Day 221 Changing weather

Position @ 0645 is S21º32 X E175º56
I am awakened at 0100 by the sound of the rain. Water is pouring on the hull and I can see lightning flashes through the porthole. Kurt is on watch and I poke my head out to see if he needs help but he waves me off. The wind is not a problem so the boat is under control. All the hatches are closed and we are dry inside. Once the person on watch is wet, there is nothing that another person can do except get wet with them. I go back to sleep.
By morning, the rain has stopped but it is still overcast. The wind shifted around overnight but returned to blow from the south-southeast. We continue on a south-southwest heading pushed by the stronger 20 knot wind. The sea is now building a bit after two days of exceptionally calm water.
By afternoon, the wind is blowing at 20 to 25 knots and the sea increases to 4 to 6 feet and the ride gets bumpier. We double reef the main and attempt to furl the jib but the furling line becomes tangled in the drum and the jib is being whipped about by the strong wind. Mark takes the wheel while Kurt and Andy go forward with a fid to try to work the line loose. They are both wearing their harnesses and end up being totally immersed in the cold seawater several times as the bow of Southern Star buries itself in an oncoming wave.
After about 20 minutes, they free the line and we reduce the jib to about 20% of its normal size. This reduces our boat speed to 2 to 3 knots but makes for a more comfortable ride. At this speed, we will get to NZ by Christmas.