Hand steering in 4 knots of wind, I am dressed for a Christmas green flash. Bedecked in my new Christmas hat, a red polka dotted dress, black long underwear, life vest, a flashing Christmas necklace and reindeer antlers. After caroling in the cockpit at teatime using guitar tabs sent from New Hampshire we shared Karl's a Christmas Eve feast of smoked salmon and other treats. The western sky hits of a continent ahead with new orange and red colors in the sky. We eeking out the last few miles with the wind and I am hope for a green flash. The crisp clear horizon is ideal conditions for a green flash.

What a contrast from the dark start of the day when Karl shared the high resolution map showing rain and gusts and his sense there was a cloud ahead. After putting on all my rain gear I climb the ladder To be greeted by pelting rain and rising wind, Already double reefed and moving at 7-8 knots (fast for us ), we pull in the Genoa to reduce the amount of sail exposed to the wind. Karl heads to bed and I settle I for my two squall watch. The first is a quick blow and I start texting with Justin an Danielle inVermont where Christmas goodies including stollen are being popped in the over and with Beryl Colorado where skiing is happening. We can feel connected even when we are so far away but miss sharing the food and snow. We dream of getting together in Tasmania, the Great Barrier Reef or Africa next Christmas. Now a dark wall ahead interrupts my texting about birds, snow, ice and recipes. Back to work. This heavy rain stays with us for almost 1.5 hours. Most of it I can sit under the dodger knit and watch the cook petrels use their black laced wings to swoop in tight circles over the growing waves. I almost let the jib out again but remember my lesson from the Bora Bora to Tonga leg of waiting till the wind really drops. Even as the rains slows the wind picks up. Mabel is not happy so I hand steer in the 27 knots till the end of my watch. The planned caroling with guitar were postponed.Christmas stollen while tucked into the corners of the settee is as good as kind bars for heavy weather food.

How the ocean can change. In my light clothes I steer west. 300 miles from the coast we can hear Australia rescue radio already. Stockings are hung and the missing presents have been found. The sun flashed green and the wind picked up. A Merry Christmas Eve here on the Tasman Sea.
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