24 June 2015, 03:55 a.m. 14 deg 29.5 S, 178 deg 14.93 W

Vakacegubreathing, resting, peace.

Dear friends and family, Just when I thought I would surely scream and was already silently shrieking inside because my skin hurt and my teeth hurt and my hair hurt and the tiny hair cells inside my cochlea which transmit the frequency of the engine to my auditory nerve and thence to my brain were completely frazzled, just at that moment, the breeze came up from the west. We are traveling north so this westerly breeze crosses our port beam which is perfectly delightful. And the seas smoothed down to almost glass. And the stars came out to play! And the few scattered lights of Futuna are twinkling on the horizon. And although it is certainly not yet twilight, dawn already suggests itself to the underside of the clouds. You must understand we are sailors and we love the wind. When that wind deserts us it is as though the sun went out or all the petals fell from a lovely blossom. But now she is back and carrying us silently and peacefully on toward our goal which will surely be within our reach by first light. The lines creak. The sea bubbles past. The sails swish gently. The engine rests and so do I. What a delicious moment. Always, Pat