Final update on Cyclone Vaianu tonight in Whangarei, New Zealand. We have thankfully been pretty well sheltered here in the boatyard and haven’t seen more than 40-45 knots tonight as the winds reached their peak. But we’re hearing reports from friends nearby that the winds are almost double that nearer Auckland and Great Barrier. We hope everyone stays safe overnight and we look forward to some respite tomorrow before the wind swings and picks up again for the second half of this weather event. Good luck everyone! Take care of each other! #cyclonevaianu #cyclonewatch #newzealand #newzealandcyclone #newzealand

Cyclone Vaianu is creeping closer and closer and we’re really seeing an increase in wind and rain now. We’re seeing 35-40 knots consistently with reports nearby of gusts up to 60 knots. Our ladder has been blown away but otherwise we are safely strapped down and the boat isn’t going anywhere. The leaking windows are not so fun but thankfully that’s a job on our to do list anyway so we’ll get to those soon! Now we’re in the final countdown to the strongest winds and by the morning we should get a little respite as the eye passes over us. Stay safe out there, everyone. #cyclonevaianu #tropicalcyclone #newzealand #newzealandstorm #cyclonewatch

We’re watching the weather as tropical cyclone heads right for us here in Whangarei, New Zealand but while we’re waiting, Iain has driven down to Auckland to collect our new fuel tanks. Let’s hope he doesn’t get stuck in any flooding!

We are in the direct path of tropical cyclone Vaianu as it heads for New Zealand’s north island but we’re hoping that our preparations will be enough as we get our boat ready in the yard for the weather to deteriorate throughout the day. We’ve tied the boat down to concrete blocks and stored all our solar panels and things that were underneath the boat in a shed so that they are protected. Here we go!

As tropical cyclone Vaianu heads straight for us here in New Zealand, we’re doing what we can to make sure we’re prepared. Stay tuned!

We upgraded the anchor on our sailing catamaran to this stainless steel anchor from Ultra Products and we are super excited to test it out in some of the most remote anchorages in the world this year as we sail the South Pacific. We’ve heard great things from others who have used this anchor and we’re looking forward to putting it to the test.

We sailed from Tonga to New Zealand. Thankfully we had a few days of calm conditions so I was able to get the sewing machine out and make the courtesy flag we need to fly when we reach land. Let’s hope this good weather continues!

We sailed to the other side of the world, crossing the 180° Meridian which marks our furthest point from home (Scotland). We’ve had great weather so far but still about 5 days to go.

Sailing from Tonga to New Zealand and we just caught two HUGE fish as we pass Minerva Reef! Let’s go!

We’re sailing from Tonga to New Zealand, with a brief stop in Minerva Reef to wait for better weather.

#sailingcatamaran #sailingnewzealand #sailingcouple #sailingadventure @LeopardCatamaran

We set off from Tonga to sail our catamaran to New Zealand, over 1000 miles away. Let’s go!

We are sailing from Tonga to New Zealand, over one thousand miles of open ocean and some of the scariest conditions out there. We are nearly ready to go - let’s see what the ocean has in store for us this time!

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