Warm and Humid

So we are plugging away - moving south and west - toward a magical point where we will cross the Inter-tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). This zone is girdles the earth near the equator, and is what most folks know as the doldrums. We've already had some days without much wind, it's frustrating knowing you have a long ways to go, and he wind is only blowing 6 knots - occasionally, and from the same direction for or than 10 minutes at a time. When we cross the ITCz we wil do so traveling straight southward t minimize our transit time.

All of us are feeling the increasing warmth. Night watches are no longer affairs where all the foul weather gear goes on. Instead we wear shorts and a T-shirt. Squalls and small thunderstorms are cropping up every day too; another sigh we are nearing the ITCZ.

All of us are well, dealing with sweat and grime as well as possible. It would be nice to have our main sail up fully at night, but being a mom & pop crew - and constantly needing to balance fatigue with the speedy progress that comes with frequent sail changes, we sometimes have to opt for rest and a little slower progress.

School is in session a few hours a day, with reading, math, and writing taking up a day each, rather than a portion of one school day. Carrie is lamenting the fact that she didn't get a hair cut before leaving Mexico. All of us enjoyed a true spectacle today. 1000's of flying fish would burst out of the water like silver darts - being chased by skipjack tuna, and often when escaping the tuna below in the water, they would fall prey to pin-wheeling sea birds. So with dozens of flying fish airborne at any given moment, and perhaps a hundred birds swooping and banking to intercept them, the tuna come bursting out of the water like rockets - following their small prey. More than once I saw birds and tuna collide. It lste for two hours and was great fun.

Anyway - doing well. More in a few days.

Lat 10 41 north
Long 123 18 west

Carrie, Owen, Tamsyn & Griffyn
S/V Madrona

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