The weather forecast for our passage to New Zealand included a seasonal low pressure system that will wrap itself around the northern part of the country bringing a day or so of 30+knot winds. One choice we had was to sail west until the low was well out of the way then turn south west towards our destination. Well, after looking at the weather maps and similar stuff it occurred to me that we could stop at Minerva Reef, just a few miles out of the way, spend a day relaxing then head back out and not have to sail way west. It probably will not change our arrival in New Zealand the middle of next week.

So the little dot on the map that sows our position is Minerva Reef. It is an uninhabited atoll which is maybe 1 foot above sea level. It is sort of oval shaped with a single entrance to the lagoon which is unmarked (no lights or bouys) and about 50 yards wide. Overnight we were sailing really well in 20 kts of wind but at the speed we were making we would have arrived in the dark; so we took down some sail to slow the boat down and arrived at about 0730 this morning. Our charts do not show this reef, or many others unless you zoom way, way in. Even then what pops up on the chart looks like a postage stamp, has minimal information about the surrounding water, and there is nothing here that would make landmarks.

There is North Minerva and South Minerva, neither of which has any current inhabitants, trees, animals or plants. Just sand and coral sticking up out of the ocean. There is one light on the two atolls, which is currently maintained by the Kingdom of Tonga (some 400 miles away). Fiji also claims to possess these atolls and is a bit further away. We have heard that periodically the one ship of the Fiji Navy comes and shoots out the light. Following that, usually by weeks or months, the one ship of the Tonga Navy comes by and replaces the bulb. This has apparently been going on for years if not decades.

It has been a restful day, where all could catch up on sleep, the boat could get cleaned up a bit and all in all a good decision to stop. The only downside was approaching it. We were no more than 100 yards off before I could discern the land and the entrance. Made it through and found there were about 25 sailboats here, virtually all of them were boats and people we have met along the way. The ironic part was what a small community we are part of. Most of these boats and their crews we have seen in Panama, the Galapagos or the South Pacific Islands. They are from 7or 8 countries, some are sailing with kids, some are couples and a couple are single-handing. Regardless of age or nationality or background we all share a common desire, to see the world, live independently and have a grand adventure. We are doing just that,�...�.... More later