Made it in to Marsden Cove Saturday morning at 0930.

So far the cold front isn't bad. Maybe my idea of staying north until the worse has passed is working. Ran engine for 6 hours yesterday so should be good to get me in when the wind disappears later today. ETA 0900 Sat.

Turned on engine at 1030 when I got feed up with constant rocking in 8 knts wind and 3 knts boat speed. So far no problems with water flow. Expecting winds 15-20 knts from Friday 0700 'till Saturday 0100. Still planning a Saturday morning ETA in Marsden.

Complete impeller failure. Replaced with new but most pieces could not be found and assumed to be in heat exchanger. Will use motor only when necessary. ETA Marsden Sat, 26 Nov 0900.

One small change for the better, GRIBs now show less winds in the cold front. I should enter the middle of the high around noon tomorrow. If the forecast does not worsen then I'll motor sail at a speed that'll put me in to Marsden at 0800 Friday. My contingency plans if the forecast worsens are to motor faster or divert to Opua.

My current two choices are to arrive before or after the cold front passes NZ Friday morning with 25-30 knots wind. Getting in before it passes means I don't have to deal with it at sea, but also means making the remaining 600 nm averaging more than 6.6 knots. Waiting until after it passes possibly means dealing with 25+ knot winds at sea. I'm currently sailing fast at 8+ knots on a beam reach trying to beat the cold front. I can always slow down and let it pass if this becomes impossible. Another option is to divert to Opua. Doing so will only save about 5 hours since I'm approaching from the north-east and not north or north-west. I'm also hoping the forecast changes for the better with a later cold front arrival, less wind, or both. Stay tuned to see how this plays out.

Diverting from the diversion. In other words I'm back on course to NZ. It took all my waiting time trying to get to Minerva by bashing into 20 knots of head wind. I had 100 nmi to go and at the rate I was going I'd have to leave before I got there. Current Marsden ETA is 25 Nov. I might be able to arrive on the 24th by motoring faster than my planned 5 knots and assuming I don't have to burn any additional fuel before getting to the high.

Diverting to Minerva Reef, I don't like the look of the weather at NZ in 6 days time. Will wait for 2-4 days until things improve. All's well.

Forecast not looking good for NZ arrival in 6 days, may divert to Minerva Reef and wait for better conditions. All's well.

Wind dropped, turned on motor. Marsden ETA 26 Nov. All's well.

Plan to depart Vuda today after clearing out and getting fuel. The winds are not favorable for a Minerva Reef detour, so I'll be heading directly to Marsden, NZ. It should take me 8-9 days and an ETA of 24 Nov.

At Vuda for a quick haul. Now to wait for my weather window before departing. Hoping to make Minerva on the way south.

In Muscat Cove, now to see what all the hoopla is about.

Will stay in Saweni Bay for a couple days, then probably move on to Vuda Pt.

Overnight stop on my way to Vuda Pt.

Next stop on my way to Vuda. A pleasant surprise x 2; Jean-Marie & Fluenta are coming to the same anchorage. I haven't seen Jax & Walter in a couple years and Max, Liz, & kids since NZ.

Making my way to Vuda. Caught my first fish in Fiji today, a 1 meter Walu. Not to be confused with Waho, they are not the same but are first cousins.

In Qamea for a couple days, then back to Savusavu.

In Viani Bay for a few days.

Stopped at Custeau on the way to Viani Bay

In Namena for a few dives.

Still in Savusavu. Waiting on the postman or postwoman for boat's registration and renewed passport. Should be next or the following week.

Made it before sunset with a half hour to spare. Was able to sail the entire passage except raising anchor in Tonga and motoring to marina to pick up mooring. Time for a beer and get ready for the check in dance in the morning. All's well.

Dropped anchor at 2230 last night. Engine stopped twice, once before and once after going through the pass. Needed to sail the last 5 miles to anchorage. After I get checked it I'll have to figure out what's going on with the engine.

ETA after sunset. Wind still light and from east. All's well.

ETA Tongatapu Sunday afternoon. All's well.

First time in a long time sailing with asym. I'll see how this will last. All's well.

I'm leaving Minerva today (Friday) and should be underway by 1030. Destination is Tongatapu with an ETA Sunday afternoon. Expecting SE winds; highest in the 15 knot range, lowest in the 6 knot range.

Arrive this afternoon at Minerva. Nice to be back. Looking forward to gathering more Crayfish. Will be here as long as the weather holds or until I get restless to move on. No one else here, but expecting one boat tomorrow. All's well.

The sound of flapping sails is more annoying than the sound of the engine, so I've been motoring for nearly 22 hours. The wind looks like it might be picking up and I might can have some peace and quite. ETA Minerva Monday afternoon. All's well.

Light winds, I'll see how long I can hold out before turning on engine because it's nice not to hear the noise. Put out fishing lines this morning. All's well.

Had squalls last night w/ winds to 35 knts. If wind holds could make Minerva in 3 days. All's well.

Made it. That is far enough north to miss the highest winds from the passing front. Motored for nearly two days of the first three days I've been underway. Expect that to change for the remainder of the passage, a lot more sailing than motoring.

Motoring to get north of the next front, all's well.

All's well.

Weather looks good for Monday departure with a stop in Minerva, then Tongatapu, then Suvasuva Fiji.

In Marsden Cove waiting on a weather window. Doesn't look like one is going to happen soon.

Still in Whangarei finishing up on the last few projects and hoping the current weather window for next weekend holds up. If so, I'll set sail for Minerva Reef, then Tongatapu Tonga, then Suva Suva Fiji.