Day 7 - 1 week down; 2 to go?

Moondance Stats:

LATITUDE: 12-36.70N; LONGITUDE: 120-41.13W
COURSE: 248T; SPEED: 4.9
DISTANCE TRAVELED: 929m
DISTANCE TO GO: 1732m - to the Marquesas!
24 HOUR RUN: 142m

All aboard are fine, just a little tired and crabby. We had a bumpy ride last night, so no one slept too well. And today, we spent the day adjusting sails, changing courses, etc. in order to cross the Equator between 7N 125W and 4N 130W. This is supposed to be the shortest route (at this time) through the Doldrums. We are still 400 miles away from the Equator, but the winds and waves are fighting us again!

We tried to hoist the spinnaker today too, but had all kinds of trouble. After two tries and making a mess, we decided to give it a rest and try again tomorrow. Poor Brian, he had no idea what cruising was going to be like! Spinnaker 1 = Moondance 0

Damages: On this trip so far, we lost 1 boat hook, broke 2 bowls and 1 glass, and 1 winch handle went overboard. Guess we are going to have to be more careful, but it is kind of hard when everything is bouncing around you.

Today was the first warm, sunny day that we have had since leaving Cabo - it felt very nice. We even have a beautiful moon to guide us across the water tonight. Night watches under the moon and stars - just amazing!

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