Our original departure date of May the 1st has come and gone and still we sit, poring over every weather map and every weather model available, every hour to see if something has changed. Waiting….and waiting for a favourable weather window, as low pressure system, after low pressure system marches across New Zealand unloading its “Atmospheric River” (I laugh at the meteorologists who think of these descriptions.)

The provisioning has been done, stuff has been stowed and the last minute glitches with the Pactor Modem have been sorted. The Pactor Modem is the electronic equipment that we’ve chosen to be able to send and recieve digital information via the high frequency radio. Mostly, it’s to be able to send or receive a simple email whilst at sea. Ideally, we’d love to be able to use Elon Musk’s Starlink Satellite Train, but it’s a bit out of our budget at the moment! So the plan is to buy a local SIM card when we’re in a new country with enough data that we can communicate with family and friends, and upload some blogs.

I’ve cancelled my original flight to Noumea on the 13th and I’m now flying on the 21st of May. The weather dominates our thoughts and conversation, we sit willing the endless strong easterly winds to abate, and the rain to stop. It would be nice to be underway, but only if it’s safe to do so. I keep reminding myself that this is part of the journey, and there’s absolutely nothing I can do to change it.

As William Arthur Ward (some famous guy) once said: “The pessimist complains about the wind, the optimist expects it to change and the realist adjusts the sails”…or waits, and waits because it will eventually change.

The wind has now changed to a westerly direction, the NZ Customs officers are due on board at 2pm tomorrow (11th of May) to clear Angus and the crew. It looks like they’ll be on their way tomorrow afternoon.