Yesterday,, we were caught in a storm. We were fighting headwinds as high as 35 kts, and rough seas that resembled being in a washing machine. After a few hours of this, we played the old sailor's "Get out of jail free" card - we hove to. We were tired and needed a rest, so we remained hove to for the night.

Today has been another day. Completely and remarkably different. The storm passed by us eventually, the day was beautiful with blue skies and smooth water. Alas, there is no wind, nor is there any wind in the forecasts for at least as far as Sunday, so it seems that we will be hanging out on "Teak beach" for a little vacation in the sun. We do not have the fuel necessary to motor to Tarawa, the nearest location where we could get fuel.

We have the best company - each other, plenty of water and groceries, good books to read, and our musical instruments to play. We are happy, in fact, Elisabeth was playing her concertina out in the cockpit this afternoon. It's kind of like being anchored off a nice beach, but without the beach. We are hoping for some animals to come by, maybe some pilot whales or dolphins. Speaking of dolphins, the other day Elisabeth was on watch and heard sounds. She went out and found that this was the sounds of dolphins "talking" to each other, like Flipper used to do on the tv show. It made her night!

But let's think back to last night. I got an email from Bob, who sent us the latest update on the storm, its movements, and as he signed off, he said "Proximity will take care of you". He was so right, and I want to say thank you to our little boat for being so good to us. In the washing machine, she didn't complain or miss a beat. She was never in question when everything else was. Once hove to, she was a warm dry cradle protecting us from the elements. You have to have a good boat to do this kind of life, and Proximity is one of the very best. She is a Swan, built in Finland, designed by Sparkman and Stephens, the most successful America's Cup yacht designers of the 20th century. The name is legendary in sailing for strength, quality, seaworthiness, beauty, speed. And, she is our home on the water. Thank you Proximity. You're the best.

As always our position is shown of the right side of the page - just click on the map.

We will continue to keep you posted.

Rod and Elisabeth, "Your Rock and Roll Argonauts"