TRADE WINDS SAILING

Day 13 – July 19th

For some days now we have been receiving reports of an abandoned 40 ft
sailing vessel in the path of the Vic-Maui fleet. Her owner, who was
airlifted off the boat for medical reasons, left her autopilot on with a
course set for Hawaii. We receive daily position reports but don`t expect to
get anywhere near the vessel until maybe tomorrow.

From Terry: Today was more showers and lighter winds. The light winds and
choppy seas make it difficult to set our sails and make progress, which can
be frustrating when in the racing mentality and trying to get somewhere
fast. The rainfalls are still a welcome though to cool off and get a relief
from the heat. Today we took our shirts off awaiting the next rain shower
but it took an hour to reach us. So the red Watch are now the `Red Watch``
with backs and the imprints of our PFDs on our backs.

Last night was fantastic sailing, moderate winds and a full sky of stars.
Shorts and t-shirts only were required on deck. Gunnar said that this is
what he remembers of trade Winds sailing from previous years. As we call it
out here, it is ``Champagne Sailing``.
A big goal for us is to finish the race in under 14 days. It would be a
great achievement if we could pull it off.

Beef Stroganoff is on the menu for tonight – another culinary highlight on
our voyage. After dinner, once more we jibe the boat, hopefully for the last
time before Maui. 230 miles to go.

The sun slowly goes down on the horizon, painting the sky in warm yellow and
orange colors. Cumulus clouds draw like curtains over the scene. Happy faces
on the boat. Black watch is off duty, while Red watch takes over the deck.
Good night!

Aloha.