Weary eyes woke up refreshed onboard Te Kaihōpara, as the crew enjoyed a lie in on a lazy anchorage. A regular Tuesday was turned into a special one. The snorkelers from yesterday went back for more and Minerva reef did not disappoint. Mo, Debbie and Barry spied Parrotfish, Spotted sweet lip, Coral Trout, Fairy Basslets, Black Surgeonfish, Long Nosed Butterfly-fish, Angel fish, Black Groper, Oceanic Sharks, Clown Trigger-fish, Blue-fin Trevally, Blue Devil fish, Saddleback Butterfly-fish, schools of Juvenile Snapper, Venus Tusk fish and a great back leatherback turtle. We wish we could show you some pictures, but its just one of times where ‘you just had to be there!’

I skipped lunch as I was flying on a coffee and cocoa high. As I climbed up on top of Te Kaihōpara’s wheel house to get a better view of things, I witnessed Matt caramelising some onions on the barbecue whilst donning his most impressive ‘Old Man Strength’ t-shirt. I’m going to get myself one of those on my fiftieth birthday. I eavesdropped Rob revealing to some of the crew that he’d secretly celebrated his birthday onboard three days ago! Te Kaihōpara and I think he probably just had a stash of birthday muffins that he didn’t want to share with anyone, hence the secrecy. Kat and I discussed the importance of fashion without worrying about brand status, for what is fashion, if not wearable art? Did Van Gough worry about what Gucci’s bigwigs thought of his paintings? I think not!

We soon prepared say goodbye to the wonders of Minerva Reef. Debbie, Kat and Becks had to be dragged out of the water as they kicked and screamed to no avail. Skipper J-Son’s (I’ve decided to spell his name like this instead of the regular ‘Jason’ ever since I realised that he holds a passport of Hong Kong origins) orders cannot be taken lightly at sea. The anchor was raised and we smartly set forth for our promised destination, Fiji! As we left Minerva Reef, the crew showcased their new found confidence with handling Te Kaihōpara by hoisting all four of her sails and almost immediately giving ye’ ol Iron Sail some rest along the way. With a comfortable broad-reach setup and winds averaging around twenty knots for the next twelve hours, the night seems sorted for an adventurous second half of our ocean passage. I do hope someone gets inspired enough to bake a chocolate cake along the way. Well, Hope springs eternal!

- Arjun Thimmaya, Chief Mate, Te Kaihōpara