Slower now. For six days, over six hundred miles, we have been riding a SW-SSW steady wind, logging six miles every hour - that's 500 feet a minute, night and day. Seen a few ships, at night, but far off.

Now, we are in the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) which is forecast to be about 240 nautical miles wide, north to south. After we cross this northwise, we can turn left, and head mostly west with a bit of north. Keeping 500 miles offshore, to avoid nasty winds from the gulf of Tehuantepec, we plan after reaching 100 degrees west longitude to then head north to Acapulco, The whole waddle will track around one thousand seven hundred miles., and probably take three weeks. We have done nearly a week now.

Yesterday we celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary in the cockpit, sharing a bottle of Ecuadorian beer. Christmas will be at sea too.

A happy Christmas to all our friends and family - beautiful ones!!

Joe and Adrienne