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Monday, November 1, 2010

Tonga to NZ, Day 6

Time: 31 October 2010, 0800 Tonga time (+13)
Position: 32-58S 176-28E

Hello,all!

Another night in the washing machine, non-delicate cycle.

Last night, about 10pm on Bill's watch our first squall came through. From a pleasant 15-20 knots, the wind came up to the low 30s in seconds while Bill madly scrambled to roll in the jib. It only lasted a half hour or so, but like all squalls, it was impressive. The rest of the night was uneventful, although the winds were in the 25-30 range most of the time. Right now, we're seeing mid 20s. The wind has veered to the southeast, so all that wind is mighty cold. Last night was spent in sleeping bags for the first time. A night watch involves suiting up for a space mission.

With the wind on the beam, the ride has been rough, but even with our more-or-less permanent configuration of two reefs in the main, it's been a fast one. We're continuing to average 150+ mile days. As always, it could be worse. We chatted with nearby boat PROXIMITY out of Fiji, bound for Whangarei, who has spent the last seven days close hauled!

The boat continues to hold up well. No problems except for the chafe on the main.

Despite the commotion, Kathy continues to churn out great meals. For yesterday's lunch we had rice with eggplant, ginger, and bok choi, then mushroom gnocci with green salad for dinner. We're on a mission to consume every bit of food that could be quarantined by the Kiwis. We're not going to come close, but it has been a heck of a lot of fun trying.

Cheers,

-tk & Bill & Kathy

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