Sand Dollar departed Tonga at 6:50 AM today along with at least seven other boats bound for various ports in Fiji. The rain has stopped and we finally saw some sunshine. The sailing has be brisk with 20 knots of wind almost dead astern. We have two reefs in the mainsail and a poled-out genoa to give about 6.2 kts. of boat speed. There is some rolling but the motion is comfortable.

The new crew, Laure, is working out well so far. She is eager to learn, enjoys working the boat and does not get seasick. We are doing three hours on and three hours off which is quite a luxury for me. I won't know what to do with all the spare time.

All else is well onboard although it is taking me awhile to get used to the cool evenings.