May 27

We upped anchor at 6:30am this morning and motored out of Baie Ngo on our way to Baie de Prony. Weather forecasts show a "squash zone" forming between a big high South of us and a low forming to our North. This means a period of very high winds in the 25-35k range. We decided it would be better to be in Prony then Ile Ouen as it provides better protection from the winds.

The distance to Baie de Prony is only about 12nm and we should be there in 2 hours or so. The wind is 10-14k from the NE and we are motor sailing on a course of 138M making 7.5k over ground. Since the entrance to Baie de Prony requires us to pass through Canal Woodin (Woodin Channel) which is due East we want to get through as early in the morning as possible while winds are still relatively calm. Skies are overcast with occasional sun break and the lagoon is so far calm.

It is now 8:10am and we are motoring through the Canal Woodin. We furled the genoa when we turned into the canal since the wind is coming right from the East down onto us. With the tidal current pushing us an extra 2k over boat speed we were making 7.5 - 8k over ground in the narrowest part of the channel. Now we are making 6.8k and have about 2 miles to go to reach the anchorage. The wind is blowing up to 14k now and there is some chop on the water which occasionally slows us a bit. We should be anchored within 30 minutes. First we have to choose an anchorage. Baie de Prony is a huge complex with several arms each with a multitude of coves. We have selected the general area we will anchor (the Eastern most part of the bay since we expect strong winds from the East in the next few days).