The weather is improving--the wind has backed to the SSW and eased a little. Last night was fairly 'lively', and we ended up really reefed down, surfing down big waves, with the wind on our quarter. With the wind behind us, it was 'freezing' in the cockpit, with a cold icy NZ wind blowing down our necks. But this morning the sun came out, and late this afternoon, the started dropping off a little and swinging more south. Tonight is supposed to be a beam reach in 15 knot winds, with 2/3 of a moon. Should be a nice night to be on watch.
Even though the wind has dropped, the wave action is still HUGE. There is a deep low somewhere down south of us kicking up some really amazing big swells. The Niue 'harbor' is exposed on the western side--just an open roadstead. Though the wind is forecast to be SE by the time we arrive mid-day tomorrow, the swells are still forecast to be coming from the SSW. This could be interesting--really really rolly for a day or so, until the storm south of us gets far enough east to swing the swells to the SE.
We are crossing back over the 'dateline' that we crossed on our way from Samoa to Tonga last year. (In actuality, at about 174 West Longitude, Tonga is physically EAST of the dateline, but their time zone is +13, making them over the dateline, for calendar purposes). Niue, on the other hand is -11. So as we transit between Tonga and Niue, we get to do do June 1 twice--today and tomorrow, but the time doesn't change!!
For those of you 2012 Puddlejumpers (and other cruisers) interested in Niue, make sure you download my Cooks and Samoas Compendium--there is a good section on Niue in there, too. (http://www.svsoggypaws.com/files/)
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Sherry & Dave
On our way to Niue for a week, then Fiji
http://svsoggypaws.blogspot.com
At 06/01/2012 5:40 AM (utc) our position was 19°36.99'S 171°33.12'W
http://svsoggypaws.com/currentposition.htm
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