It is another lovely day aboard Wind Horse where beautiful sunsets, sunrises, rainbows, and comfortable seas continue to be the norm. Last night saw the passing of what we think is an astonishing milestone, 5000 hours on our little John Deere diesels. That’s enough time to make almost two laps of the planet, and this in the course of five years of part time cruising. Of particular import is the fact that it has occurred with only the two of us aboard at a time in our lives when we are supposed to be dreaming about what we did when we were younger. For those of you who think the older generation needs to slow down we invite you to inspect our

Speaking about the olden days, this morning just after sunrise the moon was dead overhead. If your GPS went dead and you wanted a quick fix the sun would give you a longitude line of position and the moon your latitude, navigator’s nirvana.

We have been having a bit of squall activity, good for rinsing the boat, and for catching fresh water if your deck drains are plumbed to the water tanks (after an appropriate rinse of course). Temperatures have been mild and pleasant considering the proximity of the equator. Last night, with hatches closed for squalls, we ran the air conditioning for the first time this passage.

Weather issues are now simplified, our heading direct, no more deviation in track, and we accept what the gods deliver, which right now are north winds of six to eight knots slowly clocking. There is a 14 second swell running under our beam, a good indicator we don’t want to be further north.
The mostly adverse current of the last 1800 miles has given way to something a little more positive. In anticipation that this favorable course of events shall remain manifest we have reduced turns. Put another way, we have cut back a touch on the RPMs and are going faster at the same time, about 11.4 knots. An agreeable state of affairs.

As we dig into the freezers our meals are becoming more international. In the last 24 hours we have consumed jam, and bacon, from the USA, black beans from the UK, sausages from the Canaries, bread from Portugal, a variety of dishes from an Indian restaurant in Gibraltar, cheese from Holland and France, with a variety of fresh items as you would expect from Spain.

The crew of Wind Horse are rested, relaxed, content, and pleased to be at sea. Although there are just 920 miles to go as of 1200Z we are in no way anxious for this journey to end.

Position: 17 16’12.64 N, 045 22’19.27 W