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Subject: Nonstop
[password] Nonstop2299[position] 21 13.54S 175 18.65W[weather] south easterly 15 after gusty early morning front went through and 26 degrees[status] We arrived in Nuku'alofa on Tuesday morning after slowing down for a daylight arrival. Had a pretty good trip up from Opua in just under 8 days. Pretty good for a 34 footer. Best stat was we did 1066 miles all on starboard tack until we finally had to tack on the last afternoon! The trip was only marred by 3 days of solid rain at the end. Not such fun as we were all absolutly soaked. Ellen won top speed with a 16.3 knots hooning down a wave on day 2.The ease of our trip was going east of the rhumline by about 130 miles out through the Kermadec Islands- based on our read of the grib files and staying in south to south easterlies most of the way. We reached for the first 4 days then had wind just forward of the beam. First day 170 miles then 171 miles day 2 gave us a great start. Max wind whole trip about 30 knots easterly on day 5 as boats on the rhumline were struggling with stronger northerlies.If only the solid rain hadn't come! We are now in therapy trying to forget just how crappy and miserable that was for us as we hand steer all the time. Rum breakfast on arrival was the first session.Have really enjoyed our first few days in Tonga -except for early hours this morning amongst the carnage off Big Mumas as the front went through. We have at least got our anchor gear back that we had to cut away as it got taken by a runaway from the ICA mob that was towing an 80 metre grapnel around our vicinity!

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