Rina
11/13/2009, Opua, New Zealand

While awaiting information from our insurance company to get things fixed on the boat, we decided to do a road trip with Kuamoana (Richard & Suzanne) up to the most northern point of New Zealand (Cape Reinga). The winds were blowing, seas swirling and we didn't miss being out there in the boat in this weather. We were thinking of our friends still on the passage and experiencing these seas, not much fun. Wind on their noses, bashing into the sea swells, smelling land and friends awaiting their arrivals. The cape was beautiful. I can't believe that we are 5709 nautical miles from Los Angeles!!! I feel the sense of accomplishment personally. I really did it! Now that we are at the end of our South Pacific sailing journey, right before moving the boat back to the Northern Hemisphere, you look back at your passages and can't believe the countries you've seen that are only accessible by boat. Most islands that we've visited only have puddle jumper type planes (oh, and I do not enjoy small planes). Short trips and long passages, we've learned a lot about, not just the boat, but the time that we had together as a couple and then with new friends. We've grown together even closer than we left. It's been an interesting challenge living in such close quarters for over 18 months but, we have learned to appreciate space and the attachment to "stuff". Cruising is a lifestyle, not a vacation (just to clarify that for you land lubbers). Provisioning, cleaning, maintenance, and fixing things in exotic places is such a true statement in the sailing books. We've had rough times, fun times, but for the most part, it's been a pleasure working and learning from Allan. We have realized how much we contribute to each other's strengths and practically read each other's minds on most things. I'm excited and can't wait to finish up our cruising back in Mexico (which seems pretty easy compared to the challenges the South Pacific has served out) and then work our way back up the coast of California, visiting friends and family along the way. Oh, I'm posting more pictures...so check them out. Hi! To everyone...see most of you in December!

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Allan
11/11/2009, Opua, New Zealand

We have learned a bunch about rudders and rudder design in the last two weeks, perhaps more than we really cared to, but it has been key to the dialog with insurance about how and why our rudder failed and the possible replacement options.... They are not simple appendages, but complex creatures that must be built to take much stress while gracefully steering the boat with a mild helm. Our original rudder was fiberglass over foam, connected to a fiberglass rudder post. The rudder post failed just below the bottom bearing, but the reasons are still being researched... There were no groundings of the rudder that we are aware of, but serious stresses have been placed on it in force 10 winds and ferocious seas (Just out of Bora Bora in August) and an unfortunate episode backing the boat slammed the rudder against the stops while pulling away from the dock in Vavau.... But it could also be design or manufacturing related.... There have been other well documented Hunter 466 rudder failures... Mike Harker's 466 rudder failure in 2004 is a case in point, but statistically, Hunter rudders have failed no more or less than other brands with stainless rudder posts... even if the fiberglass rudder post is viewed as a maritime abomination by most.

At this point we are waiting for an insurance decision on coverage and which replacement rudder to go with. A locally built rudder would be made with 20 mil thick 316 stainless tubing, Kauri wood under fiberglass with an optimized shape largely based on the original specifications. The other option is a replacement made by Hunter's subcontractor, who has the original rudder molds. Their rudder is also has a stainless 316 post, but is made of foam under fiberglass. Even after expedited shipping from the US, the Hunter replacement is significantly cheaper than the locally built one, so we expect insurance will go that route.

We will put the boat on the hard in late November while the replacement rudder is built and shipped, then fitted to the boat in December. We will return to the boat in January, splash her and sail New Zealand for several weeks before shipping the boat to Mexico for the remainder of the sailing season.

I've put a bunch of pictures in the gallery of the rudder and associated bits... I'm sure you technical sailing geeks have plenty of questions (and opinions of course!) bring em on, mate!

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Allan
11/05/2009, Opua, New Zealand

After arriving in New Zealand on the 27th, we checked in with the cheerful customs officials, who were a model of efficiency. We then arranged a quick tow over to Ashby's boatyard where we have been since. We then slept for the better part of two days.

It's a funny thing... we have been looking forward to "marina time" for awhile now.... Power, unlimited water, easy on/off... and after a week of it Rina and I have both commented on how we feel trapped... "Trapped like Beavers" (movie reference time!) No rudder, and now no engine, while we have our fuel injectors inspected and cleaned. It's not that we *want* to go anywhere, it's that we cant if we wanted to. So we did the next best thing. We rented a car and went for a road trip.... First spending a few days at Paihia, a touristy town about 5 miles away. Then off to historic Russell, one of the earliest settlements in New Zealand. Lastly, we headed 30 miles away to Kerikeri, to visit the farmers market, wineries and waterfalls on the Kerikeri river. The highlight was a stunning lunch in the sun and chilled air on the deck of the Ake Ake winery just outside of Kerikeri... imagine Napa wine country 30 years ago, or Shenendoah Valley in Amador County 5 years ago...quaint and very personal... and oh yea,,, great wine. I've also picked up a few gigs with local musicians, which is always fun.

After returning to the boat early in the week, we set off on our deferred projects. Engine maintenance, sail repair, fixing the damaged steering ball joint and a host of smaller projects. And oh yea, that rudder thing... We've spent many hours on email, the phone and with the local guys figuring out our options. We can get a replacement rudder from the states made by a Hunter subcontractor or we can get one made locally. Unfortunately Hunter's documentation on the rudder is not complete, so the local guys are flying a bit in the dark, but we should have a decision soon on which way to go. Unfortunately, either option requires 3-4 weeks lead time, so we're stuck here for awhile.

We get hauled today to pull the remains of the rudder shaft... A survey done earlier this week found no additional damage, just a broken tab under the front bunk.

New pictures in the gallery!

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allan and rina
10/28/2009, Opua, New Zealand

The longest day.... Our last 24 hours approaching Opua was shaping up to be great... winds and seas were moderate and the weather front previously threatening us moved south, removing the last potential obstacle to completing our 1200 mile passage from Vava'u to New Zealand. Winds built to 12-15 knots over the last 12 hours from the west, enabling us to motorsail comfortably at 6-7 knots in 1-2 meter seas, some 45 miles due south of Opua.... With the quicker pace we were anticipating an 8pm arrival, some 6 hours ahead of schedule... a sound night's sleep was quite the enticement.

Then, before you could blink an eye, Follow You rode up a wave, on the other side of which was a sharp drop. The boat heeled and then fell on her starboard side with a slam, sending Rina across the cockpit. As she righted herself and we started checking things out, I heard a gut-wrenching sound, later described as a rather large carrot being split in two... Instantly the boat swung 180 degrees into the wind and started pitching back and forth. I swung the wheel over hard but the helm did not respond...Then I looked behind me to see our rudder floating 10 meters away from the stern... A major jolt of adrenaline coursed though my body as the implications started to become clear... With a quiver in my voice, I told Rina the bad news... twice, as she did not believe me the first time.

We quickly doused the sails and assessed the safety of the boat. While bobbing in the seas, we figured out that there was no water intrusion into the boat, as the rudder tube is higher than the waterline. Next we called Kaumoana, some 20 miles behind us to alert them of our situation. They immediately changed course to stand by for assistance. After 10 or so minutes, nerves calmed enough to begin assessing our options. We then called New Zealand Maritime radio to alert them of our status and they began figuring out how to get a towing service to us. We then discussed towing options and emergency rudder options with Kaumoana, who was still 3 hours away from us. They had an emergency rudder aboard for use on their Hunter 49, but it required dedicated strong points on the stern. Kaumoana's ability to tow was limited as well, given that she has an oversized and heavily pitched prop that allows for great mileage, but not much capacity to move the additional weight of a 22K pound boat. Additionally, seas and winds were continuing to build, making any tow or jury-rig rudder construction a less likely scenario. The conversations with Richard on Kaumoana were heartbreaking on both sides... Here we had been buddy-boating for 1150 miles, with several small assists between us, and now when the need was really there, they had a limited ability to help. It goes without saying however, that if we were hundreds of miles offshore, Kaumoana would have done whatever it took to help.

We then started brainstorming additional options while Maritime Radio was searching for a tow vessel. After several minutes of discussion with Rina, we decided to deploy the drogue parachute to slow the drift of the boat, which was about 2 knots to the east, down the coast of New Zealand, rather than towards land. Once the drogue was deployed, we unfurled the jib and with some experimentation, found that we could sail at 3 knots, on a beam reach at 180 degrees true directly to Opua! Our spirits immediately brightened as the boat began to move like a boat again, and we felt as if we had some control. This feeling would only last for a couple of hours however.

After an hour or so, Maritime Radio has still not identified a towing solution, and the people they were talking to were in Whangerie, another 50 miles down the coast. The thought of being dragged almost 100 miles to Whangerie, rather than 45 miles to Opua made us both shudder. Richard then hailed us, suggesting that we call Ashby's boatyard, where we were due to have some repair work done upon arrival. I got on the satphone and called Nick at Ashby's, who quickly determined that they could send a 55 foot trawler to us and tow us in, piloted by Jim Ashby himself and Peter the "deckie". They said they would hail us via maritime radio once they had a scheduled departure. Whew, another piece of the puzzle dropped into place.

We sailed under drogue and jib for 5 more hours after getting word that the tow was underway. During that time we moved 12 miles closer to land. Why not 15? After a couple of hours we picked up a strong easterly current that our 3 knots could not overcome. We were pointed at 185 degrees, right towards Opua, but the course over ground was more like 135.... Parallel to the coast at one point. By this time our nerves had calmed down enough for us to even joke about our predicament a bit, and then second guess ourselves... I have inspected the rudder regularly, no issues... why didn't I purchase that 700 emergency rudder...etc, etc.

At 22:30 Jim on m/v Olga showed up on scene and threw us a big tow line, which I attached to a bridle off the bow of the boat. We started towing without the drogue out to start but quickly found out that without a rudder, the boat veered wildly from side to side... 45 or 50 degrees each way. When it got to the furthest point, it would jerk violently back the other way. We were petrified that our front deck cleats would be ripped right out of the boat... this would be a continuing theme for the next 12 hours. We yelled "all stop" to Jim several times, finally getting his attention, so we could redeploy the drogue. With the chute out, we could make 5 knots over ground, but the pressures on the drogue were tremendous... After a couple of hours, we called for another "all stop" and rigged a beefier bridle off the stern, and this time with a snatch block to help shield the 7/8' double-braid line from chafe. We got underway again and for the next 6 hours made progress towards Opua.

Rina finally calmed down enough and was exhausted enough to go below and get some sleep and I stood watch in the cockpit. I could close my eyes and monitor the motion and sound of the boat with my ears... Any strange motion or sound brought my immediate attention, but it was pretty boring until all hell broke loose around 4am. I heard a crisp snap and the boat immediately veered violently to port until it got to 50 degrees and jerked back, throwing Rina out of her bunk. It was evident that we had lost the drogue so I got on the radio and hailed Jim to stop the boat. Nothing happened... no change... Jim didn't answer. For what seemed like an eternity but was probably 3 minutes we veered from side to side while yelling into the radio first on 17, which we had left open for communication, and then on 16, thinking that maybe he had gone back to the standard hailing channel. If you had left your radio on channel 16 that evening, you would have heard a string of obscenities as we tried to get Olga's attention. Rina brought out the big spot light and shined it on Olga, I got out my signaling horn and blasted away, all to no avail. Finally, Jim comes on with a chipper voice and says "all ok back there?" DOH!!!! "All stop! Shut her down! We've lost the drogue!" I yelled. "Come again?" said Jim? Ahhhhhhhhh! Finally he hears us and shuts her down... NOW what are we going to do, with some 12 miles to go. I knew the answer....

Rina and I started pulling our 100 foot lines, tying knots in them and hanging them in loops off the stern... Ok, we can now get up to 1.5 knots without veering... We need more weight.... We grabbed the stern anchor, a Fortress 55 pounder, tied it to a line and heaved it off the stern.... Then grabbed a 150 foot nylon rode with 30 feet of chain on it and tossed it into the mix... ok, now were at 2.7 knots.... What else do we have? Hmmm... we need friction in the water and weight, so we filled a couple of 5 gallon water jugs, tied them to long lines and threw THEM overboard...it looked like a floating junk yard behind the boat. Finally, we pulled out a heavily reefed mainsail and trimmed it to keep the boat pointed to one side, and all that together allowed us to move relatively straight ahead at 3 knots. At this point, Rina was shaking at the intensity of the whole episode, and we decided that we had nothing left to throw, and would just keep her at 3 knots for the rest of the way, almost doubling the time needed to get into Opua. Crap.

We both collapsed into the cockpit, shell-shocked. Given that our adrenaline reserves were pretty depleted now, we both were feeling the effects of fatigue. I tried to shut my eyes around 6am and awoke with a start at 8am when I realized the motion of the boat had just changed... we had just entered the head of Opua Bay and were finally out of the 1-2 meter seas, and winds had finally declined to 10-15 knots. As daylight broke, we were taken by our surroundings; lush green rolling hills, rocky coastlines, very "Oregon" like...

We made our way the last 5 miles deep into the Bay as the sun peeked above the hills, providing the needed motivation to clean up the chaos on the boat and prepare for NZ customs officials. Jim shortened the tow line just outside the marina and deposited Follow You gently at the customs dock, where Kaumoana was standing by to assist. It was 10:30am and we were exhausted but elated. 40 miles in 21 hours, one hour of almost sleep in 27 hours, no food, lots of adrenaline, and one merit badge for making to New Zealand in the most trying of circumstances.

Follow You is now at Ashby's boatyard, getting ready to be pulled out. We're designing a new rudder with a stainless steel rudder post rather than the stock fiberglass. Rina and I are happily ensconced at a cute hotel in Paihia, just down the road from Opua and enjoying restaurant meals, Sky TV and a bed that doesn't move. When the hotel manager started talking up the "bay view" from our room, Rina and I looked at each other, smiled, and said, "thanks, but we've had enough views of the water recently.

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Allan
10/27/2009, Opua, New Zealand

We've arrived safely in Opua, but it took a little longer than expected...

Why is this boat towing Follow You Follow Me?

a) We were tired of sailing
b) We lost the engine
c) We ran out of fuel
d) We wanted to sight-see on the way in rather than navigating
e) We lost our rudder
f) We forgot how to read a chart
g) It was the annual Bay of Islands towing Parade

Full story once I finish writing it up later today or tomorrow.

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Allan
10/24/2009, 32 15.2'S:174 35.9'E, 176 Miles north of Opua New Zealand

Are we there yet? 178 miles. 177 miles. 176 Miles. we are entering that phase of the passage where the anticipation of arrival wells up and fills our minds during most waking moments. It's a good thing we sleep half the time, catching up from our overnight watches. The weather remains uncannily mild. We are motorsailing at 6 knots with 5 knots of breeze in glistening flat seas. In these conditions the sails do little more than steady the boat from its gentle sway back and forth in the little sea swell that does exist. The constant drone of the engine has become so familiar we don't hear it anymore. Our excellent noise-cancelling in-ear headphones help, buttressed by a pillow over each side of the head, ensuring the drone recedes even further while sleeping.

It is becoming clearer that we will dodge the worst of the trough of low pressure and associated strong winds that are headed east from the Tasman Sea over New Zealand. A week ago, we were expecting 30 knot SW winds on the nose on the 26th as we approached land and expected 24-36 hours of bashing at 3 knots. It's the quintessential "right of passage" for NZ-bound boats. The first batch of boats to travel to NZ two weeks ago hit 40 knot winds, deployed sea anchors, broke mast spreaders, lost autopilots and generally had a miserable time. In contrast, we will tuck into the Bay of Islands at 6am on the 27th, 8 hours before the weakening system builds to 20-25 knots from the west. We expect 15-21 on a beam reach for the last 12 hours before we arrive.

Total miles covered from Minerva: 615 Miles to go: 176.175.174. Winds: 2-5 Avg Speed: 6 knots Sea Temperature: 57 Estimated Arrival in Opua: 27-Oct 6am

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Allan
10/23/2009, 30 01.8'S:175 19.2'E, 318 Miles north of Opua New Zealand

Over the past 24 hours we have been busy traversing two different weather fronts, each with their own little weather patterns, rain squalls, and churning sea states. As morning light broke, I searched the horizon to see a 100 foot motoryacht bearing down on us through the rain. One moment they were there, with a huge bow wave telling me that he was moving fast directly towards us, and the next minute he disappeared into a wall of rain. Acckkk! I quickly got on VHF 16 and hailed "fast moving white motor yacht" and let him know that there was a puny sailboat right on his bow, about a mile or two out. He instantly powered down and steered aft of us, and came on the radio to announce his intentions. Our other excitement was taking a 30 minute detour to rendezvous with Kaumoana to pass them an auxiliary fuel pump so they could pump their remaining 30 gallons of fuel into their main tank. This was a precaution to make sure they had enough fuel as we approach Opua and the sea state will make it more difficult for us. Speaking of approaching Opua, we have been threatened by a front moving over north island on the 26-27th that promises winds 19-25 with gusts to 30. The trend over the past couple of days however is that the system seems to be slowing such that we may not encounter much of it before getting to Opua, and the portion we do will pack less of a punch. The bonus on the leading edge of a system like this is that it will have NW winds that will push us south.

Total miles covered from Minerva: 495 Miles to go: 318 Winds: 5-10 Avg Speed: 5.5 knots Sea Temperature: 63 Estimated Arrival in Opua: 27-Oct

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Allan
10/22/2009, 28 21.9'S:176 47.3'E, 365 miles SW of Minerva Reef

What a difference a day makes.. We have been motoring in flat seas through a high pressure system, with virtually no wind for the past 6 hours, and expect to encounter one more of these after we pass through a smallish front with moderate winds in the next 12 hours. We've tightened up our waypoints in an attempt to beat the trough that will pass over NZ on the 26th, which holds 20-28 knot winds and a little rain. Little issues have popped up on the both Follow You and Kaumoana over the past couple of days. In Kaumoana's case, they could not motor above 1600 rpms and were concerned that they had a plugged fuel injector. After pondering the symptoms for a couple of hours (since we have LOTS of pondering time) I suggested to Richard that if the engine was not missing, it might be a slowly clogging fuel filter. Luckily he has a dual Racor fuel filter that allows him to switch from one filter to another via a couple of valves. He comes back on the radio after 3 minutes to t ell me that he will be buying the beers in Opua.. Problem solved. He has encountered two other issues: a autopilot motor that gets tired now and then and goes off line. Ours has done this infrequently but always starts back up after cycling power. His second issue is steering. He can't seem to turn the wheel more than 40 degrees in each direction.. Not sure what that could be, but not really an issue for us right now. In our case, we lost GPS for about 30 minutes this morning right at 7am. We have had intermittent GPS failures like this before, usually occurring right at the top of an hour. I got out the garmin handheld to confirm that someone in the Pentagon had not flipped the off switch for fun, and confirmed that the satellites were still working. After 30 minutes of restarting the GPS, enough satellites came on line to give us a position and COG again.It's a good thing we keep hourly logs.. If GPS DID go down, we would be back to paper charts.

Speaking of reading, lots of time expended there. In my case, "Genghis Khan - Life, Death, and Resurrection" synopsis: A cute, cuddly megalomaniac murderer. The scale of whose empire exceeded Rome at it's largest, in classic revisionist history becomes a revered national symbol. Also finished "Retribution - The Battle for Japan, 1944-45". a sobering analysis of world leaders performance in the last 2 years of the Pacific war. Now reading some lighter fare - "In a Sunburned Country" by Bill Bryson, a comical travelogue of sorts about Australia. Rina's recent reading list includes "Lost Diaries of Don Juan" and "Prodigal Summer".

A long-time blog reader, Ken Newell, who has been preparing for the Baja-Haha this year, asked a couple of penetrating questions, now that we are at the end of our first year out here.

" So how do you feel? How does Rina feel about the accomplishment? Was it everything you had hoped? Any recommendations for someone starting out on your exact same route?

Hmmm. where to start. I'll give the short answers, and fill in as time allows over the next couple of days.

How do we feel? Depends on the winds and sea condition mostly! Even in port, we find that our moods and ability to enjoy life out here are intimately tied to our conditions. Crappy weather? Let's hang out inside the boat and read or watch a movie. Nice day? Lets snorkel, explore, interact with other cruisers, etc. It's even more the case while at sea. Calm conditions or great sailing weather keep the spirits high. Slogging it out in difficult weather is hard work.

How Does Rina feel about the accomplishment? She is pondering the question and will answer later.

Was it everything we had hoped? Yes, and more.Most of the goals we had set out to accomplish have been met. New cultures, the personal challenges of mastering life at sea, managing boat and crew safely.New friends, new doors opened, experiences of a lifetime? Getting the hell away from work for awhile to gain some perspective. CHECK!

Any recommendations: Hmmm.There is no one right answer, (on how/where to cruise) and the answer for you today may not be the right answer for you tomorrow. Our initial reactions to cruising in Mexico were "it's too easy! Where's the challenge! Where's the diversity in experience! Well, that attitude certainly pushed us to the South Pacific, but in classic form, that doesn't sound half bad right about now. On the other hand we know cruisers who absolutely love being in new places all the time and have been doing just that for many, many years. The tradewinds of cruiser conventional wisdom also tend to pull you along, where the accepted answer is "You're going all the way around, aren't you?" Well, no. We are very happy with the path we took, but with one year left on the cruising calendar, we have decided to seek waters closer to home and see the parts of Mexico we missed in our shortened season this year.

My best advice would be to go where you want to go, and enjoy having the latitude to change your mind on how, where, and when you end up.

Total miles covered from Minerva: 365 Miles to go: 441 Winds: 2-6 Avg Speed: 5 knots Sea Temperature: 64 Estimated Arrival in Opua: 27-Oct

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Allan
10/21/2009, 25 50.4'S:178 12.6'E, 200miles SW of Minerva Reef

An interesting 24 hours. we made good time for the first 12 hours, then encountered pretty decent winds that, while allowing us to sail, slowed our progress due to wind waves. W had to slow to 4 knots overnight to stop the boat from falling off the waves that would come at us from almost directly in front. If we turn too far to port, we are into irons (directly into the wind) and if we turn to starboard, were headed north, which last time I checked was the wrong direction. A couple of funny anecdotes.. We are REALLY tired of our itunes playlists so we put the ipod on shuffle all, resulting in a pretty eclectic mix. Rina and I were sitting in the cockpit, discussing plans for our return home in December, when Bing Crosby's "I'll be home for Christmas" comes on. we both look at each other and bust up. Weather has continued to get cooler, with water temps now 65 and night air temps around 60. I realized as I pulled a pair of socks on. I have not worn shoes or socks in ov er 10 months! One of those little secrets of warm water cruising. I once met a guy in Mazatlan who had cruised for 2 years, no shoes and his feet grew two sizes larger from wearing the only sanctioned footwear from the official cruiser wardrobe - flip flops!

Sandy Jackson, via Facebook, asks where we are staying in NZ. We arrive in Opua, now on the 28th due to a change in weather outlook and plan on staying at the Opua Marina or Ashby's boatyard to get some work done. Rina is fantasizing about hanging for a couple of days at the Paihia Beach Resort and Spa while the forward bunk is torn apart for some fiberglass repair. I don't think I will be able to talk her out of that one. We are looking for recommendations for good restaurants, places to stay or see while in the Opua area, so if you have any, bring em on!

We will then cruise the Bay of Islands in late November before heading south to Gulf Harbor Marina where we will leave the boat for 6 weeks while we fly home. We return in mid-January, where we will cruise the Auckland area for a couple of weeks before loading Follow You onto a Dockwise Yacht transport freighter and move her to Ensenada Mexico. During the 2-3 weeks it takes for Dockwise to move her, we plan on flying to Christchurch on South Island, renting a car and road tripping north to Auckland, staying at various B&B's, trekking some of the awesome mountains and enjoying being a tourist for awhile.

In March, we will cruise down the coast of Mexico and spend 4 months seeing the parts of Mexico we missed last season, before doing the Baja Bash to California for the summer, where we will enjoy San Diego, Huntington, Catalina, Santa Barbara, before heading to San Francisco Bay in September 2010. That's the plan as we see it now, subject to change of course.

Total miles covered from Minerva: 200 Miles to go: 600 Winds: 10-24 Avg Speed: 4 knots Sea Temperature: 65

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Allan
10/20/2009, 25 02.7'S:179 52.6'E, 136 miles SW of Minerva Reef

Underway at last. and what a ride. we calculated a 5 knot passage but have been lucky to be sailing close hauled at 6-7 knots most of yesterday, putting us well ahead of schedule.. That's kinda good and kinda bad. good, because we just want to get there, and get there well in advance of a front moving into NZ on the 28th. Bad, because our passage plan and the associated wind shifts are calculated to coincide with our waypoints, making for better sailing, around fronts, and without using as much fuel. Amazingly, Bob McDavitt has nailed 95% of the windshifts to the hour. Where Bob, and most weather predictions for that matter usually underestimate is the wind strength. That's what happened to us yesterday, and so far today. Boat and crew are doing well, as are Richard, Suzanne and Mark on Kaumoana. We are also sort of convoying with Learnativity, which is about 30 miles behind us, Starburst, another 10 miles behind them, and Xanadu2, who is 15-20 miles ahead of us.

Total miles covered from Minerva in 23 hours: 136 Miles to go: 692 Winds: 16-20 Avg Speed: 5.5 knots Sea Temperature: 67.8 Brrrr!!

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