YTH2319 – Rā Tuarua – Day 2

This morning we woke up and it was all go! Get up, jump in the water, get dressed, learn and get on with cleaning stations… we had to get moving to make it out to the Poor Knights and back before dark.

On the way out we had the swell on our nose, which made for a bumpy ride. We were all involved in setting sail to steady the ship, some were feeling less easy on deck so the remainder of the group worked through and we were rewarded with a visit to the beautiful Poor Knights.

On arrival, we had pumpkin soup that Andre and Marcel had somehow put together along the way. Then we had a tidy-up and got into our wetsuits for a look underwater. We all got in and got refreshed by the water and the abundant ocean life. Then, we had to get moving again.

At the time of writing (18:25) we are still on passage back: a more following swell and wind now so we are riding smoother and even have the Course sail out. We are going to anchor in Whangamumu for the night and shelter there from the bigger swells tomorrow. We should be there 20:00 and wolfing down vegetarian nachos for dinner while going around the table and sharing our highlights and challenges of the day today. The group has bonded together quickly and are listening and learning well. The crew are impressed!

Whangamumu is not known for good internet reception so we apologise in advance if there is no blog tomorrow. We plan to stay in the harbour while the swell moves through and will go around Cape Brett on Saturday.

Pō mārie,

Us

R Tucker Thompson