Heading North

Friends and Family:

When I got on watch at 2 am this morning, I started to get uncomfortable. The fresh northwesterlies that have enabled us to make over 1300 miles of very easy easting, were showing no sign of changing direction or letting up. We were moving along like a freight train, up over eleven knots, throwing up a bunch of spray and making for some exciting sailing.

Only problem was that we needed to turn north some time during the day and that would mean a real bash. Ugh!!

I woke up after a couple hours sleep at about eight to the sensation of "Moonshadow" gently gliding on in light winds and seas. Aeolus was good to us once again. The weak low we've been waiting to overtake us appeared to have arrived and handed us a big wind shift to the Southwest. We pointed the boat north-northeast toward Raivavae and hoisted the "shit house door" spinnaker and marveled at our good fortune.

I'm not sure if the weather got warmer or we are just overly optimistic, but most of us are down to shorts and T-shirts. It's nearly winter here, at Northern California latitudes!

The day's run was 213 miles and at noon we were at 34 deg. 35 min. South by 156 deg. 47 min. West. We are presently broad reaching in 12 to 14 knots of breeze, a gentle five-foot swell at 5.5 to 6.5 knots. No fish, but easy sailing and we're on the blue highway to paradise.

Ciao, George, Paula, Steve, Phyllis, Dale and MaiTai