Well, it had to happen, according to the predictions, and it sure did. In the middle of the morning, the high swept in quietly and absorbed us. We're motoring again, this time headed a bit farther to the north. This is both strategically useful and tactically wise. The strategy has to do with getting a better run on the expected strong northerlies along the coast. The tactics are to do with the next system coming our way. There's another low coming across tonight or tomorrow, and the farther to the north we get, the better westerlies it will bring to us. This looks like a pretty fast-moving one, so we want to use the westerlies as well as we can in the time we are given. In practice, we have split the made-good exactly between getting north and getting to our destination, to pick the direction that our diesel breeze will carry us.

The fishing line is out again, after a bit of a break. We'd had a run of mahi mahi in 6 meals out of eight, so we fixed a big ol' corned beef for a couple of meals. That took care of it, and we're all ready for fish again.

The alert among you looking at the Google map would be able to work out a milestone we just crossed this morning: we lost a digit. No, no one got a finger caught. We're within a thousand miles of the Golden Gate! On the odds, this puts us about 8 days out, but as always, this number isn't to be taken to the bank. The odds, after all, come from other passages. Anyone want to start a betting pool? Jeff? We won't be able to moderate, though. That is probably good, since we then won't be tempted to swing the outcome. The obvious time-point to bet on would be the moment we pass under the Golden Gate Bridge. Now, the crafty bettor would want to note which direction we are coming in from. If we're coming in from the northwest, we plan, for sentimental and touristic reasons, to drop hook in Drake's Bay for one night, and then come down the next day. If we are coming in from the south or west, we will probably sail straight in. So, since the pool should close well before we get there, you are betting on whether we've gotten enough northing in yet or not. We don't know this either...