We finally left Opua this morning at 6am in dense overcast. The wind is blowing about 15-20 from the NE and the seas are about 6ft. It has been raining on and off since 6:30am and it is now almost 8am.

At 9:30am we rounded Cape Brett and turned SE on a heading of 105M. We have about 15-18k and are sailing on a beam reach in 5-7ft seas making7-8k over ground. The weather still sucks and is raining hard most of the time except when it is raining medium or light.

The wind has been steady all day and we are making excellent progress. It is now 6pm and we have 15k of wind from the NE and are making a good 7.5-8k over ground. We are app. 12nm West of Great Barrier Island which is just outside the Hauraki Gulf which is the large body of water at the head of which lies Auckland. Jonah has been sick since he awoke this morning and continues to use his bucket faithfully. Kate seems to be doing a bit better and is resting now in the bunk. She took a 3 hour watch this afternoon so the captain could get some rest and I am feeling quite well now and even enjoying the sailing. It has not rained since about 11am and the forecast (which is broadcast every few hours on VHF radio by the NZ Met Service) has changed from "occasional rain and thunderstorms" to "poor visibility and occasional rain". Reports from vessels in Tauranga report no rain today at all and a somewhat clearing sky. It looks like it may actually clear up tomorrow. We are hoping but not counting our chickens.

At approximately 6:20pm just outside Hauraki Gulf in New Zealand the Sailing Vessel Queen Jane was struck by the container ship "Southern Cross II" out of Auckland and bound for Nuku'alofa, Kingdom of Tonga. All aboard are safe and the Queen Jane is currently moored at Nagle Cove on Great Barrier Island. More information will be posted in the next few days.