New Zealand - Pacific Crossing Notes: A Sailor's Guide to the Coconut Milk Run - page 352

In Good Company
During our weeks of waiting, we had the feeling that we were stragglers, the softies left be-
hind while all the other kids had gone out to play. But it turned out we were in good com-
pany, as evidenced by the sight of thirty crews queued up outside the Opua Customs office
on the morning of Wednesday, May 29. The atmosphere was one of an excited high school
graduation: all hugs, sentimental retrospection, and eager looks forward into a warm, trop-
ical future. Soon, the Bay of Islands was sprouting with more sails than we had seen in a
month, an entire armada heading for various points north.
It all looked so good on that gloriously sunny afternoon. Initially, everything unfolded as
expected, with a nice southwesterly breeze to carry us away from land. As night fell, so did
the wind, just as forecast. We piled on layers of warm clothing and cranked up the motor.
Never had leaving land for the open ocean felt so easy!
Escaping the southern winter in New Zealand