand and write.We are forty seven hours at sea, and all is well onboard. We left New Zealand with sunny skies, calm seas, and 12-15 knot northerlies; we flew the main and the jib, making tight northeasterly progress at six knots.