The "Main" Event

Today was big for a number of reasons.

Firstly, while dodging rain showers, Nathan and Jamie hooked the repaired mainsail (thanks to Willis Sails) back up to the mast furler. This was a very fiddly job, trying to feed the sail through a small slot in the mast and tighten shackles inside the mast through tiny peep holes with pliers. But we managed and once again we have a mainsail on board!

After this, we fired up the engine in the glassy conditions and finally escaped the BOI! This feels like a big milestone on our trip as we've never taken Starling this far north before. We took an obligatory selfie with the Nine Pin on our way past. Now the real adventure can begin!

After passing the Nine Pin, we were greeted with a bit of breeze so we quickly pulled out our like-new mainsail and took off towards the Cavalli Islands. We stopped for lunch (smoked fish wraps & sandwiches) at Kahangaro island before continuing on to our overnight anchorage at Waiiti Bay on Motukawanui.

While preparing to get in the water for a snorkel, Nathan spotted a shark off the back of the boat, so delayed this excursion. Vela put her drone up (still learning, but a stunning photo regardless). And we also pulled the 360 camera out and braved the sharky waters for a test run.

A little bit of paddleboarding, and another dip in the water to refresh, before spotting the shark cruising past again (a very big fish, 2m+, most likely a Bronze Whaler). Then Vela put together a delicious meal of snapper fillets, chili & garlic noodles, and some fried potatoes.

We settled in for the evening watching the sunset.Read more