After an epic few months hanging out in New Zealand it was time to Go! There was a definite chill in the air. We were finally ready with the bilges full of provisions.
Leaving port and going offshore is a decision we don’t take lightly. One that includes pouring over weather forecasts in the week preceding our departure. Analyzing wave heights, swell period, wind and gust maps. Planning for alternate routes and ports. There’s a lot that goes into it. A lot of practice. Perhaps we were a bit out of practice having summered in New Zealand? Sailing in latitudes as far south as New Zealand exposes you to frontal systems. Intense low & high pressure systems. It’s very different than sailing the trade wind latitudes near the equator.
The passage from New Zealand to Fiji is one that includes a point of no return. A point where the only thing you can do is turn more downwind. And that is what we did. Our initial course had us stopping over in a place called Minerva Reef. After three days of bashing into waves with no end in sight and sailing angles that were getting tighter and tighter we pulled the trigger to skip beautiful Minerva reef. So hopefully this video gives you an idea of what bashing can be like and really its not all that bad, but I am not sure we would call it fun. The reward though is fantastic and beautiful and woot we are here!
