The wind arrived with a vengeance last night, and the night watches were treated to 25-30 knots of wind, breaking waves, spray, and rain. That said, it was magnificent, running before the wind and waves under reduced sail, and we made a lot of headway to the northeast. Today we have been running all day under just our reefed mainsail and have averaged over 6 knots, pushed by 5-10 foot swells and 20-25 knots of wind. If this continues we should reach Kinsale by late day tomorrow, but the forecast looks for this wind to moderate as we approach the land. We'll just have to wait and see.... There are lots of other signs that we are approaching civilization. Ship traffic is increasingly heavy, and Irish fishing boats are working the waters out here. Earlier today we heard an Irish Coast Guard call to a vessel. He had a wonderful brogue and was answered in French! We have finished most of the fresh food that we bought in the Azores, all of our wine, and all of our books. Definitely time to reach port.