After 5 days at sea, 4 of them motoring and one in a near gale, we were psyched to make landfall. The first 3 days were pretty cold and all of us were wearing every bit of clothes we had to keep wrm during night watches.
We got 30+ knots of true wind (up to 40 knots apparent as it was before the beam) for about 30 ours and made some great time. The boat was doing 9's and 10's. The benefit of making good progress was some pretty violent noise on board from the confused seas. Every minute or two there's an explosion, and if you're in your bunk, you get knocked sideways a foot or so. Despite horrified certainty on your part, the boat doesn't break in to pieces and things go on, mile after mile. Check out the video of us going along at 10 knots. Even though it looks like it's only blowing 15-18kts, it was actually blowing 30 or more during this clip. Amazing how the camera flattens the conditions.
On our last day, as I'd promised Austin, we put the fishing lines in the water for our final approach into Nouméa. About an hour away from the pass into the reef, one of the reels sang, and a few seconds later a HUGE marlin did 5 or 6 jumps across our stern, just 30 yards away. 
After that, the fish sounded and the fight was on. 2 hours of fierce fighting later- 1:55 with young Austin on the rod and me with a :10 turn- we got the fish right behind the boat. It was so big, none of us had any idea what to do to get it on board. Luckily, as we were bringing in the last few feet of 550lb test leader line by hand, it surprised us by swimming gently towards the boat and unhooked itself. We all stood there in awe at the great prodigious beastie. Estimates on board vary, but on the conservative end I'd say 8 feet long and 300 or 400 lbs (at times there were pronouncements like, Dude! It's at LEAST a THOUSAND POUNDS!!!).
The fish provided us with such an adventure that we forgot about the crossing and it really felt like we'd just been out fishing for the day.Our emotional arrival was marked by the warm welcome we received from dear old friends here, the departure of our dear young Austin, and the arrival of McKenzie and his family (it's with McKenzie that I sailed to New Caledonia in '95 and met Sophie).
It's felt like a real homecoming.We'll be taking our guests down for a trip to the Isle of Pines for a week, then we have to figure out what we'll be doing in New Caledonia and beyond. For the moment we haven't a clue.
