Sailing4Him.org

As sailors, we have heard over and over about that fabulous feeling of sailing in the �"trades.�" �"Trades�" means the steady winds that blow around the ocean �- in our case the NE trade winds that blow us westward across the Pacific Ocean. I have heard stories of sailors being able to set their course at 270 degrees, set the sails for a broad reach and not change the heading or sails for the 2,500+ miles it takes to get to Hawaii. Well, I think that story is a little like a fisherman�'s big fish story �- with each re-telling of the story, the Big Fish gets a little bit bigger. Perhaps in the retelling of the sailor�'s trade winds story, the dozen or so course and sail changes that were done are forgotten because the pleasure of sailing in the trades is so awesome it overpowers the reality of sail changing. Plus it makes for a better and more dramatic story.

Yesterday we awoke from a night of totally becalmed seas to a NNE breeze that steadily built to about 12-15 knots. Proof that we got into the trades? We were able to rig our Asymmetrical Spinnaker, a light-air sail made of parachute material that can only be used in these perfect not-too-strong winds that are on the back quarter of the boat. The boat is literally lifted up out of the water (at least it feels that way) as this more billowy sail catches the wind and pulls us forward. The flip-flopping of boom and sails over the past few days has become a distant memory. We were able to sail this way for five hours with only a few minor adjustments. The colorful sail and smooth fast sailing result in happy people and a happy boat!

If you would like to ask us a question or send us some love, just send a text-only email to us. We will get your message while at sea using our satellite phone email system. I�'ll write a blog soon about how it works. Just remember to keep the text short and remove any logos or extra characters that might be in your automatic signature.