24 October – we make it home and pass a significant milestone

With hardly any wind to help us, we motor sailed back from the Hen and Chicks to our mooring in Taurikura Bay.

It was exactly four months since we had left and we were very excited as we left the Hen and Chicks knowing that our trip recorder was about to clock up 4,000 nautical miles. We were all very pleased with ourselves.

A beautiful calm day meant that we were able to anchor just off the beach in Urquhart Bay to unload a mountain of clothing and food. The process was slowed down slightly when our car, which had not been used for four months, refused to start.

Help from a friendly neighbour with jump leads resolved the problem allowing the unloading to continue.

Taihoa was eventually safely on her mooring by 4:45 and our sailing adventure was officially over. But there was still time for one more stuff up….

Nigel failed to secure the dinghy after lowering it from the davits. A strong northerly breeze meant that it wasted no time in setting off on its own with Nigel, stripped to his undies, swimming in pursuit.

All’s well that ends well!