[password] Ridingmore
[position] 07 08.00N 80 03.00W
[weather]4-7 knots W
[speed]3-6 knots
[status] 100 miles down, 3700 to go! Apart from the light wind, we've had an awesome first day, with breaching whales, a large school of dolphins hanging out beside the boat doing acrobatics and surfing the bow for an hour, and a good sized trevali landed that will provide the protein for the next few days - and that was only in the first two hours! The wind has been light, between 4 and 7 knots but from useful angles, allowing us to get west as much as possible, which will give us a better sailing angle for the predominant sou-westers that we are expecting to arrive over the next day or so.
Last night with the sunset, the wind dropped to zero, so we slow-motored through the mirror-like waters of the Panamanian Basin, with the vibrant glow of phosphorescence lighting the way. The breeze came back up to 4-7 knots this morning, so we are back to sailing at 4-7 knots, with some helpful current. Off on the horizon to starboard is the headland of Punto Mala, which we will likely lose sight of before the end of the day - our last views of Panama, and likely land of any form for the next month.
The hundred remaining mangos are ripening fast, so the standing orders are to consume at least 10 per person per day - not too much of a hardship at the moment but after a few days the novelty may wear thin!
Happy trails everyone!
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