Noon Position: 37 32.6 S  178 30.3 W

Course: WNW  Speed: 6 knots

Wind: S, F4   Sea: slight   Swell: SE 2.5 m

Weather: overcast, occasional drizzle, mild

Day’s run: 162 nm

We enjoyed another excellent day’s sail, posting an even better run than the  day previously, and it was a lot more comfortable.

Yesterday afternoon as the wind eased, I was gradually able to set more sail such that by 0300 this morning we were back to running wing-on-wing with full sail set. With the sails in better balance and the slightly smoother seas, for much of the time Sylph sailed like she was on railroad tracks, gliding smoothly with just a slight undulation in her motion as the swells passed under her stern.

We came up on East Cape at around 1000 and immediately encountered some shipping negotiating the corner; one, a container ship heading north, and another, a tug with a barge 400 meters behind her, and we were all pretty much converging on the one point. But, of course, it was all sorted without fuss and we managed to pass clear of one another in accordance with the Colregs (Regulations for Prevention of Collisions at Sea) and continue on our respective passages.

At this stage, subject to weather, my plan remains to make for Whangarei.

All is well.