Good Evening, Update Day 6, Mon. April 5th

Good evening from onboard the WTP

***Life on board***
8:15pm- Today was a great day of sailing with a big wind shift all day which allowed us to make a lot of progress south. We are however, now motoring (i know i know) but we want to arrive in the morning and since the wind died about two hours ago we decided to motor and push on rather than sit all night and arrive late tomorrow.

Today marked one of the biggest milestones of the Eye of The World Journey, our first crossing of the EQUATOR!! What a great accomplishment. In naval tradition, the crossing of the equator is a right of passage for seafarers. Before one has crossed the equator at sea he or she is known as a "pollywog" and afterward is known as a "shellback". Today we all became "shellbacks" horay! We decided that it would be fitting to hold our very own equator crossing ceremony in true EYE fashion...

Accordingly, we decided that a bit of humility would do well to please the unseen but always present forces of the sea and graciously allow our humble vessel to safely continue its passage of her vast ocean waters. In order to show our humility to the sea we each gave up something of ourselves and in this case it was to be...our HAIR. At around 2:30pm we began the process of cutting off all of our hair. I volunteered to go first and Trevor (who has experience cutting hair, namely mine which he cut in Jamaica) equipped himself with the buzz clippers and went to town. "As short as you can", I said and he did. Afterward, since I figured there could not be a better time than now, I decided to go all out and my head was shaved smooth as a baby's bottom. Alan is bald as bald can be. Adam was next and elected to self-cut his hair to a fuzzy and very short buzzed length. Will (with the longest hair of the group by far) went under the buzzers next with Adam as the barber. First trying on a fabulous mullet and admiring it in the mirror for a few minutes, he had the rest gone soon after. Will, seeing my bold/bald statement, decided to step up to the bald plate also and we both now sport looks that would make a cue ball jealous. Trevor couldn't stand all the hair we were depositing into the sea without him. Though initially only planning to shave his beard for the ceremony, he couldn't in good conscience, make such a minor contribution and handed me the clippers telling me to, "do it fast before I regret it" which i did to a well suited 1/2 inch buzz. Excited over our new looks and with Will and I having already applied copious amounts of sunscreen to our newly exposed melons, I counted down the minutes to the equator crossing as Will and Trevor worked on grilling up some grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch.

At 3:15pm the moment came. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 (we counted down the seconds on our latitude) ZERO! we had arrived at the equator. We backed the headsail and put the boat into a stall to "park" her on the zero'th line of latitude. We decided that a swim around the boat full circle would be quite fitting and in pairs we flipped, jumped, or dove into the crystal clear and unimaginably deep pacific blue. We swam the circumference of the boat to complete the ceremony. We relaxed for a bit and continued jumping in for fun, cooling off and taking the opportunity to get clean as well. After we were satisfied that we had succeeded in an appropriate ceremony we got back underway.

We made some progress after that but soon the wind died down and Will made a great dinner of rice and, sadly but thankfully, the last bit of the enormous fish we had caught nearly 4 days ago. Afterward, with just 90 miles to go, and realizing that we would not make it to the anchorage until late tomorrow at this rate, we decided to save tomorrow and star the motor. What a successful wind driven crossing we have had so far. We were not at all reluctant to give a last little push especially since we had planned to motor so much more.

Trevor is at the helm now, and we motor along at about 6 knots in very light wind gazing at the stars. THE STARS!! They are the brightest and most amazing stars I have ever seen. Like the blackest of black dark rooms with pinholes punched into it letting light in the sky is littered with stars, nebulas, and the most milky and incredibly milky way. We watched Venus and Mercury set into the western sky just after sunset and then picked out Saturn, Sirius, Taurus, Orion, the big dipper, the southern cross, and with the help of a star chart a few new ones.

Life is good aboard the WTP. Cannot wait go see the Galapagos.

***The Boat***
Nothing to report here. All is well. The engine charges our batteries without complaint and we are running radars, and laptops, and lights, oh my!

***Communication***
We checked back in with "Gemini" this evening and told them that we were motoring and hoped to make the anchorage by tomorrow. They indicated that they would be on a little later probably not until Wednesday. We also are looking forward to meeting our German radio friends.

***Weather***
The sky is as clear as clear can be. The wind is light from the southeast. It is chilly on deck after sunset and coats will be needed tonight.

Position (8:30am):
00 deg 09' SOUTH!!!!
88 deg 39' West

"Cue ball" and the Crew

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Good Morning, Update Day 6, Mon. April 5th

Good morning all, this will be a morning update and I will attempt to follow up with it, an evening update as well.

***Life on board***
8:30am- Adam is on watch, Trevor and Will are sleeping. The boat is making great progress south on a heading of about 215 degrees. We're just watching the miles count down toward the equator now.

Bobby, the bold boat bird, banished himself from the bow at about 8am this morning. He made several "false good byes," reported Trevor, whereby he launched and then promptly returned 3 or 4 times before finally deciding that it's what he really wanted. He will be missed.

It appears (knock on wood) as though this evening may be our last one on the open pacific before making landfall. If this wind holds out (knock on wood again) we could make landfall in as little as 16 hours putting us off San Cristobal at around 4am in the morning tomorrow (Tuesday)were we would wait for sunrise to make our final approach. Of course, you didn't hear me say that since (at least I think) it is pretty unlucky or, at the very least useless, to try and forecast anything relating to future progress or estimated time of arrival. We shall see.

***The Boat***
All is well with the boat. Batteries are charging at about 5 Amps/hour and holding 85.7% of full with the help of sun and wind. The head still works, the lights work, the stove works, nothing is out of place.

***Communication***
We made contact with the Panama Connection net over ham radio on a frequency of 8.107Mhz just a few minutes ago and relayed our new position. We also were updated by Gemini who experienced similar winds last night and is now making great progress as well. They reported their position as almost exactly 60 miles due East of us.

***Weather***
8:30am- The weather this morning is clear and sunny with a cool SE wind at around 12knots. Last night we had a great amount of dew on deck and everything was wet to the touch from it. Almost as soon as the sun went down last night, our long awaited wind shift came and we have been laying a course well south of our layline to the Galapagos ever since. We will take full advantage of the shift until we are sure we can comfortably point for our destination. Of course, we hope this wind keeps up throughout the day.

Position (8:30am):
00 deg 22' North
87 deg 50' West

Evening update to follow
Alan and Crew

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Onboard Update Day 5, Sun. April 4th (Happy Easter)

Happy Easter Sunday Eye fans,

***Life on board***
7:20am- The wind calmed overnight and has shifted a little to the east (to our great relief) and the boats motion was calm and relaxing all night. Yesterday we noticed, and now more so, that the air is cooler than before and jackets were required last night sitting outside. The water temperature (according to our sensor under the boat) is unchanged so perhaps a cooler wind from the south has made it to us. We are making a heading of about 250 degrees. I logged into the ham radio email to get more wind forecast data. Adam is on watch reading. Trevor and Will are sleep soundly.

Once everyone started moving around, Adam set to work on an Easter Sunday breakfast. We all sat down to the cleared and unfolded dining room table while the windvane steered us happily along. We had soft boiled eggs, peas and carrots, pita bread, crackers, cheese, and sliced pears. A great breakfast feast.

Around noon, much reading was accomplished and everyone lazed about. Alan read part of 'Evolution's Captain' aloud to Trevor and Will. It is quite a timely story to read on our way to the first island that Charles Darwin visited in the Galapagos. Can't wait to get there.

2:09pm- A ship is spotted! Our first sighting of another ship since our departure. She is pretty far off to our north but we try channel 16 on the VHF just in case. A response! She replies to our hails in French and Adam (having studied french in high school) is able to learn that she is called "Lazareene" and is also sailing for the Galapagos but bound for a different island. She left around the same time as us. We kept track of her for about 3 hours before the large rolling swells obscure her from our view once again.

6:00pm- As the sun is going down we hang out in the cockpit and, to our surprise, watch as a pretty big bird starts circling the boat. This is a new bird, one which we have not seen until now. He makes a close pass and a bold attempt at what (to him) must be most akin to a jet making an aircraft carrier landing at sea. He is eying the protruding railing of our bow pulpit and makes his approach. Unfortunately he has sorely misjudged his distance and, instead of perching gracefully, his upper torso makes pretty rough contact with the railing rather than his extended landing gear. Seemingly unfazed he backs off and sets up for another approach. This time he stumbles but is able to recover and pulls it off. Obviously tired (or maybe just lazy) he has been sitting there ever since (nearly 2 hours so far) despite our close investigation of him with up close cameras and an attempt to see if he likes crackers (he doesn't). We have named him "Bobby".

8:00pm- With the sun down we are settling in for our 6th night offshore since leaving Panama. Adam is working on a fish stew in the pressure cooker and Trevor and Will are already thinking ahead to some fried fish tomorrow OR perhaps some grilling? The wind and sea will tell if that might be possible. Will is working on his computer and treating us to some new tunes from his I-pod (new music on the boat is always a welcome thing), Trevor is taking a rest and Adam is on deck taking his watch as his stew is stewing in the galley.

***The Boat***
7:20am- With lighter wind and cloudy overcast skies, the chances that any major battery charging will result are slim. The batteries however are still feeling the effects of the past days charging and are now at 85.3% of full. Later, the wind picked up and sun came out and the generator began whirring once again. So far so good with the boat.

***Communication***
This morning we checked in with the Panama Connection net as well as the Pan Pacific net this morning and spoke to "Gemini" again for their position update and to share wind conditions. They reported similar conditions and a position to our south and east.

At 10 till 7pm we checked in with "Gemini" again for another update. To our surprise they reported that they had experienced an almost windless day today and have moved just 19 miles from their mornings position. In contrast, we have made nearly 55 miles in that time. This was surprising given our close proximity to them (less than 100 miles). Surely we would have expected her to have experienced at least as much if not better pressure than us being farther south. I guess if just goes to show that nothing is a sure thing out on the ocean.

Also, as mentioned above, the WTP made sucessfull contact with the French vessel "Lazareene" also heading for Galapagos.

***Weather***
7:20am- This morning, overcast and cloudy (a medium dark grey all around) with light southerly winds. The wind forecast data retrieved for this morning indicates that perhaps we won't see any more wind shifts from the west anymore which is good news. With luck the wind will remain due south and light today and shift to the south east and build to around 10-15 knots later. With a shift like that we COULD be home free to sail a straight course for the Galapagos on a steady south-easterly (knock on wood)

8:00pm- The wind steadily built today as the sky cleared and it was a very bright and sunny day all day. We have had very steady wind all day from the south and have maintained a steady 5-6 knots on a heading of about 250 degrees. New forecasts show a shift to the SE that we are very much looking forward to.

Current Position:
1 deg 07' North
87 deg 03' West

Happy Easter everybody
Alan and Crew

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Onboard Update Day 4, Sat. April 3nd

***Life on board***
7:56am- Last night we feasted on Rice with chick peas, fish curry delight (one of Trevor's specialities), and fish stir-fry with peppers, onions and some peanuts! The fish is keeping very will in our ice cooler. And yes, we still have ice! Will is finishing up his watch now and I will be on momentarily, Trevor and Adam are both out like lights. Adam on the floor and Trevor in Adam's bunk. Sometimes we sleep in each others bunks when the boat is rocking because the two aft bunks are by far the most comfortable when the boat is moving around a lot so we swap in and out. Adam is on the floor because the two aft bunks were taken and the floor is the next best place especially with a big v-berth cushion thrown down.

Will reported seeing a pod of about 30 dolphins this morning just after sunrise, "but now they are gone. I got some video though!" he said excitedly. My watch went by pretty fast with not much to report. We have noticed a cooler breeze today and more birds than we have seen in the last two days. Some of them are larger white birds and occasionally they fly very close to the sails but only for a moment getting some kind of lift from the boat and resting.

7:12pm- We just finished up dinner. Fish with onion and pepper stir-fry this time with cheddar cheese melted on top then put in a pita bread with onions and mustard YEAH! We also had crackers and cheese. We are lucky to have a block of cheddar cheese and to be able to keep it cold. If we had known the ice would work so well me might have brought more cheese.

Not much to report today in terms of boat life. The days seem to be going by very fast (as least to me) and I spent a majority of the day awake reading since I got a good long chunk of sleep last night.

I am currently reading a book called 'Evolution's Captain' by Peter Nichols about the voyages made by Captain Robert FitzRoy aboard the survey ship HMS Beagle in the 1830's including the famed 5 year voyage with Charles Darwin who gained fame through this voyage with his meticulous preservation of animals, plants, birds, bugs, coral, and even fossils from around the world. He is most well known for his eventual realizations on the evolution of some of the species that he collected, especially those in the Galapagos Islands. It is a great historical read and gives some incredible insight into what it was like to be a discoverer of new lands in the not so distant past. Voyagers who took to the sea then are most akin to the astronauts of today, boldly going into the unknown in the name of science and the human race. Sailors and discoverers (as they are synonymous) of the world were literally sailing right off their charts. The Beagle, a specially outfitted survey ship carried precise instruments for making measurements of position by celestial observation. These were later used to improve, or in some cases map out for the first time, coastlines, safe harbors, and dangerous rocks for ships to better navigate by. Darwin's position of "naturalist" onboard the survey ship was more or less a fortunate coincidence.

Nowadays with GPS, Radar, and accurate charts of anywhere you want to go, a circumnavigation seems almost easy by comparison. It makes me really in awe of what Captain FitzRoy accomplished with few charts, no GPS, no Radar, not even waterproof Raincoats! And what's more, Darwin and FitzRoy were 22 and 26 years old at the time of the famed voyage. Inspiring!

***The Boat***
As expected with the wind on the nose, the battery bank is charging well thanks to the wind generator. We are currently a healthy 86% of full. Windvane, sails, rigging, stove, electronics (everything) are all working smoothly but as always...we knock on wood. You can knock on it for us too. You can never be too careful.

***Communication***
After checking into the Panama Connection net this morning, we re-connected with the sailing catamaran "Gemini" also bound for Wreck Bay on San Cristobal, Galapagos. They were to the south and east of us (about 80 miles) as of 8:30am and we checked in again with them at 6:50pm just to say hi, check out each others weather conditions and position. They seem to be gaining on us slightly and also possibly experiencing more wind (being further south) than we are. Time will tell. Needless to say, the race is on.

***Weather***
Early this morning, the wind shifted more to the west and pushed us from a heading of about 250 degrees onto a heading of around 280 degrees (North away from Galapagos) after which we tacked onto a heading of about 140 degrees so as to make some progress south. As the wind shifted again back into the south we started making more easting than southing so we tacked again back on a course just high of our layline to the Galapagos which lies at around 230 degrees. We continue on this course now. Our forecast indicates that another shift like the one experienced today might occur again tomorrow and then, with luck, another shift bringing wind from the SE will allow us to head right for our goal. (knock on wood). We have been immensely lucky so far to not have not had to turn on the engine ONCE! (knock on wood again)

***Special Upcoming Events***
We are all (well at least I am) very much looking forward to our crossing of the equator! We are planning a very special ceremony. It will be my first time EVER in the Southern Hemisphere (south of the equator). I can sit in the cockpit saying to myself, "I've never been further south than THIS"..."Now, I've never been further south than THIS!!" It's fun at first but then it gets old.

Also coming up will be our crossing of the 90 degree of longitude which signifies our passing into another TIME ZONE! We will be in GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) minus 6 hours. GMT -6 and the ships clock will be adjusted as such. Also by a great coincidence, The Galapagos is situated due south of St. Louis, Missouri, USA (and therefore shares it's time zone) the home town of none other than Eye crew member Trevor!

Current Position:
1 deg 53' North
84 deg 55' West

Sailing Along
Alan and Crew

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Onboard Update Day 3, Fri. April 2nd

***Life on board***
It is nearing 4:30pm onboard. This morning I took the 5am to 8am watch. This watch is agreed to be one of the best watches due to the fact that you get some light but it is still nice and cool. And you get to see the sunrise. On my morning watch. I took note of the following things floating by:

-6:19am A black flip flop, overturned
-6:32am A broken black bucket
-6:47am Something yellow
-6:58am A pair of corks floating together
-7:01am The other flip flop
-7:14am A white piece of foam and a waterbottle

In addition, we have seen lots of birds despite being far our to sea. Also, as of today, there is a large brown and grey moth about 2 inches long hitching a ride on one of our backstays. Perhaps a stowaway from Panama, I saw him flying around this morning and he has been resting on the aft deck ever since.

We have been able to sail all day today although a wind shift last night (see weather) has changed life on board a little. We are now sailing into the wind and no longer with it. Our house is therefore leaning a little to starboard which (as you already know, if you kept up with Trevor's post about the effects of heel on boat life) causes us to have to close the drain for the sink lest it flood the galley meaning that dirty dishwater must be scooped out manually. It also means that anyone venturing into the head may have to coordinate with the helmsman if they wish to have any water with their flush.

The other major downside to sailing upwind (also called "beating") is that unless the water is perfectly flat, which it is not here, (actually its quite choppy right now) then there will be spray coming over the windward rail which may or may not make it into your lap as you sit reading in the cockpit. This also necessitates that the windows on the port side (in the V-berth and the head) remain closed as well as the two cabin hatches on top so that we don't get everything inside the boat wet. This in turn makes the boat hot and muggy down below. It's not nearly as bad as if we were running the engine (knock on wood) mind you but it is still a little uncomfortable.

For breakfast this morning we had cereal (Rasin Bran) and milk (powdered milk) and for lunch, FISH. This time a baked fish dish with a mango salsa (mango, onion, red peppers, garlic some oregano and a pinch of salt piled on top of 4 big fillets in some oil). For dinner...you guessed it. As soon as this is sent, I'm on dinner duty.

***The Boat***
A benefit (yes there are some) of sailing upwind is that our apparent wind (the wind that we feel on deck) is greater than the actual wind speed due to the fact that we are moving. This makes the wind generator very happy and we are charging a lot more now. The battery bank is currently at 70% of full and we expect it will improve if this wind keeps up (knock on wood).

***Communication***
We successfully checked in once again to the "Panama Connection" ham radio net this morning at 8:30am to report our updated information.

***Weather***
Last night the wind died briefly and filled back in eventually from the south. We are now sailing a course of about 240 degrees magnetic and are glad to be making south and westward progress without the use of "the iron tops'l". The wind is currently out of the S at around 15knots and we have swapped the #1 headsail for the #3 which is working out well.

Position:
2 deg 45' North
83 deg 40' West

More to come
Alan and Crew

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Onboard Update 9:30pm (A Fishy Tale)

Get ready for a fishy tale...

It all started when we spotted a lot of birds hovering over one spot out ahead of us. Occasionally they would dive down to grab a meal. Little fish on the surface usually means bigger ones down below. In no time we had pulled out our brand spanking new "mahi-jet" lure (which we had been saving for a pacific occasion) This lure has it all: green and yellow flashy colors, squid like rubber dangle-do's, even slits cut in the front which make a bubble trail behind it with beads inside that "rattle" as it is pulled along. Of course it also has a nice big shiny hook hidden in the tail. So we let it out and sure enough in about 20 min of trolling. we hear that now oh so familiar sound and we know exactly what to do.

"Ziiizzz Zizzzz," the line is flying off the reel and the pole is bent back hard. Trevor jumps for the reel and starts to tighten the choke which slows down the release of line but it just keeps spinning out and out. Then the line goes taught and for a second there is silence before...sssBANG! the line shoots back down the pole and the now broken end flops tensionless in the cockpit. The fish was gone and so was our lure. Thus ended the life of the brand new "mahi-jet" lure. A short lived yet probably intensely exiting life.

We got over it pretty quickly and soon we had new line on the reel and a new lure out in the water. This time a trusty favorite the "cedar plug" this is just what it sounds like, a cedar (wooden) plug about 5 inches long with a line running through it and a hook on the end. We dressed it up a little with some yellow and green rubber squid tentacles that slid over the top and we thought disguised the hook quite well. Now we wait.

We went about other things. Including a jam session in the cockpit with all instruments present and cameras rolling. I made PB&J sandwiches for everyone and we hung out in the cockpit just sailing along. And then...

"Ziiizzz!!! Zizzz!!! "Trevor the reel!", "Get it, Get it!", "I got it, I got it!". He tightens the choke but it is obvious that this is something very very big. "I'd better let it out some," he says, "we gotta try and tire it out" and boy was he right. Suddenly, we saw it... A sea monster of enormous proportions leapt from the water about 50 yards off our stern. We were speechless, aside from our lunatic screaming, "holy cow it's huge! What are we gonna do?" It's a fair question, this is by far the biggest fish we have ever hooked. Adam and Will set to work slowing the boat down (we were doing almost 8 knots) and I grabbed a pair of gloves and our gaff hook (our 3 foot long gaff hook, at that moment seemed like a joke). Trevor worked the monster fish for about 30 minutes trying to tire it out. It continued to leap out of the water flashing its huge body at us. We were stunned. This can't be happening.

Finally Trevor brings it close in and now it's hugging the side of the boat but it hasn't given up yet and I tell him to let it back out again. It would be suicide to attempt to bring it on board with so much fight left in it. It was thrashing and jumping. It could easily have knocked one of us out or trashed the cockpit if it got free. We used the time to regroup and plan the next moves. We cleared the deck and put away the headsail. By now the sun has set and I am using a headlamp to watch the fish from the bow. My gloves are on and with gaff hook in hand, Trevor and Adam both lead the burdened fishing pole around the rigging to the bow. I reach down and go for it. I hook the gills and pull it up out of the water grabbing hold firmly with my other hand and put it on the deck. Trevor jumps onto the tail and holds it down firmly. "Don't let it get free i say!" The adrenaline is rushing. Now the yucky part...

Up until this point the fish we have killed had been small enough that a firm thrust with a sharp knife put them out of their misery in no time flat. This however was a whole new ball game. I was given the gruesome task of dispatching the beautiful beast as I have done with our previous fish. I guess I'm the fish guy. With bigger fish we had read that a club was sometimes used to literally knock the fish out. Having no club to speak of, we employed the 3 foot long heavy steel handle of the anchor windlass to great effect. I'll spare you the details. "How long is it? get the tape measure," Adam says. We hold the tape measure from the tip of the tail to the tip of the nose. Are you sitting down?...7 feet 1.5 inches and we have pictures to prove it. I told you this thing was a monster.

It took a further 45 minutes to clean the fish. It just kept giving and giving. We filled a large cooler bag full of boneless, skinless fillets which went immediately on ice. Thank goodness we filled the cooler with ice before leaving Panama. Throwing back nothing but inedible bones, it is good practice to waste nothing that you must kill. Personally I feel this is important out of respect to the animal (fish in this case).

It is now 9:30pm. Everything is mostly back to normal (save for the cooler full of delicious fish). We have the sails set again and are still sailing well (and in the desired direction, always a plus). Trevor is on watch, Adam is resting, I am writing this update, and Will is, what else, cooking fish! I can smell it from here. Pan fried, bread crumbs, egg. --Update-- I just had the fish. It was delicious! Man oh man. What a fish. Can't wait to share the photos.

Position (9:30pm)
3 deg 53' North
82 deg 18' West

Thanks to the sea. She provides for us once again.
Goodnight
Alan and Crew

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Onboard Update Day 2, Thurs. April 1st

***Life on board***
Yesterday afternoon the crew continued to enjoyed calm seas and following winds making good progress south. At around 5pm we spotted dolphins off the port side but they didn't investigate us for long. We also came upon what looked like a black balloon off in the distance which turned out to be a small black flag on the end of a pole stuck into a buoy. Nearby there was also a small white buoy. We are not sure what these could be but our best guess is that they were marking some kind of a net. Dolphins were jumping nearby perhaps warning us to steer clear.

Our newly installed "boat horn" (installed in colon) has been a great moral booster lately. It is a small electric horn mounted under our radar dome which has a push button switch near the wheel. We love honking the horn gleefully for passing boats at anchor but also like to honk just for the fun of it. Most recently, honking the horn has been used to great and hilarious effect to interrupt people before they can speak. For example, Alan says, "Hey Trevor, what is that over there?". Trevor turns and says, "I don.....HONK! HONK!" See? Hilarious!

Last night we all sat down to enjoy MOVIE NIGHT during which we watched Austin Powers. Shortly after, the night watchers hit their bunks and the boat was quiet till morning.

It is now almost 1pm onboard. Trevor is resting. Adam is on watch and Will is trying his best to photograph some birds which have made their way out to sea with us. This just in! A turtle was spotted off the port side. It was swimming next to a big log about 6 feet long. Maybe it is a "LOG"-gerhead turtle. Hey Trevor, put that in the "LOG" book. Haha. All is well with the crew.

***The Boat***
This morning we noticed a small amount of wear on the leech of our #1 headsail no doubt caused by rubbing on the mast. The loose threads appear superficial and we are keeping an eye on it. Repairs are now scheduled for this sail to keep the wear from getting any worse.

Our wind generator is whirring now but we are still very power conscious and have turned off electronics save for the GPS during the day to give the solar panels and wind generator maximum effect to recharge the batteries. Currently our battery monitor says that we are at 79%. With the wind predicted to die off soon, the engine may soon become "the great recharger" allowing us to power whatever we like but until then we must try not to take more than we can make. Other than some pots and pans finding a home on the floor of the cockpit last night, all else is well with our beloved home.

***Communication***
This morning we successfully "checked-in" with both the 'Panama Connection' and the 'Pan-Pacific' ham radio "nets". These nets meet every morning to keep track of vessels underway and to give vessels underway an opportunity to communicate with one another. We reported our destination, position, weather conditions, speed, and heading so that others may plan their own crossing and or keep track of us. We also made a friend this morning who is also underway to the Galapagos just ahead of us. See the Science of Sailing Post "A friendly race to the Galapagos".

***Weather***
We are glad to report that we are still enjoying a north wind which is pushing us south at a healthy average of around 7 knots. Unfortunately, the forecast calls for the wind to die at any time today. Last night we observed some heat lightening way off to our west but the sky above was clear and the moon shone brightly. This morning we have a mostly clear sky and bright sun.

Position:
4 deg 57' North
81 deg 13' West

Over and Out
Alan and Crew

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