Prayers for Japan; IDG/NZ/Australia are OK

Hi:  We woke this morning to hear the dreadful news about the earthquake and associated tsunami in Japan; as sailors, and as travelers through New Zealand, which also just suffered a major -- albeit much smaller -- earthquake, our hearts go out to those affected.

We've gotten some notes asking about us, and our boat, as a tsunami warning was also issued for New Zealand (!).  The warning is for the North Island, with a maximum expected wave height of 1 meter, so no real worries.  It does not appear that warnings were issued for our current homeport of Cairns, nor for Australia.

It did get us thinking, with the recent earthquakes in New Zealand and Indonesia, whether there were deeper forces at work at the boundaries of the Pacific Plate ...

We return to Australia in a few days, and will be posting some notes and pics about our wonderful stay here in New Zealand.  Stay tuned.