1/3 way there

0930 UTC
N12 40
W121 19
875 nm s. of Baja
1800 to Hiva Oa
It's 3:30 in the morning local time. Everyone is asleep down below & a half moon is hanging in the eastern sky. This definitely feels like the middle of the ocean. Wait, this is the middle of the ocean. Blue everywhere! The wind seems here to stay, at least for now. We doused the kite last night before dark & have been sailing wing & wing with the poled-out jib ever since. Wind is up to NE 15 & we are flying along at 8kts. As we go s. the days are getting H-O-T & shady spots in the cockpit are worth
a premium. Sleeping is challenging with all the squeaking & banging & rolling & heeling as we fly down the waves, but the sleep deficit is all part of this whole thing. In addition to the normal amount of projects (mostly done by Dan), hearts, backgammon & Scrabble all came out today. We continue to have lots of blue-footed booby's flying around, & the last few days have brought tropic birds, as well as hundreds of flying fish skimming along the water's surface. Sometimes we get in the path of these
little air born creatures & have to peel them off the deck in the morning. While this is not a happy day for them, this is extremely entertaining for us. Tonight we heard 2 boats, over the HAM "net," in the doldrums with 1-2kts wind. We are trying to appreciate these amazing trade winds now, because we know what's coming!