Talked with Don Anderson, who has been sailing the Baha/west coast of Mexico for 40 years, and has for ten years been giving weather forecasts on the Amigo net (where I was privileged to be a net controller once a week while in Mexico) - and he said if it was him he would use fuel to get to the winds which lie west of 115 deg W, while there is NO wind from the Mexican coast out to there, 500 miles. The whole point being - while saving 100 - 200 miles range in your fuel tanks for crossing the ITCZ and for landfall/emergencies you use the fuel to get to the reliable winds, such as the northeast and the southeast trades. We started with more than 200 gallons of diesel fuel, which at 4 to 5 knots, gives us a range of around 1,200 nautical miles.

So taking this advice we started the engine after the morning radio nets, set a course by autopilot SSW and motored on across calm, sometimes glassy calm seas, no wind, no wind.

Now under power all day and all night. By midnight we are about 200 nautical miles out from Nuevo Vallarta, point of departure from Mexico.

All is well on board. Ran the watermaker again today and the tanks are FULL! Even took a hot shower. Superb sunset ...