Well one day seems to be merging into the next. We're in that place where we are not quite close enough to do a countdown but it feels like a long time since departing from Hawaii. The mood on board remains buoyant and fortunately that goes for Phambili too. We're sailing the SW winds caused by a deep low North of us and the High to the South and enjoying the ride from the following seas. That chill arctic air being scooped down anticyclonicly from the low pressure cell to the North is causing us to think of sweat pants, sweaters and, heaven forbid, socks. We're not quite at the toque stage yet. My monoi tahiti oils of tiare, vanilla and coconut have solidified... a sure sign that we have left the tropics behind.

So what is life going to be like when we don't have to check the good ship Phambili's status every 15 minutes; making sure that there are no ships ( we had three in the last 24 hours, two of which passed within a mile), monitoring the trim of the sails, making sure that our trusty autopilot, Merriman, is managing to keep us on course, watching the weather closely and checking into the radio nets. The radio nets add a framework for the day along with our running competition for guessing our daily mileage. Besides our formal check in to the Pacific Seafarers net in the evening we have also been chatting to 3 other boats also headed back to the Pacific North West. Lightheart is headed to Oregon and Loon 3 and Demelza are headed to our neck of the woods, Saltspring island and Canoe Cove respectively. Not sure if I mentioned this before, but what is remarkably coincidental, is that 17 years ago when we were on Dumela, our previous boat, we met Hugh and Christine on Demelza in the South Pacific. They went on to circumnavigate via the Cape of Good Hope and have written a book chronicling their adventures. David who now owns Demelza, continues her legacy. Loon 3 with Iain and Aly on board left 8 days before us from Hilo and arrived in Victoria today. They have been cruising for the last 7 years sailing to Central and South America and on to NZ and are returning to their home on Saltspring Island.

I've just had that jelly leg experience of getting up to check out there in the blackness and being shocked by a bright light on the horizon, only to realize it is the moon rising. That lunar trick catches me every time!