Shortly after midnight this morning I crossed the equator for the first time by boat and was elevated from the lowly status of "pollywog" to that of "shellback" but not without some small ceremony and tribute to King Neptune. Custom has it that one must offer him a wee dram of the most expensive libation onboard. Some contend that it can be filtered through the kidneys but I took no chances and threw my offering of Grand Marnier into the deep blue. Then I opened a bottle of cheap Mexican champagne and toasted Neptune and my good fortune.

The wind has been on and off. Yesterday I could only manage 5 hours under sail. Today I am hoping to better that and am off to a good start. My noon-to-noon distance for today is 116 mi. for an average speed of 4.8 kts. At present the wind is fair and the sea is calm making for very comfortable sailing. All else onboard is well.