Password] D1nsdale
[status] :position 23 43S 167 20E
6.30am and it?s about to rain. Doesn?t so much rain here as torrent. Like Kim Dotcom with a 1gb feed. There was no glorious downhill run as presaged in last Pollyanna post. Had a frustrating couple of days with the wind and waves against us...20km tacks up the Pacific Ocean to get some kind of ground and the boat leaned over on her ear, everything strained and doing 3 knots. But this evening the wind came around to the rear quarter, the sun came out and birds started singing (wish, haven?t seen a bird in days, oddly) and we cruised smoothly along at 7 knots all night making excellent ground. 95nm (200km) to go and we are practicing our French for ?large, cold, frothing beer please?. It has been a dry passage, as always. We will unfortunately arrive at Amadee lighthouse outside the entrance to the lagoon that surrounds New Caledonia at about 9:00pm. So will heave to outside and wait till tomorrow morning rather than attempt the passage through the reefs in the lagoon for the first time at night. Crew well, if a little weary after 7 days of 4 hours on, 4 hours off. Just want to get there now.

[END]