We are steaming along on a flat ocean

So we have entered the ICTZ, the converging zone that separates the northern and southern hemisphere trade wind belts. I was on watch last night when the wind died (we have had great winds the last few days), a small rainstorm with strong SE winds appeared and for a moment I thought we might be seeing the southern hemisphere trades. That would have meant that the converging zone was almost non existing, but we were not that lucky. We have used very little fuel so far, so it is ok to motor for awhile. I have been surprised how much life there are in these parts of the Pacific, a lot of different seabirds, flying fish all over (several on deck in the morning, this morning also a squid), and we have caught two different kinds of tuna and one beautiful Mahi Mahi. On almost every night watch, I have spent some time just checking out the phosphorus glowing in the water. Especially in our wake after the boat, it is almost mind blowing the kind of performance these glowing dots makes. Last night we had taken some water over the side and there were a lot of glowing dots on deck, flowing around like a Pac Man game. The cool thing is if you put your finger on one dot, you can squeeze out and pull the glowing stuff all over. I have no real understanding on what the particles are, but they are wickedly cool. The heat is definitely slowing us down, and the most comfortable part of the day is at sunset when the wind cools your skin a bit. Both me and H�kan have begun to study the guide books for place that we want to visit, when we hit the islands. The anticipation of landfall is starting to take place.

Fredrik,

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