We've just completed our first two weeks at sea having covered 1723 nautical miles out of the approximately 3000 to get us to the Marquesas. Our weather router has us going just about due west till we hit a longitude of 130W before we start heading South to the equator. It's about 36 hours before we get to that point. We're currently at 07 22.667N 127 00.636W on a course of 250 T making about 5 to 6 knots depending on what face of the swells we are on. We made 135 nautical miles in the last 24 hours so we are just zipping right along. Still making(on average) 5.1 knots per hour so I can't complain. According to our chart plotter, we have been moving 337 hours 55 minutes since we left La Cruz with probably a good 10 to 12 days left before we get to the islands. Not bad for such a heavy boat with one on it's primary sails not being able to be used. I'm still waiting for the calm seas the weather man promised me so I can get up the mast safely. Each day it gets warmer and we won't even discuss the humidity. Tracy has a nice bit of sunburn since she started wearing sleeveless shirts. A nice bit of burn that will take a while to heal.

To continue my post from yesterday, another important piece of equipment we have on board is our DuoGen. This makes our electricity to keep all of Zephyr's systems up and running. I've commented before on it with not the most glowing reports when used as a wind generator. As a drag behind the boat electric power generator, it's amazing. It's kept all our house batteries full so that we never lack for power to run what we need to run. Now we don't have the expensive systems like many boats but we do have a refrigerator/freezer that requires a bit of power to run as well as our chart plotters and computers that we need. Plus, we need a good bit of power for transmitting on our SSB radio several times a day. Add in running lights as well as other necessities and the DuoGen does the job. Google it to see more about it. Wind, not so good. Drag in the water--very good.

Tracy's two cents: We have been on the same tack for a day and a half and I'm so ready to be on a more gentle one. The waves are from the NE, but the swell is from the North. We ride up and over most, but every couple of minutes we get a side rocking that is most uncomfortable. I haven't gotten any real sleep for over twenty four hours.

The clouds have left us and the sunny blue skies are a beautiful contrast to the dark blue ocean and frothy white tops on some of the waves. It is really wonderful despite the wave action. I was looking out over the water and saw a whale, small one about three wave sets over. He or she just kept on going, then about a half hour later what I thought were dolphins riding the front of a wave came to within 50' of the boat. They weren't dolphins, but pilot whales. Three of the gliding down the faces of the waves, I got a picture, but we'll see what it looks like when it gets uploaded into the computer. I was beginning to think flying fish and squid were the only living things out here.

Flying fish :3 Squid:2, one we have to pick off our mainsail, ugh.