We have sold our beautiful yacht! A hard decision but a wise one. Her value will depreciate over time and as we have recently moved into our lovely new home, we are unlikely to do any sailing over the summer. Neil has bought a small fishing boat to enjoy in the meantime, but in the not too distant future we hope to find another (older, maybe smaller, and cheaper) yacht to enjoy in the summer seasons. A new chapter has started for us, and we look forward to it!

We have made it! Crossed the finish line at 11.45am (15 minutes ahead of schedule) and made a flawless landing on the Quarantine dock at the marina. Neil and I were so excited when we saw Cape Brett and the Hole in the Rock that we were hugging and jumping up and down in the cockpit, after an exhausting bumpy night with little sleep. We did not wait long before Quarantine and Customs officers visited, the one taking all our rubbish and the odd food item which were a Quarantine risk in NZ (they didn't like my US bacon or my Argentinian popcorn!); and the other slamming us with Duty and Gst on the boat - yuk! But all in all, the officers were friendly and very professional. After getting our clearance we moved the boat to our allocated berth, but this time not such a flawless landing. The stern swung onto a pole and bent the bracket for our flag, but hey, at this stage it did not seem so important. All of a sudden, so still and quiet, no sea, wind and boat noise rushing by, and we can walk without grabbing things on the way and sliding all over the floor. We were so happy to see the crew of Son of Moondance who had arrived last night from Fiji, and we have made arrangements to meet with them tomorrow evening for a celebratory drink and meal. We had a delicious lunch at the local cafe and then the most wonderfulest shower! So now, a quiet evening, a glass of wine or two, and an early night to bed with dreams of all the wonderful far off places we have visited and all the seas we have sailed...... and who knows what tomorrow may bring!

A frustrating night with the wind angle and wind speed fluctuating constantly, so that we alternated between sailing and motor sailing. This morning things improved and we are sailing on our lay line. Every now and then the wind drops but the wind angle has been more constant. Early this morning two dolphins came to play for a short while - most heartening. Again we only managed 114nm over the last 24 hours. Right now we are sailing at 5.5 knots with 12 knots of wind. Our estimated time of arrival is tomorrow at about 12pm. Both of us are excited to be back in New Zealand, and at the same time a little downhearted that this incredible journey is soon to be over, and all that will be left are memories.

Arggh! So frustrating- yesterday evening the wind shifted to the south west - and we were sailing straight into it. We tried tacking, but were either sailing in a South easterly direction or a north westerly. Finally gave in and motored as close to the wind as we could in a westerly direction. It was not comfortable and the boat banged away all night. More of the same this morning but by the afternoon it had calmed down a bit, and we are hoping that we will soon be able to motor towards Opua. Last night the yacht Tussamara sailed by quite close to us. It was great to see another boat and we spoke a bit on the radio. They are heading direct to Auckland from Fiji. And then even more excitement this afternoon! NZ Airforce Orion called us on the radio, wanting some information such as port of arrival, reg no, eta etc. Great to talk to them too. We are still motoring as we squeeze towards our lay line, and it looks like a Friday arrival is no longer possible, with Saturday morning being more likely. We only managed 114nm yesterday, and currently we are motorsailing at 4.4 knots.

Another night of motoring until 4am when the wind picked up, and we have been sailing for most of the day. We are really feeling the cold now and wearing jackets, waterproof pants and scarves. Today I dug out the duvet as we are even getting chilly in bed with our cotton blankets. This morning Neil topped up the diesel tank from the jerry cans and it is full once more, giving us another two full days of motoring if we need it. We are making good progress and may even make a Friday night arrival. Yesterday we did 141nm and currently we are sailing at 6 knots with 14 knots of wind. We are sailing upwind so are heeling once more, but as the sea is relatively calm it is fairly comfortable.

We motored all night and all of today, in flat calm sea and light wind. The weather has cleared so no more rain but the breeze is cool and we are well wrapped up at night. The very light wind shifted from the east to the west so we are now on a starboard tack. Otherwise not much happening out here. Counting down the hours and nights of this last and very peaceful passage. Yesterday we managed 143nm and currently we are motor sailing at 6 knots with 6 knots of breeze.