Sailing across the Bay of Bengal, SEA CHILD is averaging 8 knots boat speed and is expected to land in Port Blair, Andaman Islands, India in just a little over 18 hours from now. The passage has seen incredible sailing, after an initial 11 hours of motoring to clear the Similan Islands of Thailand. We encountered 3 large merchant ships throughout the night, and witnessed an incredible light in the sky after sunset, above the horizon. While studying the bright white cloud above what appeared to be a yellow mass of contrails, we came to the conclusion that perhaps a rocket of some type had been fired from (maybe) India, and we were witnessing the booster rockets re-entering the atmosphere? Or perhaps it was a UFO? In any case, as we sailed on, the gaseous clouds evaporated about an hour after sunset, the bright white contrail cloud the last is dissolve.

We have enjoyed wonderful meals, balmy nights and good watches. Our 3 hours on, 6 hours off works well for us, giving each of us a steady 6 hours of sleep or rest. The Bay of Bengal has some radical currents, where areas of water move at incredible speeds and other areas appear to be calm and flat. The waters here are deep, our charts show our current location at around 1,000' deep. As we approach Port Blair, Andaman Islands, India, we will keep watch for a reef about 50 NM due west of Port Blair, and directly across our path. We expect to bear away around midnight tonight, and once passed, we will have almost arrived. All is good on board.