No - the position above is not a typo. We are indeed at almost 173 eastern longitude, roughly on the same meridian as NZ's North Cape. After having started out heading towards Minerva slightly to the east of Fiji we are now well to the west of Fiji (plus about 500nm south of it). Have the Namanis lost all sense of direction (to the extend that they ever had any...)?

The answer is no - it was simply the quirky South Pacific weather that once more intervened. A depression between Vanuatu an d Fiji that had originally been forecast to pass well to the NE over Tonga changed its mind and decided to move right into our path. Luckily, the forecasts picked this up in time for us to make it "to the other side", well to the west of the depression's path - hence our current position ;-) The past 48 hours have been a bit rocky in the compression zone ahead of the low but Namani did very well and now things are easing up as the low has just passed to our east on its now southeasterly track. We hope the windshift behind it will put us right back on to a course towards Fiji - which now lies at 35deg - NNE. All is well aboard, stay tuned...