Too many of the Cook islands are hard to enter with a normal draft keel boat.  There is a small harbour at [-21.204,-159.785] on Rarotonga the main island well to the south and you can get into the Northern Cook, Penrhyn [-9.024,-158].  Some boats stop at Suwarrow [-13.275,-163.127] but stopping there we would have lost the good winds to get to Apia.  So the Cook islands will be a treat to return to!

Winds have been excellent for our trip to Samoa.  Flag is now made.  I have finished Treasure Island and onto the Black Arrow to complete my pre-reading for the visit to Robert Louis Stevenson’s house Vailima.

LEGO man has been posing in various locations around the boat ready for his debut on the web site.  I have entered the naming competition with Wally cos he’s got a walrus head.

Position: 14°04’S 167°46’W [-14.060,-167.766] at 15:00 Samoan Time, GMT 02:00 September 17th
24hr run:  147.8 miles by GPS, 163.3 miles through water.
Less GPS miles gained towards Apia because we made to the north for better wind
234 miles to Apia, Samoa. ETA at 6 knots:  06:29 18th September Samoan time
Wind: ESE 17 knots Sea: ESE swell 1.2m
Sky:  30% cloud cover