Journey so far!

620 miles completed, only another 270 until the Galapagos Islands!

We began with perfect calm seas & steady but strong winds - it was a dream. On my first 2 hour night watch I was accompanied by a pod of 20 dolphins swimming alongside Barraveigh, playing in her wake & diving out of the water. Moonlight glistened off their backs as they as they broke the surface & there was no sound except for their breathing & the sound of the sea. The wind died after 36 hours & we spent the next 44 hours motoring. The drone of the engine drove us crazy & we dreamt of wind. The sea was so flat & a perfect shade of deep royal blue. In the captains words "looks like a pool of ink". The air was muggy & still. Cooling myself was achieved by throwing buckets of seawater over my head! On a plus side we gave the motor a proper work out & there were no problems.

Day 3 rewarded us with a breathtaking sight. A pod of 12 killer whales in the calm seas close to the boat. They were huge & graceful as they broke the seas surface. As they began to head towards us we put the engine into neutral hoping they would loose interest. We didn't want to upset them or give them any reason to come closer as they can sink the boat. Luckily they swam by & we continued motoring.

The winds picked up & we have made good progress. We are healed over to our starboard side, beating into 25 knot winds & rolly seas which cause us to roll from side to side as well as lurching forward & backward. Its not the most comfortable of journeys I've made! No sign of seasickness but my stomach has been in knots with nerves & I have totally lost my appetite. On a plus side there is no likelihood of falling out of bed. I'm pinned to the side of the boat which I've lined with pillows to try & make a little more comfortable.

We have settled into our night watches but in the present uncomfortable conditions & lack of sleep, its taking its toll. Finding it hard to get motivated during the day & only managing to read or catch up on sleep. Total sense of humour failure last night as the winds picked up, the seas got rougher & we got faster doing nearly 7 knots - it freaked me out! We have calmed the speed down by reefing the headsail to almost nothing but its still not comfortable conditions! Only another 270 miles to go & I'm counting off every mile! ; )

Its a year today since I met Bobby in Costa Rica! If someone had told me then that I'd be here now I wouldn't have believed them! Apart from the present conditions I'm loving it & wouldn't change a thing!