On Wednesday Shiroma came on board, and she has been even more delightful to have around than I expected. Not only is she reflective, insightful, and positive, but she also loves to cook and is great at it! She has already treated us to some really nice dishes such as pasta with blue cheese/white wine/spinach sauce and yummy crepes.
Friends came over to say good bye on Thursday night and brought along heaps of feijoas for us to take with us. If you are wondering what the heck that is, it’s a fruit that is like a small pear but a little softer and more tart. Initially I was the only one eating them, and Shiroma thought they tasted like shampoo, but now that they are a little more ripe, everyone is getting into them.
We were planning to use the southwesterly winds predicted for Saturday to sail up to Whangerei to pick up Ash, our fourth and final crew member, but those plans changed. It looked like the westerly winds predicted for today (Monday) would provide a nice trajectory for us to leave from here. It also gave us a little more time to get our act together, which we needed! Anyway, Ash showed up today and is tired from saying his good byes but ready to go. We all are!!
This morning there was virtually no wind and a sky full of clouds, but the sky has cleared and the predicted winds have arrived. Customs came and went without any drama, we got our super cheap booze from the duty-free providores, and we are just having a bite to eat (thanks to Shiroma) before heading out. We are hoping to be in Fiji in 10-12 days but will keep you posted…