Been Around The World ….. November 2016

Day 5 Underway Minerva Reef to Opua, New Zealand

Position at 6.22pm 23 Nov 2016

32 29.712s 174 48.694e
Heading 200T,

Speed 5.8 knots under motor - glassy seas no wind at all

Have been motoring since 1.45pm, going through the centre of the high, sunny earlier, 90% cloud cover now.

Superb sailing overnight with a glorious starlit night, light winds and flat seas.

Miles to run  172 to Customs Dock in Opua

24 hour run 134 miles, good speeds overnight but slower in light winds today

We Have Circumnavigated the Globe!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just a short while ago, under motor unfortunately, we crossed over our outward track from Auckland to Fiji so now have officially sailed around the world, what a major milestone that is, we are very proud of ourselves.

Shortly before that we came into New Zealand waters, we are now within 200 miles so are now classed as coastal cruising (on our insurance policy anyway), I will be more encouraged when I actually see some coast, and all of this will start to feel more like reality, right now its all a little surreal.

On our morning net we have 3 other kiwi boats coming in who are completing circumnavigations also, so we have decided to have a party on Sunday night at the Opua Yacht Club.  We did a quick shout for numbers over the net this morning, everyone heading for Opua is coming so there will be over 40 of us (we have one of the boats in Opua advising the OYC so they can buy plenty of vegetables and extra meat for the Sunday night roast!!)

We really wanted to sail the whole way on this last leg, we were the only boat still sailing this morning.   When the winds lightened we put the pole up and poled out the headsail.     Then the breeze dropped even more so we got out our big colourful cruising chute (quite a production getting it out and setting it up), it wouldn't fill so then we poled it out like a spinnaker and floated along for a while.  Finally we (skipper) conceded that if we wanted to get in before the low on Friday morning we would need to motor so all the sails have been put away and we are chugging along in 2 knots of wind.  

More dolphins today but they just cruised on by, one suicidal flying fish landed noisily on the deck overnight and woke me up, gosh they make a mess, the boat is filthy covered in salt and fish scales.

WE’VE SAILED AROUND THE WORLD!!!!!!