Columbine At Sea!

Columbine is again at sea! Departure from the marina went smoothly with the help of the marina staff. Columbine does not handle well in close quarters, ane that marina was very tight. We also transited the south pass without a hitch. That was really cool. We had reefs nearby on both sides, and curling breakers loaded with surfers. It was a really cool experience, rendered safe by electronic navigation and many navigation buoys.

At dusk we passed Tetiaroa Atoll. This island is the private property of the actor Marlon Brando, and is also a bird sanctuary. The next land we will be even remotely close to is Kararaine Atoll, which is part of the Line Islands group. We won't be passing it until four or five days, and won't pass close enough to even see it.

Today's sailing hasn't really even been sailing - the wind has been so light we have been motoring all day. Hopefully it will pick up so we can speed up a bit.

The Eastern hirizon is completely clear, so we won't have to deal with any squalls anytime soon. In all it has been a beautiful and peaceful journey so far.

Our current position as of 5:30pm local time is 16d 56.3m S, 149d 28.1m W. We are traveling due north at about 4.5kt average speed over ground.

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