The winds are still blowing hard most of the time - so much so that it has been days since we shook the last reef out of the main. The Monitor wind vane (Monty) is great, though it doesn't "like" dead downwind too much. We've got a good mostly downwind sail combination that is proving easy to balance, and thus easy for the Monitor to drive. The combo is one reef in the main sail, the storm staysail, and varying degrees of our jib - which is on a roller furler. This sail selection is heavy on the front of the boat, and so works good in the whole downwind thing.
We had a dead flying fish on deck yesterday, and two boobies hitched a ride on the bow all night. Last night a little bird, some sort of petrel (like a smaller version of a Wilson's Storm Petrel)landed in the cockpit and this little guy has been camped out all day. He must be pretty tired.
Been running through rain squalls the last 24 hours, and look forward to increasing instability the closer we get to the equator. Two days ago we were at North 16 degrees, and now we are at North 13 degrees.
Hope everything is well with friends and family. We are fine. Had a nice spaghetti dinner with Romaine Lettuce for salad. Making apple crisp in the pressure cooker for desert. Tomorrow making French bread.
Owen, Carrie, Griffyn and Tamsyn
S/V Madrona
N 13 49.366
W 120 55.568
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