Day 3 - Duldrums all ready?

Moondance Stats:

LATITUDE: 18-21.27N; LONGITUDE: 113-55.27W
COURSE: 208T; SPEED: 5.6kt
DISTANCE TRAVELED: 360
DISTANCE TO GO: 2761nm
24 HOUR RUN: 96nm

All is well - Moondance and crew are doing fine. We just haven't covered much ground in 24 hours! We had 6 hours of no wind last night, but were lucky that a little current kept us going in the right direction. We were happy to see the wind pick up and the sun is shining. Doug and Brian have been experimenting with downwind sailing. First, the spinnaker. It didn't stay up very long - the wind was too unsettled. Then, wing-on-wing. That seems to be moving us along very well, so we are going to stick with it. Per the weather gurus, starting tonight we should be getting good steady winds from the north. We shall see!

Our watch schedule seems to be working out well: 2 hours on; 4 hours off. With 3 of us on board, it means that Doug and I actually get to sleep together for 2 whole hours - whoopee! The Kitchen Winch (that's me) does 2 night watches, but no day watches. I think it will work out well as long as I put semi-good food on the table and on time. Today, the Butter Chicken Curry was good, but the pita bread could have been used for hockey pucks. Oh well, the guys ate them.

It is pretty quiet out her. We only saw one other boat yesterday - a shrimper - and no one is chatting on the VHF. A few birds fly by to check on us, but that's about it. Our fishing lines are in the water, but no bites yet. So, there is lots of time to watch the beautiful blue water pass us by and reflect on our adventure.

PS: French is a very hard language!

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Day 2 - Settling in...

Moondance Stats:

LATITUDE: 19-25.31N; LONGITUDE: 112-45.34W
COURSE: 212T; SPEED: 6.0kt
DISTANCE TRAVELED: 264nm
DISTANCE TO GO: 2857nm
24 HOUR RUN: 134nm

And all is well on board. We are a little tired, but doing well. Last night was a little bumpy and winds erratic, so none of us got a real good nights sleep. Today, Doug and Brian have been making adjustment on the sails, anchors, and whatever else is rattling. Tonight should be much better. We have been on the same starboard tack since leaving Cabo, so everything is leaning and falling out of the lockers. We even had to change which end of the bed we were sleeping on, plus it was challenge keeping the pear/papaya cobbler in the pan and in the oven!

Weather and water temps are warming up - yeah! For awhile, we thought Doug had tricked us and was taking us North.

We are passing through the Socorro Islands now - we can't see them, but know that they are out there. This is the last bit of land we will be anywhere near for a very long time. Fishing lines are back in the water and we are hoping for Dorado or Pargo - well anything except Bonita.

Thinking of you all and hoping you are all well and happy.

Provisioning tip: Couscous flies and should not be eaten in the cockpit on a windy day - what a mess!

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Day 1

Moondance Stats:

LATITUDE: 21-11.61N; LONGITUDE: 111-21.93W
COURSE: 213T, SPEED: 6.3kt
DISTANCE TRAVELED: 130nm
DISTANCE TO GO: 2991nm
24 HOUR RUN: 130nm

And all is well aboard Moondance! We have had 8 to 15 knots of steady wind since we left Cabo San Lucas and moderate seas, so Moondance is cruising right along. The crew is happy and healthy and enjoying the ride and the beautiful blue of the ocean. Of course, there isn't much else to look at! We have seen a couple of boats in the distance, some dolphins, whales, and a turtle swam by - that's it.

We have a contest aboard to see who can guess how many days our sail to Mangareva, Gambier Islands will be:

Carla 27
Brian 25
Doug 23

We are all hoping that Doug will win! The prize - the winner doesn't have to do the next night watch and can party till the dogs come home - hah!

Our only complaint, it is sunny and COLD. But, we can handle that as long as the wind and waves are cooperating!

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Crossing over...

Well, we only cruised 287 miles to Cabo San Lucas, but it seems like a whole 'nother world!

Goodbye Amigos!

This place is wild with cruise ships, jet skis, and lots of sunburned tourists!

We had a wonderful send off from our fellow cruisers in La Cruz on Saturday - Thank You.  We hope to see all of them again somewhere!

Brian enjoying his coffee!

It was a great shakedown cruise from Puerto Vallerta. We got to see lots of different kinds of weather and seas - from nothing to 25 knots - when we least expected it.

Plus, lots of salt water crashing over the bow - oh my!

Moondance and crew held up very well!

Dolphins off the bow - beautiful!

We had a wonderful dolphin show along the way.

They came to play in our wake, plus chased some wonderful Yellow Fin Tuna our way.

Thanks for the fish!

Surfing Tuna

We've never caught two fish at one time, but Doug and Brian handled it very well.

No mess, no fuss, but excellent eating!

Dinner preparations

Depending on our findings in the morning, it looks like our weather window is here - yeah!

Time to get this party started. We are so ready!

This will be our last post with pictures, but promise to blog daily so you can check up on us.

Love to all - Carla, Doug, and Brian!

Sushi on Moondance -

Bring your chopsticks!

We were watching an amazing dolphin show this afternoon and were surprised to find two wonderful Yellow Fin Tuna's on our lines. Yummy! Brian and Doug did an excellent job of getting them on board, cleaned, and ready for dinner.

Wish you were here!

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Detour!

We left Puerto Vallerta/Banderas Bay on Saturday as planned - unusual for us! We had a little wind for awhile, but it was pushing us the wrong direction. So, we decided that we would motor to Cabo San Lucas, refuel, and wait for the Trade Winds to fill - hopefully Tuesday or Wednesday. All of our Amigos in the USA and Canada - please send us a Norther!

We are considering this our shakedown cruise - getting our sea legs, finishing up some projects, etc. We are also hoping to catch a fish for dinner!

The sun is shining, a breeze is blowing, and the men are relaxing in the cockpit! All is well aboard Moondance.

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Adios Mexico; Bonjour French Polynesia!

After 15 years of dreaming and scheming, it's finally time to sail to those beautiful French Polynesian islands - white sandy beaches, crystal blue waters, and lots of fish (sharks) - oh my!

Moondance crew 2011

Brian, our crew member, is on board (yeah) and Moondance is shipshape and ready to sail.

We have stuffed all of the lockers with 4 months of provisioning, spare parts, and fuel. We are out of room and water line!

We are leaving Puerto Vallarta/Banderas Bay today.  We hope to find some wind out there.  If not, we will motor/sail to Cabo San Lucas, refuel, and wait for a weather window.

We want to catch the Trade Winds that will sail us across the Equator and all the way to French Polynesia - what a ride!

Moondance crew 2000

Yeah, it took a little longer than we anticipated and we are a little older than we wanted to be, but we have learned so much a long the way and have seen and done so many wonderful things and met some amazing people - time flew by!

Thank You to all of our family and friends who have supported us along the way - you have kept us going!

Our current sail plan: Mexico, Gambiers, Australs, Societies, Marquesas, and the Hawaiian islands for the winter. Doesn't sound too bad, does it?

Come and see us sometime - we would love to have you aboard Moondance.

Only 3130 nautical miles to go!