We have now been at sea for 8 days, with our boat being our shelter, our engine, our source of comfort, our sport, our "amusement park" ( especially when the front came when everything rocked, shook, slid, and thumped for hours), and the thing to fix and take care of. It is interesting how quickly we adapted to being on the boat and find its confining space rather vast. We find the endless ocean around us tranquilizing. I find that the ocean expands our space so much so that the boat does not feel small at all. Even though there is not ongoing activity to watch, just watching the waves, the intensely blue water, the sky with its beautiful clouds, the sun rises and sunsets, the smell of the air and its soft feel on the skin feels one's mind and soul. The feeling is peaceful and fulfilling.

In the late afternoon the winds did pick up to over 12 knots and we started to sail. They kept increasing into the night, to 15-20 knots. We sailed 150 miles from 9AM on Sunday to 9AM this morning which is an average of 6.25 knots per hour. At this rate we estimate getting to Tortola mid day on Wednesday.

It is now 8:30PM and the winds are expected to stay in 18-22 range giving us speeds of 7-8.2 knots. The boat's chart plotter estimates arrival at midnight tomorrow night. However, winds are expected to slow down to 10-15 as we get close to Tortola's latitude of 18 N. We do plan to motor if necessary to keep at least 6 knots/hr so that we get in no later than Wednesday at noon. This will give us time to clean up and attend the second party. The awards' ceremony is planned for Thursday evening - we certainly expect to be there. Also on Saturday at Virgin Gorda Yacht club will be throwing a party for us. We plan to go there as well.