Today was dedicated to clean up and chores on board Truce and taking it easy. In beautiful calm sunny weather, I set about tidying the boat. Stowing all the bits and bobs that I had been using on passage and stashed in the quarter berth for convenience and ease of access from the cockpit.
On the passage from Tonga we used the engine far more than usual to get through the extensive calm patches. All the running meant that the scheduled one-hundred-and-fifty-hour oil change became due sooner than expected. Changing the oil isn’t a job I like, it’s always messy sucking the old oil out of the dipstick hole. With a bag full of rags, the job was accomplished and Mr Yanmar now has clean oil and a new oil filter to keep him happy for a while.
Another session at the laundry means that we have fresh bed linen and towels on board. The last laundry session was in Honolulu and the supply of clean sheets and towels had been exhausted – laundry was definitely due.
I don’t know where the day went, time flies when your having fun, but soon it was happy hour and time for some refreshment. I got myself cleaned up and headed down to the Opua Yacht Club – just a short walk away. Nice to sit out on the deck overlooking the harbour as the sun goes down. The sand-flies also enjoyed dining out on my body.
I was back on-board Truce in the early evening as I plan to sail south tomorrow. I checked the weather, tides and put a course on the chart, with a list of available stops and shelters on the way. Not sure yet where I will go tomorrow. I am heading south down the coast towards Auckland, first I need to get around Cape Brett and then have an idea I may stop in Whangarei. We shall see tomorrow how it plays out.
The Adventures of Captain Ray Penson 
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