We have just completed our first 24 hours and have logged 110 nm - not too bad considering we had a slow start in very light winds. A number of friends stopped by the boat in the morning to wish us well, which we really appreciated. We departed Marina La Cruz at 11:45am, once the wind started blowing in Banderas Bay. As we left the dock, I couldn't resist playing "Passagemaking Holler" by Eileen Quinn on the stereo to get us in the mood. Once out of the harbour sails were set, the DuoGen (our water/wind generator) was dropped into the water and we slowly made our way out of Banderas Bay against light westerlies. After a slow start out of Banderas Bay at 2-3kts, we are finally making good speed sailing 6-7 kt in 15-17kt NW winds. Many of you may be interested to know what we do on passage, so here goes. The first day is usually the worst as you struggle to get your equilibrium and get used to all the systems on the boat again. Six dolphins came by to see us off as we n eared the Tres Marietas Islands. There was a fair amount of sail tweaking through the afternoon, as we tried to make the most speed in light winds. I made sandwiches fora late lunch - not an easy task as the fridge is chock-a-block full at the moment, and one has to empty half of the contents to get out what you want and then the same thing again to put food away! A smart person gets out the makings and puts them away in one trip, unless you forget one important ingredient (a common problem) and have to repeat the process all over again - this while bouncing around in a soupy sea - not good for first day out nausea. Fortunately, my Meclizine was working pretty well. After lunch, we decided on watches; and as I was sleepy, I chose to take a 2 hr nap so I could do the first watch. Ted and I usually do 6 hr watches, which allows the off-watch person to have a reasonable amount of sleep. This seems to work well for us and both of us stay rested. The important thing is to stay flexible, so if one person needs more sleep, or is up dealing with boat issues, the other person picks up the slack. In the late afternoon, we suddenly picked up a transmission our friends on Katie G (Chuck and Karen) on the VHF - this was remarkable, as they are in Mazatlan and we are more than 200 miles south of them! Then we received a call from Gypsy Dream (Hugh and Graciela), also in Mazatlan. They were both clear as a bell and it was so great to have a last chat with them both. Our usual 'first night out' meal is macaroni and cheese with tuna, but as I had no room left in the fridge for a pre-made meal; I cooked from scratch. We had Italian mushroom risotto with fresh green beans and red snapper fillets, as I had been to the market on Sunday and these needed to be eaten - delicious! Appetites decrease on a voyage and what would have normally been a reasonable meal for the two of us, was twice what we wanted - so I now have supper for the second night (great - saves me cooking!). By the time I had finished my nap and then cooked supper, I was starting to feel poorly, so I took a second Meclizine and started my watch early at 1900 hrs. Ted did the dishes and at 2000 hr we turned on the Single Side-Band (SSB) for the Pacific Puddle Jump (PPJ) Net (0200 UTC on Channel 8B for those listeners out there). It is great to hear all the boats checking in and finding out where they are and how they are doing. Last night we heard from 21 boats, spread from Baja, Puerto Vallarta, Panama to south of the Equator. We are still training our ears to make some sense out of the garbled transmissions, as we are newbies to the SSB. Ted finally got to bed at 2100 and I turned my iPod on for my date with Michel Thomas. He has been my constant companion coming south - teaching me Spanish; and now my ears and brain are switching over to French in preparation for Freanch Polynesia. Last night I managed 2 disks (16 lessons) and was pleasantly surprised at how well my High School French has stayed with me over 40 years! For anyone wanting to learn a foreign language, Michel Thomas is the best I have ever found - it is logical, useful, easy and interesting. Even Ted, who does not learn languages easily, has done quite well with his Spanish and now French. The wind picked up through the night and I adjusted sails accordingly to keep us going on a SW course to pass north of the Sacorro Islands, where we will hopefully pick-up the northern Trade winds. As the wind veered from N to NW, we had to go more southerly to keep boat speed up. I saw one large ship pass by heading north, but it was a pretty uneventful night. Ted got up to relieve me at 0200 and I sent him back to bed until 0330 - so I had an 8 1/2 hour watch, but between Michel Thomas and listening to music, it passed quickly. We log our position, course and speed over ground (COG and SOG), wind speed/direction and mileage hourly and that, along with periodically checking radar keeps us active throughout the watch. Every evening we make up a big Thermos of hot water, so it is easy to get a hot drink and a snack as needed. By morning, our stomachs had settled and the boat was plowing along at 6-7+ Kts, seas are 2-5 ft and the sun is shining with occasional light clouds. Ted made us a granola and yogurt breakfast, as I took over watch at 0930 and he went to sleep for a few hours. Noon position was plotted on the chart, our Delorme In-Reach position sent out to our Sailblogs site and family and we continue our passage SW - ship and crew all happy!