We had what may kindly be referred to as a "long night..." Contrary winds, strong contrary currents, and enough worry to light up a small city. Fortunately, about 20 nm outside of Opua the current changed and the wind backed about 10 degrees; both allowed us to make our rhumb line instead of continuously being pushed westwards. In fact, we continuously had to slow the boat down to allow arrival at dawn. It worked out perfectly, and although a bit tired, we entered Opua in high spirits. The currents coming from the river here are a force to be reckoned with; docking went pretty well though. There were about 10 boats at the Q (Quarantine) dock. Customs and Immigration couldn't have been nicer or more proficient; same with the personnel at Opua Marina. So far, so good. We're seeing a lot of our friends we've met along the way and are just so happy we were able to get here safely with no major systems breakdowns. We ended up sailing 1105 nm on a route whose direct rhumb line is more like 780 nm! Well, that's what's sailing is all about; you take the weather you get and make the most of it, in spite of predictions and expert input. Sue was like glue this trip; holding together and encouraging when I was starting to feel pretty glum about the whole thing...I figured we'd have to detour to Australia or maybe around to the south island before we'd ever get into Opua! Well, she was right, and here we are! Team Infini has now completed a crossing of the Pacific Ocean! We've said many thanks and offered many prayers...can't forget the important things. More later when we're coherent!
Pic: The Q (Quarantine) dock, which is not connected to any other pier. The officials take a dinghy out to clear boats in. You can dock on either side of it.
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