ARRGGGGG!!!! Our plotter did actually quit working. It's been showing signs of failure so we have been looking at our options. Now we will have to actually make a decision on our e-charting system. We have been putting off making a decision because it will cost thousands. Mostly, I am really disgusted with how the companies continue to change their formats leaving us high and dry with either a plotter that works, but the charts have been discontinued, or the plotter breaks and all those expensive charts are incompatible with new units. It's a great marketing strategy forcing us to buy the same thing over and over again.....basic consumerism strategy. Like toilet paper...use it once and toss it away. At least toilet paper always works and doesn't require a bank loan to replace! Enough of my ranting. I can tell I am writing this at close to midnight! We are well equiped with a nice back-up plan so don't fret. We have a PC based charting program called Open CPN (two laptops to choose from) interfaced with the choice of two GPS hand-helds. We do have paper charts and if our life really gets interesting, we have a sextant and celestial calculator. I hope we never have to rely on that because I am so spoiled getting information at a moment's notice, not to mention the level of accuracy. The weather has improved for our sailing. We are now finally moving under sail. We spent most of today with the sails finally filling, but at 5 knots of wind, we were coasting along in the 2 knot range. Now the wind has increased (as promised even!!!) to about 10 knots out of the NE. The direction is a nice bonus that we will take advantage of. We are moving in the 4-5 knot range.....in the direction we want to go! We feel so lucky that we have been able to get in most of the easting we've been needing. We have a bit more to go before we slip off the wind. I would like to make the dateline before we leave this great window of opportunity. Hopefully tomorrow will be another lovely day with fluffy trade wind clouds and smooth sailing.