Monday, May 7 - Day 14

20.20 N
137.08 W

Distance travelled: 124 NM - 1183 left to go!

When I came on watch this morning, the sun was just breaking over the horizon. The sky was completely cloudless and white-blue. We were sailing along at 5 knots on a beam reach over relatively flat seas. Ka'sala was stable in the water. Perfect! I spent several hours in the cockpit while Doug slept, just meditating on the scene. Two snow-white birds flew around us, craaaaking to each other - I was glad to see them together, no doubt having a morning tiff. A little later on, a sole grey-brown bird, larger than the previous pair and with a wide wingspan, soared lonely by, then vanishing into the rising sun. Are they as amazed to see us out here as we are to see them?

It was a perfect night as well. We started off wing on wing then, when the winds lightened, I gybed the main and we headed slightly off our track to fill the sails. Both of us had great sleeps in the gentle night. The winds did not really pick up today, so we are coasting along just under 5 comfortable knots. We won't make the mileage we are accustomed to, but we are enjoying every minute of this beautiful day.

We passed through a time zone last night. I don't think too many people actually live in this one between 135 and 150 degrees west. Maybe way up north in the Alutians? Way south in Antarctica? It's a strange thought.

Doug has begun downloading weather faxes of the Pacific Ocean to prepare for our arrival in Hawaii sometime next week, and to begin tracking the weather patterns we need to see before heading north to Alaska in June. He has noticed that we are likely to have these calmer conditions for the next couple days, then more wind toward the end of the week to take us into the Islands.

I'm starting to tire of meal-in-a-bowl dinners and will take advantage of the lighter conditions to try to make the onboard version of pot roast (which I have been craving since Las Vegas - another story!). It consists of a tin of Costco roast beef, in packet mushroom gravy, with oven roasted potatoes and carrots. Do not turn up your nose! This dinner will be culinary heaven! We may even splurge and have a glass of red wine while feasting in the cockpit! Paradise on the pea green boat!

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