Day 4
The passage has hit a huge milestone. Sometime around 0200 this morning, we passed under the southern tip of New Caledonia, and it felt great to be able to make the turn westwards. This feels like the start of the final run to Southport.
With the new course, the grey, lumpy skies of the last few days have been replaced by sunshine and a beautiful blue sky. The wind has shifted to come from the southeast, and the uncomfortable pitching we were dealing with is now just a slow, gentle roll. The boat is so much more comfortable, and it's a huge relief.
One of the great things about a boat like this, compared to sailing, is that the majority of the day is spent on preventative maintenance checks. You don't have to deal with winching sheets, trimming headsails, or reefing in a hurry, which is great for me but maybe not so great for an interesting blog!
On the bureaucracy front, the majority of our clearance paperwork for the Australian Border Force has been submitted. There are a few questions we haven't been able to answer, though, like the serial number for the spare VHF. It’s one of those practical challenges on a boat delivery—no one is inclined to remove the unit to find a number that’s probably on a sticker stuck to the back of it!
I won't dwell on it too much, but the lack of wildlife out here has been pretty noticeable. It’s a recurring theme I’ve noticed over the years—there are far fewer birds, flying fish, and dolphins than there were 30 years ago.
For now, we're just enjoying the good weather and the feeling of making real progress towards home.