Day 8. Our current position at 1800 local is 03 29s.7, 171 35.3E. I just checked today, and we are now over half way to Majuro. The wind has been very light, we have passed through the pretty rough neighbor hood of squalls. Actually, the Convergence Zone is a moving thing, so there is no guarantee that we will not see more. (In fact, looking behind us, not too distant are some big dark ugly shapes that mean only one thing. But they are behind, and not a threat.)

Reflecting on this passage, both Elisabeth and I agree that it is one of our most rewarding long passages. Yes, the squalls were an issue to be dealt with. But we learned from them. We had never seen such powerful ones, and didn't know how we would do once we actually had to face them. We cherish our learning experiences and the ensueing confidence that they build. The calm was a beauty that we had never seen. Yes, we had been without wind, but the sea was still pretty lumpy with waves and swell. Last night with the stars reflecting the swimming pool like sea was stunning. The calm was indeed frustrating. We are used to the wind always being there, more or less. Had to learn a little patience with that one.

And now, here we are. This morning, the wind gently filled from the east. Since we are headed northeast, we had the wind ahead of our beam, but not hard on the nose. Our boat was built for "on the wind" sailing, and she is a true performer to windward. So, here we spent the day close hauled in light air. One of the most beautiful sailing days I can recall.

Our plan is leaning toward stopping at Tarawa, Kirabati. t is right up ahead, we haven't been there, and our friend Philip, up ahead of us is going to stop. Says he wants to buy a bottle of champagne for our wedding anniversary. Hard to say no to, eh? Elisabeth and I were married in Honolulu, so an anniversary in Tarawa seems appropriate. Plus, we can refuel, just in case it goes calm on the way to Majuro. Sorry I'm not feeling more creative tonight.

Oh, hey, the equator is coming up in a couple of days. That will be worth a comment or two. Before we left San Francisco back in 2009, we had read many accounts of the little equator parties and celebrations that people do when they cross the equator. We were set for ours when we sailed from Puerto Vallarts, Mexico to Hiva Oa, Marquesas. With Elisabeth being German, some JaegerMeister and chocolate seemed a fine idea. No silly costumes, just a nice respectful toast to Neptune. Well, these stories we had read always happened in the afternoon, so that's what we expected. When we crossed, it was 0100 am, we were tired, had squalls about (Convergence Zone, remember?). So, we had a quick, "Thank you Mr. Neptune", "Love you honey", "Love you too, now go back to bed, your watch starts in an hour". We will see what this crossing brings. See you then.

Your Friends, Rod and Elisabeth "Your Rock and Roll Argonauts"

By the way, if you are reading this, you are a treasured guest and we are honored to have you aboard. Thanks for being here. And if there is anything you might like to say or ask, either to Elisabeth or to Rod, we will happily answer as best as we can. Our email is listed on this blog page, and we can respond to blog comments once we reach a port with internet.