The picture on the computer's desktop is of a beautiful blue/turquoise lagoon, a sailing boat at anchor, a palm-thickened little island - and beyond, the thin white line of the surf on the reef, and the big blue Pacific. (I took the photo at Bora Bora, while I was at the top of the mast.) The photo is a faint trace of what was, for we are now out on that pictured ocean.

The bow wave is a soft roar, as surf from a distance. It is night, second watch. I am in the cockpit with the computer as the Bluebotttle slides along, rolling as she goes, heading downwind in the moonlight, heading for Tonga, 1,350 miles away. We left Bora Bora today, coming out of the pass at 3 in the afternoon, a day or two later than planned, because of repair to the headsail, to the leaky dinghy, and to the engine controls, plus a lot of other jobs like getting water and fuel, moving fuel into the tanks. Doing the washing. What does it matter, a day? When you will be out on the wave tossed seaways for 10 to 14 days?

The boat makes spills of white foam and then slips quickly through them. We are making 5.5 to 6 knots, breeze on the quarter at 15 to 18 knots, heading WSW. Lots of old friends we've made along the way came to say "bye for now, see you down the track somewhere!" - for none of us can bear to think this is the last meeting. But some of us will go no farther west, some heading for Hawaai, or Kiribati.

Kelita came for a uke lesson this morning. She and Rob, of Freedom, are among many dear friends, some of whom are ahead of us, like Claudia and Brian, of Skylight, Kim and Pierre and the boys, of Victoria. Sailing in company with us - a few hours ahead - is 2 Imagine, with Tony and Alex, both Aussies; they have helped us a lot in the last few days.

You will be able to keep track of us, if you want, on the blog and also on The Pacific Seafarers Net online at PacSea.org. I check in there every night.

Headed for Australia (and Tassie) now!