evidence: A snap decision was made to sail to the Minerva Reefs, then on to Savusavu in northeastern Fiji. All new territory for us. [...] The sailing was extraordinary, fast surfing down the swells as we sailed beyond the lee of New Zealand, gradually overhauling all the other yachts in sight and leaving them all behind as we flew north. Our average speed was in double figures all night. I remember the moonrise at 10pm. Glittering moonlight revealing the magnificent sea state. We dodged a couple of giant container ships, then nothing. By morning we had sailed away from the fleet and didn’t see another boat until we arrived at Minerva reef 92 hours after leaving Opua. [...] It was a relief to turn in to the pass at Minerva Reef. It’s a sunken atoll, almost a perfect circle of reef, awash at high tide but with enough protection to be anchored in a calm pond, in the middle of the wild South Pacific.