[password]tompkins
[position]04 23.0n 143 48.2w
[speed]6.0
[heading]345m
[weather] 8kn SE breeze over a smooth sea and gentle rolling swell. We are WICKED FAST in these conditions! Going 6 knots in 8 knots of wind.
[status] Last night, Sunday, 22 November shortly after nightfall, we saw a dark cloud getting closer, and took down our red sail reacher as a precaution. I then went off watch and to bed, until awakened by a 20 knots gust that rocked the boat. I went forward to see if I could help, but hubby sent me back to bed. While I was sleeping, there was a squall, and my 84-year old stud muffin hubby, got the red sail back on deck, raised it, then lowered it when the wind went forward. Next he got the #3 on deck, hoisted it, then lowered it when it got too windy, and finally reefed the main, then unreefed it when the squall had passed. He did this all by himself and the boat was so comfortable that I slept through the whole thing. He is a STUD! Once the squall had passed, conditions got light and smooth.

Finally, around 2 degrees north, the wind quit and we began to motor. At 11:30am, we decided to stop the boat and take a swim. It was magical swimming in the crystal clear sapphire blue seas that had a gentle rise and fall....so special. We resumed motoring and eventually got a steady SE breeze ranging from 5-8 knots over a very smooth sea. We put up the read reacher and have been having one of the best sails ever. So sweet and gentle that we ate dinner on deck in the moonlight. We were visited by a pod of dolphins with several small calves and they entertained us for quite a while. I had never seen dolphins swimming at the bow in the moonlight, what a treat!

It is now about 0500 early Tuesday morning and the almost full moon has set. In the gathering dusk last night, a weary bird made numerous close passes at the boat. At one point, he attempted to land on the still arrayed solar panel. Later he landed inside the life lines on the folded #3. He couldn't get a grip, and took off. In the early morning light, we discovered a roosting bird, head under wing, clinging to the very formost part of the bow pulpit. We have no idea how long he had been there. At this stage, we are beam reaching with our red sail. This means the AWA is about 60. Somehow this character managed to arrest his flight, in close proximity to the lee side of the head sail, and achieve a landing and then a grip on the polished stainless steel pulpit. It did not look very comfortable, but seems to have served his purpose!
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