We arrived in St. Maarten Saturday after about 19 hours of motor sailing. We don't really like motor sailing but are grateful Big Red joined our family last summer (our new Beta 50--remember?) because now we don't worry when the engine noise is endless nor suffer anxiety attacks while underway, but a sailboat is for sailing, isn't it? Sometimes we think we might as well trade Skylark for a trawler because what's the difference when the day is done? But those glorious moments when the engine is turned off, the sails are showing off how handsome they are at full mast and the wind is just off our beam...not too much, not too little but just right...you just can't ask for anything more.

I have said in the past that my favorite watch on offshore passages is from 3AM-7AM when the anticipation of a new day begins. I love drinking my hot cup of coffee as the light on the horizon slowly brightens and then within a short time presents me with my very own bit of theater. There may be others watching the same show, but I'm aware of only myself as Luna snores beside me and Ed savors his much needed sleep.

By the way, our sailblogs administrator has been changing the format for posting blogs. We've been told that the photos are going to be uploaded in larger images and I don't understand exactly why nor do I know if it's a permanent or temporary situation. In the meantime, our photos will appear much larger than what we're used to. It's not bad, just different.