After a very rolly night, we woke to a beautiful sunrise, following which it was time to weigh anchor. Having cleared the pass between Recif To and Recif Le Sournois, we entered the Coral Sea. With that, it was goodbye to New Caledonia and goodbye to the South Pacific Ocean.

We had expected to motor-sail for the first 24 hours of this leg, but around 1300 we entered the transition zone between the low pressure system which had just passed southeast of New Caledonia and the leading edge of the approaching high pressure system. That meant we picked up winds of 10 to 15 Kts, clocking around from the southwest through south to southeast much sooner than forecast and allowed us to switch off the motors and enjoy boat speeds of between 6 and 8 Kts as the wind speed strengthened and weakened. That definitely gave our VMG (Velocity Made Good) a boost for the day. In layman's terms, VMG is a measurement used to help us capitalise on our SOG (Speed Over Ground) and COG (Course Over Ground) that will give us the most direct course to our destination.

By 1600 though, in very lumpy seas, the winds dropped, so on went the motors again. Thankfully that only lasted for less than two hours before the winds picked up again and by sunset we were reefed down for the night and sailing at 6.5 Kts in 12 Kts of wind. However, just when we thought we'd be able to sail through the night and pick up the slightly stronger south-easterlies forecast for tomorrow, the wind shifted to the east at around 2200 and dropped, causing the mainsail to slam in the swell. So, under a clear moonless starry night we are motor-sailing again, but on headsail alone.

It certainly has been a mixed bag for the day, none of which was forecast as usual. We'll just have to wait and see what tomorrow brings. Having a large pod of dolphins crossing Paw Paw's bow as we exited the pass this morning was a lovely send off though.