Picture: Ted is checking the spinnaker pole to see if all the mechanisms are working properly. Lower right hand picture shows him attaching the spinnaker pole to the mast while I am in the cockpit controlling the spinnaker halyard to raise and lower the pole.

Day 12 position at noon: 48 07.56'N; 161 05.55'E. Noon to noon miles: 106. Miles since Mexico: 22,320. Weather: Sunny :) and warmer. Morning: Wind - Northwest 8-9 knots boat speed: 4.5-5.0 knots. Afternoon: Wind -Northwest, 5-7 knots. Boat Speed: 5.3 (motor-sailing).

Breakfast: Oatmeal, cashew, dried fruit, cinnamon, milk power, butter, brown sugar and fresh grated apple. Lunch: Udon with chicken breast, spaghetti sauce, cheese, green soybean and pre-cooked chicken breast, salad with cabbage, cucumber and tomato with basil and cheese dressing. Dinner: Brown rice mixed with tofu, cabbage and seaweed. Dessert: Chocolate cookies (one per person). Drink: Coffee, hot, warm and cold water, wheatgrass-lemon-honey water, hot coconut milk with vanilla and honey. Snack: Peanut butter and whole wheat crackers.

The sun is out! I saw it through the hatches; I quickly went up to greet it and at the same time scan the horizon. To my surprise, I spotted a sailboat behind us! Immediately I grabbed the binoculars and confirmed what I saw. I usually monitor the "AIS" closely and the radar was not turned on last night because we had a low battery. I did not see the sailboat on the "AIS" although it did show some other ships. The "AIS" shows the type, size, speed and destination of the vessel. More importantly it shows how close the vessel will be to us when it passes and the time it will pass. It is a "must have" instrument when cruising, especially on a busy route like this (the "great circle route") where there are many cargo ships travelling between Asia and America. Anyway, a sailboat out here in the middle of the ocean was unexpected. I called them on the VHF radio and it turned out that her name is S/V "Lady Jane" and she is from California too. The captain is American with three crew members on board, an Englishman, a Canadian and a Russian girl. He said that they did not have their "AIS" on but his radar was on. It was interesting to have a conversation with a total stranger in the middle of the ocean, a thousand mile from land.

We were still riding high on the great sail we had last night but then the wind changed and decreased. We spent an hour and half putting out the spinnaker pole to stop the genoa flogging violently for lack of wind. Our spinnaker pole is an old fashioned, heavy and awkward pole which we bought secondhand in Lapaz, Mexico, the day we left for the South Pacific. It worked beautifully crossing the South Pacific because of the continuous trade winds from behind. We thought this morning maybe the wind will swing around to west so we could use it to hold the genoa out. To our disappointment, the wind did not swing around; instead, it swung back to the northeast and dropped in speed. We had to turn the motor on again. According to the "grib file" we will continue with this wind pattern for at least nine days. The good news is no bad storms but we have to contend with sporadic wind directions and speed. Back to square one, pray for more favorable wind to take us home.