The anchorage at Musket Cove serves as a staging area for boats heading to New Zealand, New Caledonia, and Australia. Talk at the Island Bar centers around one topic: weather windows. Everyone is looking for the ideal time to make their passage to avoid getting caught in a "squash zone", where a high pressure meets a low pressure and winds kick up to gale force for a couple of days. There is also the threat of an early season cyclone but this risk is minimal. The consensus is to wait for about a 1020 mb high just beginning to cross from Australia to NZ and head out hoping the trailing low is minimal. Despite all the planning and research it is really a crap shoot. You take what you get.

All else is well onboard. Today we may head to another island.