THIS BLOG DID NOT POST ON JULY 6. HERE IT IS

Conditions: Wind/weather - 8-10 knts E, a few white clouds. 85 dgr F., (92 on the boat) Sea state - comfortable rolling motion, east swell 8ft at 14 sec Boat speed/course 4.8knts under jib, staysail and full main. Course 217

Not much going on onboard today; just reading, napping and looking at the sea. We are fishing but have so far not had any luck. A tuna steak for dinner would be great.

Our 'tradewind' sailing days are almost over...we are getting to the southern edge of the SE trades and will soon have to sail in 'regular' winds based on low and high pressure systems. Today the trades are much lighter, but they are still blowing, and should continue for another 24 hours. Then we will have light and variable winds for the last 100nm or so.

THINGS WE LIKE: We may have mentioned this on the blog earlier, but having a child car seat strapped into the cockpit is great. Obviously, it gives Malou a place to securely sit in the cockpit, but unexpectedly, the reclining angle of the seat makes it great for Angela and I to sit in as well, and we use it all the time. Typically, it is difficult to find a comfortable place to sit in a cockpit for any long periods of time, but the car seat tilts you back and braces you even when the boat is heeling and rolling. Try it. Of course, it is easy for us to explain having a child seat in the cockpit, but you could make something up. Older model seats are not as bulky as the newer ones and can often be found at second-hand children's clothing stores.

That is all for today.

Take care Steen