Sand Dollar weighed anchor at 7 AM this morning along with two other boats bound for the island group of Vava'u in Tonga. The wind has been 18-22 knots just forward of the beam making for fast sailing although somewhat wet at times. At this point of sail the boat does not roll much but pitches up and down as it meets each 8 ft. wave. The comfort level is actually not bad. During the past 10.5 hours Sand Dollar has made 67.8 miles for an average speed of almost 6.5 kts. That's about the best I've ever done. If the wind does not drop too much I will make landfall by tomorrow afternoon.

This afternoon I hooked a four-foot shark but lost it when the line parted as I was bringing it in. More tackle sacrificed to the cause! It would be unusual for a shark to take a lure so I suspect that there may have been something else on the hook that attracted the shark. We will never know.

All else is well onboard.