Wow! What a ride! Leaving Auckland with a lovely 15 knot wind should have been great were it not blowing right on the nose. By the second day we had sustained winds of 40 knots with higher gusts and the main triple reefed but at least it was from a direction we could work with! Pounding up the east coast of New Zealand in those conditions was tough for many of us because of seasickness and just the difficulty of moving around the boat in the rough seas. Oh, and did I mention the rain? It rained. A lot. One thing we could always count on was the skill and caution of Jens, Bertram and Kristian, our permanent crew. I have sailed with many different skippers over the years but this one is the best. The other thing we could count on was the way everyone on the boat worked together. Since I was seasick, I felt the caring and concern of all my crew members. Whatever needed doing got done usually without anyone having to ask.

In many ways, Oceans of Hope functions like our larger communities at home. Our doctors and loved ones at home support and motivate us to be the best version of ourselves. At sea or at home the importance of a good team is uncountable. I am grateful for both.

This morning I awoke to a beautiful red sunrise followed by a blue sky filled with rainbows surrounded by an ocean of caring – it doesn’t get any better than that!

Report from Bosun Bertram:
From one extreme to the other – with stretches of perfect conditions in between. After a rough couple of days we had a full 24 hours of great sailing weather with 25-30 knots at a beam reach flying 8-9 knots through the waves with just a stay sail jib and two reefs in the main. Many miles logged in a short amount of time, but then the party was over. Now for almost a full day we have been motoring our way towards Sydney. In the logbook we are writing 7 miles an hour. The engine is supported by a reefed main for stabilization and a stay sail to utilize whatever wind drops by. And we really want that speed; recent weather reports indicate a major low pressure passing by Sydney as we make our approach - the sooner we get there the less of a beating we will take!

Local time onboard is 22:00 and our current position is 33,56.71S , 163,13.88E