We were up early this morning. Breakfast was served on the foredeck with a blue sky and a touch of breeze.
After breakfast we took the laundry ashore and left it to be done and went off to the market. Not all the stalls were set up so we went for a stroll through town. We stopped at the information centre. We went back to the markets and got some fruit and veg, Emma bought a skirt and we headed back.
Back onboard we realised it was now only 9.30. So there was plenty of time to do a few repair jobs. After lunch we meet up with Tony and Dannie before we ventured back to Customs to get our cruising permit.
Back on Imagine and we are just chilling watching the sun go down.

We got plenty of sleep last night. This morning it was play the book in with customs game.
First we emailed our arrival. Then we called on the VHF, and again, and again.Then we phoned, and got put though to 3 departments before someone said come ashore and catch a bus to the customs building.
We set off rowing and luckily got a tow ashore by a passing local. Then Yachting World took us across the harbour to customs. They asked if it was us calling on the VHF this morning. I said yes and she smiled and carried on with her work. She asked if I had sent the arrival papers through by email before we got there. I said yes. She said oh the customs email didn’t work. I said I also sent it to Paul. She asked Paul at the next desk. He looked through his emails and yes he got it. But he didn’t reply because a lot of boats have been emailing and he didn’t want to reply to any. I thought that was his job but could be wrong.
Then it was on to imagration. Then on to bio security. We were told to come ashore and catch a bus and now he is asking if we have covid or any other contagious illnesses. He then told us he had to come and see Imagine.
So back we went. We then got a call on the VHF saying to meet the bio guy onshore with all our rubbish and fresh food.
We hauled anchor and moved into the marina and then rowed to shore with the rubbish and food. I was told wrong so I rowed back to Imagine while he followed in a motorboat. Onboard he wanted all the fresh food. Then he was going to take all our frozen meat and dairy products (cheese, butter and milk). I eventually talked him out of that and he left.
Being officially allowed to go ashore we headed to the closest restaurant for lunch. Next was get a SIM card. This afternoon Iris and Tony vacated the boat heading off on their own ways leaving Emma and I to chill out.
This evening we are sitting out on deck the sun has gone down and there is a light breeze cooling us down after a 34 degree day. The restaurant across the way has a live back serenading us.

We are still motors sailing and surfing down the waves. We tried sailing with the headsail for a while, until the turnbuckle on the bottom of the sail parted. It had vibrated loose. We got the sail furled away without too much trouble and went back to the Staysail.
A few minutes later Tony shouted out “the flag.” the top corner of the NZ flag had come away from the flagpole. Lifejackets on I quickly retrieved it. Tony retied the flag to the pole and we put it back out.
We are constantly on the look out for sea life. Suddenly Iris called out Dolphins. We all rushed to port and everyone went silent as a large white pointer shark (great white) cruised alongside Imagine and then disappeared into a wave.
We have made it! Vanuatu greeted us with a heavy squal as we entered the harbour. After anchoring and covering the sails it was time for a well deserved drink. We sat on the cockpit celibrating and reminiscing about the trip.
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Another night with little sleep. All night and today we have been battling 4m swell and wind from 26 to 32kts. The sea is quite choppy on top of the swell. This evening the swell dropped to 3m making it a little easier.
Tony hit top speed a few days ago of 8.6kts. While Emma has made a new Hull speed record. Emma was at the helm when she found herself surfing down an extra large wave at 10.6kts (32km).
Imagine is handling it fine. But at times there has been a couple of anxious looking faces as the waves hit the back of the boat.
Just before lunch while Iris was on shift a large wave started rolling just before hitting Imagine on the back quarter. The wave cleared the safety rails by about half a metre. Iris shrieked as the water poored into the cockpit. Within a minute the water had drained out of the cockpit leaving Iris standing in wet clothes. I was at the dry end of the cockpit. Luckily the air temperature is 32c and the water is 29c.
Other than that excitement the only thing to report is we have seen a few schools of flying fish.
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Today has been a bit of the same. At daybreak we set the Staysail with the main sail reefed and we have been traveling at between 5 and 6kts. Everyone got excited when a boat appeared on the screen. The first sinse leaving NZ waters. We were beginning to think there had been a holicost and we were the only ones left.
The sea has been messy and the sky grey (gray for you Americans).
Thanks to Dannie, Greg and Sue for sourcing and organising a new outboard for us. It’s being delivered by my hero brother.

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We ended up motor sailing most of the night. This morning with blue sky and only 10kts of wind, we put up the Jeniker (the big red sail out the front). After a couple of hours the temperature dropped clouds came over and we thought it was time to bring in the Jeniker. As the wind had increased slightly, we put the headsail back out and continued sailing. That didn’t last too long, before the sail started calapsing as we went over the large swell and we had to turn on the motor. We could have sailed with the waves but we would have ended up in Fiji.
Emma thought it was wash day, so out on the back deck she went with a bundle of clothes. She got a bucket out and it wasn’t long before the clothes were hanging on the line.
The girls saw flying fish sailing off the crest of the waves.
We have less than 200nm to reach Vanuatu waters. With another 100nm to Port Vila. Nearly there! This meant putting up the Q flag, Vanuatu flag and the New Zealand flag. Now we look official.
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Last night just on dusk, we dropped the main to reef to number 2 for safety during the night. Once the main was down and reef set, I waited for Tony to point into the wind so I could tighten the sail. I could see him turning the wheel back and forth and that we weren’t going anywhere. Now, I know the engine is on because I turned it on before coming out on deck. I know what’s happening! I headed back to the cockpit where Tony told me he’s got it at high reves. I quietly said you need to put it in gear. I think we are all a little tired.
As the evening went on the squalls started. It was the choppiest night we have had. None of us got any sleep.
Today was a bit of an avarage day, but in the right direction. We now have 4 days to go.
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A nice days sail. Using only the main and head sails we cruised along averageing 6kts all day. Tony took the record of 8.1kts off Emma and smashed it 8.5kts. Andrew is band from the compitions as he knows the boat so well. The compitions was so fierce they forgot the Vberth hatch was open. As the swell grew of course a wave came over the bow. Emma has found a dry spot in the Vberth after changing all the bedding. Iris is sleeping in the saloon tonight.
Other than that there is nothing else to report.
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From Emma – Shift handover at midnight and the report was nothing much at all. Nothing as in the winds were in our favour still, the speed we were on was also good and no close Cargo encounters. The day kept going this way with the predicted wind changes being wrong again but alas this was still in our favour. Steady 6 knots for most of the day and in the right direction. Some of our highlights today was Iris able to through her banana peel over the life lines into the water rather then leaving a Mario Kart banana skin on the deck. I successfully put the kettle on an made coffees in the galley, all small but big wins. My 2pm shift felt like about 10 hours, being dubbed the longest shift ever. All in all, a great day of steady sailing, small wins and uneventful. The water temp is up to 21 degrees, air temp in cockpit up to 32 degrees, it’s getting tropical.
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This morning about 2am we had used all the fuel in the first tank. In the dark with no lights on the fuel gauge we didn’t know until the engine stopped. We had been motor sailing to make up time. So now we sailed at a slower speed, while Tony and I changed over the tanks and primed the engine. Unfortunately a Fuel filter had blocked at the same time. It took a couple of minutes to figure that out. With the filter changed the motor started and we were back to motor sailing. It was only for another couple of hours, then the wind picked up enough to just sail.
About 8am Iris and I went out on deck and unreefed the main sail. Back inside the cockpit and we the put out the big head sail. We have been doing 5.5 to 6kts all day in the right direction.
The clouds cleared and we have had sunshine all day.
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