Friday 8:20am NZ (3:20pm yt)

I must be the king of the trough. I've been in overcast skies and rain for a day and a half now. The tropics they call it. I had already gone through a trough on my way from Raiatea. This trough means than instead of the steady SE winds and blue skies, I had no wind yesterday after I wrote you, then a big thunderstorms, and today winds from the SSE which means I'm going to windward in 20kts.

These 2 islands I talked about yesterday were obviously 2 volcanoes and the one show it has water in the crater, but they are not atolls.
they're really high so no pass to get in...so it must be fresh water in that lake????
There was hardly any wind when I sailed right next to the southern one but a lot of birds and tunas jumping. So yes indeedee I put one my newfangled lures in the water and less than 1/2 hr later I had a tuna.
A big fucker about 30" long maybe, so I proceeded to follow my Trumpian approach to respect of our ecosystems and got me some nice filets and threw away the rest of the fish over board. The cockpit was a gory
mess: blood everywhere. Not as much waste as the mahi-mahi though. And thus there was a nice dinner aboard the Michelin 2 star floating restaurant Taya: Grilled tuna with Hollandaise (made with Tongan eggs and canned NZ butter...a pure gem!), little boiled potatoes and some Tongan green leaves (species unknown). Francoise had tasted another "taste like spinach" unknown species green leafy veggie in Neiafu
(uncooked) and got an awful allergic reaction in her mouth. So I cooked mine to within 1 inch of its carbon origin! BTW Michelin refused me the 3rd star because they complained that the food doesn't stay in the plates.......
We've been going fast since last night when we finally caught the wind.
It's from the SSE so kind of on the nose a bit (technical term is close
reach) . I even read an 8.4 kts on the kt meter when I got up a hour ago. I did roll the jib and set the staysail which makes the ride smoother although a bit slower (we're going around 6-6.5). It's still bumpy though. I should go drink my morning coffee before it spills!
In the interval I've been writing I see that the sun must have come out; I'll go check and drink my coffee in the dog house.

Noon update: (Friday)
Position: S 21d05m - W 176d47m
233nm since Vava'u 1000-1200 left to Opua (depending on route) The weather is better. Still bumpy ride and a squall here and there but there is some sun out. The Baro is climbing slowly so we must be getting out of the trough....slowly.
Left over tuna and vegies from yesterday for lunch.