Position: 28 degrees, 15 minutes south; 161 degrees, 58 minutes west

I decided it was time that you heard from me since Bob has been doing such a great job of regaling you with all of the boat talk. Good stuff if you are a sailor, maybe a little too much if you are just following the journey. So I speak.

I was very worried about this passage. Bob knows I like to keep track of the passages by numbers so he made me agree to start with a 30-day passage so I wouldn’t get disappointed when it took longer than I hoped. I did the numbers and based on mileage, 30 days was overkill but I agreed. 30 it is.

The boisterous start to the trip did not bother me. I convinced myself that this could be endured. I knew my muscles would finally adjust, the sleep schedule would set in and I could do it. Then we hit day 5 and 6 (I think) where we were hove to in 35 knot howling winds. Closed up inside of Charisma felt safe but it made me a little seasick. Yuk. I was very pleased when we finally were underway again.

These last few days skirting across the top of the southern lows has been amazing. The huge gentle giant waves building behind us and sweeping under and in front of us are a sight to behold. Such majesty. Gentle enough to allow me to make some yogurt, cook up some bacon and make some delightful meals. Passage meals can get boring so it is great to be able to spice it up. Made the greatest smashed avocado, egg, cheese and bacon sandwich on Sockdolager muffins yesterday. I love being able to get something done. Oh, and I love reading . I have finished four books this trip and am halfway through a fifth.

We decided not to change our clocks with the time zones to keep things simple. What has happened as a result is that while we are thinking it is 5pm it is really about 8pm. As a result I sometimes miss the sunsets. On “our” clocks it is happening at 4pm, the end of my nap. I always miss the sunrise because that is Bob’s watch. I take the early evening watch from 8 or 9pm to 2 or 3am. I get the moon. The moon is straight up in the sky long before my watch starts and it keeps me company all night. Last night it set at 1am. I loved the Cheshire smile as the new moon rose. I love the golden glow as it fills and grows each night. It keeps me from feeling lonely on watch and is a fabulous flashlight. It should be full just before we get there. Last night as we had our Charismas at 5:30 “our” time, the moon was creating shadows with the mast and the sail. We turned off all of the interior lights and sat on our back porch watching the gentle giants build in the moon light and slide softly under us. The Southern Cross shines behind us and reminds us that we will miss it soon. We know we are experiencing something very unique and special. We are making mental photos and memories. No other way to catch all of this.

I am writing this today because I know in another day or two we will turn towards Tubuai as the headwinds hit. I won’t be loving it. I will try to pull on these memories of the past few days to comfort me north. Almost there…but I am not counting. Thirty is still a long way off.