Storm Warning

	Issued at: 4:37 am 26 Jul 2008 NZST
	Valid to: 11:59 pm 26 Jul 2008 NZST
	Forecast *STORM WARNING IN FORCE* Easterly 40 knots, rising to 50 knots this morning. Tending northerly this afternoon, becoming westerly 55 knots at night. Sea becoming very high. Northerly swell 6 metres developing. Poor visibility in rain, with some heavy and thundery falls.
	Outlook Outlook following 3 days: Rising early Sunday westerly 55 knots, easing to 35 knots at night, and to northwest 25 knots on Monday. Becoming Tuesday northeast 25 knots, rising late Tuesday to southeast 40 knots. Very high sea easing late Sunday. Heavy northeast swell developing, easing Sunday. This is what we woke to this morning on the Met Service website! A large tropical depression has been moving across the Tasman Sea from off the Queensland coast (thanks Zane and Ange) for the last few days and we''ve all been watching it closely to see where it is going to hit. Seems we've scored lucky and the target is Northland! Forecast is for storm force winds and torrential rain for about 24 hours. A satellite image shows clear skies over New Zealand and a large storm front approaching from the northwest Yesterday we doubled up on all the ropes, tied down anything that could move and went to bed to wait. Woke up this morning at 3am to hear the wind howling, the rain raining and the waves slapping on the hull like thunderclaps. Well, smallish thunderclaps. All this and it hasn't even arrived yet. The main event is due around lunchtime today. Anyway, we dozed for a couple of hours then when we couldn't lie there any longer we got up at 5am. The joys of living on a boat. Julie is due to arrive in Auckland tonight at around 11pm I think. If the storm hasn't passed by then I'm picking her flight may be diverted further south. Hopefully it will have passed though. That's it for now, I'll report later if we survive!