Eat, Sleep and Sail

Friends and Family:

You'd think that we would all get bored out here with nothing to do but eat, sleep and sail. Well, believe it or not the first four days at sea have flown by and we are one third of the way to our first stop, Raivavae, in the Austral Islands group of French Polynesia.

The winds have eased a bit and backed around so our day's run was only 176 miles. This morning we decided to hoist our asymmetrical spinnaker to pick up the pace. It went up and so did the wind, so as I am writing, we are clicking along at over nine knots in fourteen knots of breeze. This is the sail with the quarter moon on it that we lovingly call the "shit house door."

Our noon position was 36 deg. 18 min. South Latitude by 169 deg. 27 min. West Longitude, which put us over half way to our first waypoint, where we expect to turn north and watch the thermometer rise.

Dale solved some technical difficulties with our weather fax machine so we will be able to see what we've got out here. In the mean time, we have relied on great information from Des at Radio Russell in New Zealand. We can see a weak low pressure system coming from behind us that should pick up the breeze, give the decks a needed wash and turn the winds southwesterly in time for our turn to the northeast. The last couple days have given us pleasant weather and an easy sea state, making for relaxing sailing.

Sailors are always trying to come up with better boat ideas and we have been doing some inventing on this trip. Dale thinks a sailboat with a fully gimballed interior would be the end all. I would just be happy with a red backlit barometer with a prescription lens for easier reading. MaiTai just wants more fresh fish.

So long for now, George, Paula, Phyllis, Steve, Dale and MaiTai