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A Taste of Trades

Yesterday began as usual, completely overcast with 10-12 knots of breeze. Around late morning, it started to sprinkle with rain, and the clouds turned even darker. Then, suddenly, the wind picked up to 15-18 knots from the southeast, the clouds dissipated, and we were racing along under a stunning blue sky. We had a fantastic sunset with Venus twinkling in the west, which made the terrible weather we have had since Panama seem even worse. It was incredible to have a clear sky at night with stars. This is it! We're definitely in the trade winds now, and this weather is going to stay for the rest of the trip.

You can see where this is going, can't you? I woke up this morning to a completely overcast sky, less than 10 knots of wind, and we're motor sailing. The one good thing is that we ran the water maker all night and filled the tanks to the top, which is one less thing to worry about.

I discovered my vertical jump from rest is quite impressive this morning when I leapt to avoid being hit by a flying fish. Since the fish was heading downwind, the first hint I had of the impending attack was a vague sense of dread accompanied by a distinct aroma. My senses heightened, and I was already a foot off the deck and rising swiftly before I even saw the little fella zooming towards me. With a quick spin in the air and a sucked-in belly, I managed to dodge the fish and it narrowly missed making it over the boat into the water and he landed on the side deck. What a story he would have had to tell his mates! But he's probably wishing he had stayed where he belonged.

Yesterday and today.

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