1900 local time. Winds have steadied down into the southeast at 15 to 18 knots, and we have “jibed” onto starboard tack – jibing being a relative term – as we turned the corner of the high, we altered course to a more northwesterly heading with the shifting winds and seas. Not sure that we miss handling the two big reachers, main and mizzen that would have been up aboard Beowulf.

Several milestones have passed in the last 24 hours. Wind Horse has covered her 2000th mile since launching, passed the halfway mark of this passage, and put 290 miles under the keel – the best day’s run so far and a target for future downwind passages. Our progress has now slowed somewhat as the wind is now more on the quarter and we’re not getting the long surfs of yesterday.

Still, 11.5 isn’t bad for not carrying any light sails…

We’ve eaten the last chocolate chip cookie from the passage horde, and the brownie inventory is not expected to make it through the night, so it is a good thing we’ll be turning the southern corner of Kandavu island in the morning and be in Suva by mid-afternoon. (Suva gives us a more favorable sun angle than Levuka.)