Saturday 5th July
Up early feeling not too bright – lots to do
before the start of the leg to Vanuatu
at 11am today. Alex arrives and is welcomed onto Jus’do it! It’s
off the berth then out onto a mooring in the bay. Alex and Annie dinghy ashore
to get the final shopping, beer and laundry and to settle the account. Alex
does most of the lugging while Annie goes to the office. Ian and Stewy are busy
plotting the course and putting on the sheets and guys – Ian’s hoping
for a spinnaker run today! The forecast is for light airs, followed by thunder
and lightening and rain. By the chat on the radio, it’s clear that a few
boats and going to wait until tomorrow to leave. After a delayed start due to a
torrential downpour, about 13 boats set off, being led through the reef one
after the other by an Arc boat. Strega hoist their spinnaker – Jus
do it does too! The wind is from the NW and it’s a run doing 8 – 9 knots
. Within the hour the wind has lessened – the spinnaker carries at about
5 knots until sunset when it’s dropped and bagged and the engine’s
on again! It’s motoring for the next 5.5 hours until mid – poem on
Annie’s watch (she’s writing a poem for Mrs Haggarty’s 5Oth(!!!!!!)
birthday!) the wind arrives again with a gust of 15 knots. Soon the sails are
set – we’re on a broad reach steering a course of 245’,
single 3 hour watches.