Time: 12:50 your time Thur 4/16/2015
Position: 4d28 N; 82d 571W
Hiva Oa is 3434nm away Galapagos 520nm in SW
STW: 4.3k SOG: 4.9k COG:250k 24hr run (6am to 6 am): about 80nm but a lot of N and other random directions!
Extremely humid/rain, overcast but some wind!

Quite a busy second watch last night. After a day and first half of the night very slow going (typically a couple knots) we went through a large system of thunderstorms/squalls. Fortunately the wind stayed below 22 kts so I would just roll the jib and depower the main rather than take/shake reefs. But I didn't sleep a wink during the watch keeping an eye on the thunderstorms tracks on the radar adjust course with constant wind shifts in direction and force. Our track on the chart looks like we not at all interested in going t the Marquesas! Coming out of the system around 5 am the wind got slowly better and by 8 am we were flying the spinnaker; which of course didn't last long since now (11:30am) we back down to the reacher.... The forecast seems to be somewhat better than the previous days in its accuracy (although it does have the current wind direction off but only by 90 or so degrees rater than 180- but I ain't complaining since the error is in our favor so far. It is still very muggy; a rain squall just went over us and another one has started. We haven't seen the sun today which is good because when we see it gets really hot as well and our skins need the break: when it sunny you have the choice of putting a tee shirt on and sweating like a pig, or not and roasting, also like a pig I guess.
This morning is actually quite enjoyable with the overcast skies and the occasional rain shower.
I'm reading that mystery about that Aleut detective on the North slope in Alaska and I must say that I have a hard time relating to the description of blizzards and other really cold weather phenomena. The book has turned out to be quite good though.
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The holocaust memorial show sounds great. Where are you going to be? I hope the sound system is good.
What's happening with the book sale? I'd forgotten to tell you but Obama was in Panama when we were and saw the canal the day before we transited. Our neighbor friends from Shelter Bay Marina who transited a day earlier got stuck in a lock for 4 hours because of it!
The norvegian dude we transited with gave me a pick for the guitar. Nat is working like hell on "it ain't me babe" on the guitar but is not quite there yet...
I want to start reading my math asap again but the maneuver and the heat stand in the way of doing some thinking.
Canned chili but with beans AND meat last night for dinner. Our panama tomatoes are holding up well. Tomato salad for lunch. I covered our panama eggs with vaseline to make them last longer....we'll see.

Get the tickets whenever you want but the costs might go up. Maybe do the search in Kayak and watch how the price evolve. (yes Nat 7/15 and me 7/31 or so)
I will have to reserve my spot at Raiatea soon I think.
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