It's 3 AM on the third night of our passage from Tonga to Fiji. Conditions have been light, but favorable with 10-12 kts of wind abaft the beam, calm seas and clear skies. There's been a nearly full moon each night making the night watch quite pleasant. Last night we flew the spinnaker all night, which is something we don't normally do, but it was a quiet night. Mostly we motorsail to keep up the boat speed, switching off the engines in the afternoon when the wind freshens. The upside to motorsailing is plenty of power for charging batteries and making water, also hot water for showers though it's 80 degrees day and night.

This is the second time we've made this passage and both times the weather has been pleasant and favorable. However, the timing is a challenge because we need to leave Tonga and arrive in Fiji during regular business hrs for the official clearance proceedings. This includes visits to and from: Health, Quarintine, Customs, Immigration, Port Authority, Biosecurity and a Bank to pay the assorted fees. The officials are generally helpful and friendly, but every port has it's nuances and the process usually takes the better part of a day. The other reason to carefully time this passage is to ensure that we transit the Lakeba Pass through the Lau Island group during daylight and this is about 2/3 into the trip.

Anyway, our passage has been smooth and we should arrive off Savusavu just after sunrise, which gives us the whole day to do the clearance dance, get our local phones working, have something to eat ashore and catch up on our sleep. After that I have a few boat repairs to work on and Wendy is already working out our Fiji cruising itinerary.