Wind River is in the Pacific

...Well, 'on the Pacific' sounds better. At 9 am last Sun. (Mar 20 '05) Tom and I said goodbye to Susan at the fuel dock at Marina Vallarta. We motored across Banderas Bay to Cabo Corrientes, where we shut off the engine and sailed. As we blasted along in winds to 22 kts we individually sorted through our various anxieties about this venture. After the first day or so the irrational ones faded. Now that leaves just the rational ones...

Actually this feels like a road we are traveling, one traveled by those ahead of us as well as those behind. We are not as adventurous as it may seem. Our days pass quickly. Around 7:30 am I prepare the bit for Yotreps and any other messages to be sent after checking the boat over and checking our navigation. At 8:45 we tune in to Don, the weather guy, who talks to some of the boats out here. After that I send and receive whatever Sailmail we have. Then breakfast. At noon I plot our position on our plotting chart and write in the log. In the afternoon whichever one of us had two night watches the previous night tries to get some sleep. At 5 pm is the gossip net on SSB for those of us out here. Then dinner. Then watches: 7 - 11, 11 - 3, 3 - 7.

Even though it is rough today since there is a five foot swell and we are running wing and wing, I feel that I could do this for a long time (as long as nothing went wrong). As I had heard, I find a serenity and peace out here. We have seen only two boats: I a ship for which I had to alter course several nights ago, and Tom a fishing boat night before last. This morning we saw our first flying fish, looking like birds erupting from the sea, darting around, only to vanish back into the sea. The sea is very blue, a color I have not seen before.

To those who sent bon voyage messages, thank you, especially from those of you who have done this already.

Kit