Position: 25 degrees, 57 minutes south; 159 degrees, 56 minutes west 76 nm

We didn’t get very far today. Last night was very windy and bumpy so we sailed quite conservatively. Then early this morning it really started to blow consistently into the 30’s. That’s too much for our stays’l, so we took it down and were going with just the main with three reefs. But, the waves had built rapidly into short, steep uncomfortable little moguls (or big moguls, they were in the 8 foot range). It just got too uncomfortable. It was getting very hard on Charisma, the rigging and the crew, so we hove to (again). Good thing too because it wasn’t long before it was howling. Fortunately we were quite comfortably stopped and just waiting it out.

Around 2PM local NZ time, I untied the helm and started sailing again. The wind is still gusting into the 30’s but the waves have settled a bit and we’re just chunking along at about 3 knots and not exactly in the right direction, but due north. It’s a small moral victory though ’cause at least we’re not just sitting.

Weather wise, it looks like our old friend “the biggest low on the planet” is still influencing our weather. It has thrown off a big front that curves up from its position – something like 600 miles southeast – over us and up through the Cook Islands and over to Tonga. Well over a thousand miles long. Anyway, it’s turned into an occluded front over us, which is when a cold front meets a warm front and they stop to play. Warm and cold air create convection – the air rises and becomes unstable – and there’s the recipe for crappy weather, which is what we have.

We’re hoping that the gribs are right when they show light and variable up north of us day after tomorrow. We just want to get out of this and any change will be welcome.

What this weather also means is that Ann and I are still wearing our long underwear all day and night. It definitely hasn’t warmed up at all yet. Hopefully now that we’re starting to trend north we’ll be getting into warmer weather. Another bath would be nice at this point too.