Commence dirt bag procedure, 2016 edition

Finish work, check.

Finish boat repairs & inspection, check.

Sell mountain bikes, check.

Load maps, GPS, check.

Load roughly 3 months of provisions onboard, check.

Resupply first aid kit, reload ditch bag, check.

Not much left on the list except waiting until Tuesday, which is looking like a good day to clear out of NZ.

We're bound for the Austral Islands, a 2,000+ nm destination in French Polynesia, should be 2-3 weeks of sailing good times.

We went out for a test sail on Tuesday this week. It was a beautiful day with about 20 kts of wind. The new rig is strong and ready to go. We've also refined several systems on Pau Hana in NZ, including installing a new inner forestay (effectively changing the boat from a sloop to a cutter rig), installing a rope luff flattener on the jib to improve upwind performance, and improving our drogue stowage & deployment procedure. We are also now going to get all the gear off the foredeck (dinghy, fuel jugs) for just good ol' passage betterness. Somehow it will all fit!?!

Well, I guess we're not quite ready. Just a bit of minor organizing to do.

Up the mast

More preparations underway. Martin went up the mast to free the topping lift and re-rig the lazy jacks between rain storms today.

I love our pressure cooker. This little charmer makes a great risotto in 6 minutes. Our first lid rusted out so GSI sent us a new one, gratis, awesome customer service.

Local high school kids painted this mural last year in Kaeo.

The latest addition to our toy collection. It's a spear gun, donated by some great friends on a boat called Tayrona (http://errantries.com/). We met Pete & Miranda way back in Panama. Now they are sailing on to Australia and putting their catamaran up for sale. Just the start of another adventure for these two! 

Only the necessities

What more does a homesick American need on a 2,000 nm passage? These hard to find little beauties were the result of meticulous research, perseverance and at least 1/2 tank of gas. It'll be nice to have some familiar food for the long haul back north.

I saw some great news today. The Austral Islands, the southernmost archipelago in French Polynesia and our intended destination next month, is proposing the world's largest marine sanctuary. Full story, good map and photos here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/austral-islands-largest-ocean-sanctuary_us_5703e7a2e4b083f5c608f7bf

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/austral-islands-largest-ocean-sanctuary_us_5703e7a2e4b083f5c608f7bf

Back to the Bay of Islands

We started moving the boat this weekend. Currently anchored at Roberton Island in the Bay of Islands. We hiked up to this old Pa site on the island to get a good photo of Pau Hana (far right in the photo). Just as we were getting ready for the shot, this mega yacht pulled in- bro-copter and all, just to show us who's boss.

We're headed back to Opua. We'll haul out tomorrow and will hopefully be back in the water by the end of the week.

From Martin's GPS software, Maverick.

35°14.080' S, 174°10.110' E

Someone's gotta do a cannonball.