This morning we saw the familiar sight of palm trees on the horizon reassuring us that the earth is not flat and everything is where it is supposed to be. Penrhyn (Tongareva to the Cook Islanders), is a large atoll with a population of around 200 and has Free Association status with New Zealand. After motoring all night and until noon today in calm conditions, Katie had half the boat washed by the time we arrived at the pass. The pass was narrow but well charted and we made our way to the anchorage with Katie on the bow just confirming what Kurt was driving to on the electronic chart. The flat calm conditions actually make it harder to see coral due to the mirror-like surface of the water. Overall, it was one of our easiest landfalls.
We anchored off the village of Omoka to await clearance. After a while two officials (Customs $NZ 60 & Health $NZ 25) arrived in a dinghy to collect our outward clearance, inward clearance, crew list, declaration of health, vessel registration, nil list, personal effects declaration, ships prescription drug inventory, liquor inventory, tender inventory and stamp our passports. Mr. Junior Andrews and Mr. Tuku Mastu were efficient and friendly. They invited us to church tomorrow and to a 21st birthday party feast for a young lady on Monday (the King’s Birthday holiday).
Amazingly, three other yachts also arrived today: a Canadian, a Kiwi and another American making a total of six now in Penrhyn.
On June 1, 2024, our position at anchor
1200 Cook Island Time
1500 PDT
1000 NZST (June 2)
was:
8d58.80m S, 158d02.94m W
24 hr noon to noon: 192 nm
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