We have sailed over 100,000 miles on Windora and it was the right thing to do, anchoring in North Minerva while the winds were strong and against us, waiting until the next day to repair our sails when it was calm and then leaving first thing the following day. It was pure luck that the other yacht contacted the Navy as they approached and so were given approval. When we arrived the Navy was not there. To be ordered to sea was very unfair. There are no people, not even any land, at these reefs, and after months of isolation from the virus, we were no threat to Tonga. We would do the same again in the same situation.
NZ were great in supporting our wish to stay. If the Navy had allowed us the extra three hours we required to finish our repairs, the whole nasty episode would have been avoided. In this time of lockdowns it would make sense for boats to be able to stop at these reefs, whether for rest, repairs or to await fair weather. It is not usual to sail to NZ or Australia at this time of the year, usually boats are heading north to escape winter, but options are limited for cruising folk at the moment and we felt lucky to already be in the Pacific and to have the option of returning home, even if it was out of season and meant doing it in just two long passages, passing all those lovely island groups we had hoped to explore. The Minerva Reefs have always been a safe haven for yachts.
