Today was another day of diminished expectations. Our plan was to get up early and sail forty miles down the coast to Bream Head, the run up the Whangerei a river to the the Whangerei marina, right in downtown Whangerei. We thought It would be nice to berth in a real downtown, and maybe we could do some shopping for Christmas treats and surprises in a real town. Opua, where we have been staying is not a real town - just a huge marina complex with a convenience store and some chandleries.

We figured that if we got out of Whangamumu harbor by six, and averaged four knots to Break Head, we could run up the river and make it to the drawbridge during its weekend opening hours (til seven).

But again the wind didn’t blow as hard as it should have, and the foul bottom still slowed us down, and we spent most of the early morning creeping along at two knots. Faced with a choice of motoring twelve hours just to sleep at a dock in town, then turn around on Sunday ending to run back down the river to Marsden Cove for our Monday haulout appointment . . . well, we convinced ourselves to aim for Marsden Cove today.

So we set the drifter on a broad reach to pick up speed and tacked downwind while playing Christmas chorale music to get us in the mood. We made Bream Head at five, and tied up at the Marsden Cove marina by six thirty. Marsden Cove is an artificial basin and canal development, but it seems like a friendly marina, At least the Four Square store on the site is a real supermarket, and not just a convenience store. We could provision here if we have to,