We have 19 boats around us here in Minerva reef.  Still room for 100 more – big reef with all the inside at about 15 meters depth.

Some are here just because it a different place to visit.  Most are waiting for the wind to fill in.  The weather forecasts give hope that tomorrow morning will be the beginning of enough wind to sail rather than motor to New Zealand.

Had a bizarre walk on the reef at low water yesterday.  Reef nearly covers at high water and the boats move around more at high tide when some swell makes it over the reef.  Fish caught in the pools darting about sometimes flapping over the nearly dry bits to get to the next pool. The inside of the reef at low water would beat Lativa’s longest waterfall in Europe record both for length and for low distance of fall!

Yachts following us may like to know we used 23°37.382’S 178°55.806’W as an indication of the middle of the pass.  Plotter has the reef pretty accurate, big plus after the charting in Haapai and Vavau.

Position: 23°39’S 178°54’W [-23.654,-178.900]
835 miles to Opua, NZ. 7 DAYS AT at 5 knots
Wind: E 6 knots