Tuesday, November 3, 2015

N. Minerva Reef toNew Zealand - Day 1

We spent about a day and a half in Minerva Reef. At high tide the anchorage is a little rolly, with the waves sneaking across the reef. At lower tides it is really a very comfortable spot. In the morning the wind had laid down so we launched the dinghy and did a good snorkel on the reef and one of the wrecks. Lots of Giant Clams plus some really large lobster. There were the typical colorful reef fish, but not in great numbers. We didn't see any of the infamous shark population of Minerva.
We left yesterday at about 3:30pm. It was blowing 15 to 25kts all night, so our boat speed has been good. We are heading in a SW direction to get fairly far west to try and avoid the nastiness of a strong low that is headed over NZ. The boats that left Tonga with us and didn't stop in Minerva and are looking at the prospect of heading west and then having to sit out the passage of low before moving on. We'll see how it all develops.
All well onboard -- good soup/stew last night for dinner.
Paul


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3 comments:

  1. hope all continues to go well on this passage. Glad you have crew with you. that can make it more enjoyable and you get more sleep!

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  2. Minerva reef is a hoot... just because it's there. Happy trails, buckaroos!

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  3. Minerva is a hoot, just because it's there!

    ReplyDelete