Vaianu and Town Basin

That’s about the worst of it. The Nook took care of us nicely Kerri and I spent a few days tucked into The Nook, hiding from what was forecast to be a pretty solid blow. As it turned out, The Nook did exactly what we needed it to do, cutting the wind down enough that what could have been a rough few days turned into something far more manageable. Instead of getting hammered, we dealt with the occasional gust pushing into the low 20s, and that was about it. After the chaos of those final days on Great Barrier, it gave us a chance to reset—rest a bit, settle back into the rhythm of boat life, and pretend, briefly, that things were calming down. That illusion didn’t last long. Another system had already started organizing itself and making its way toward us, and this one was the real reason we ran from the island in the first place. The first blow had been forecast in the 40–50 knot range, which is enough to get your attention, but this next one had a name – Vaianu – and that alone tells…