We’re nearly there. ONLY 478 miles to go.

Yes, that’s still a long way but now that we have finally reached the consistent trade winds, the sailing is so much easier and what a treat to sail for hour after hour, and day after day, and know that the wind will stay just about the same, somewhere between 13 and 19 or so knots, on a close reach with wind comfortably forward of the beam.   And, with 1,000 miles under our keel, it’s really the first time on this trip when we could count on the wind being consistent and from a decent angle for more than a half day or so.

It’s remarkable how moods change when we are pointing toward our destination and moving along smartly in consistent winds.   Having said that, it seems that the guys have been in pretty good spirits in spite of the relentless need to head east, wind on the nose or not.

Up until now I had trouble remembering why I do these trips but if life could always be a beam reach, it would be hard for me to get enough of this kind of sailing.  I expect that most of the sailors that I know up in New England don’t get as much sailing with the wind on their beam in an entire season than we will enjoy over the next few days.  Somehow I am now way more relaxed knowing that I will probably not need to adjust the sails or our course more than a “smidge” at any point for the next 500 miles.

It’s pretty clear that Pandora likes it too as she “hums her tune” galloping over the waves.

And, speaking of “galloping”, I made the mistake of leaving the coffee pot, full of dry grounds, unsecured for a moment, or at least a moment too long, this morning and it gleefully leapt onto the floor, spraying dried grounds everywhere in an instant.    It took me forever to clean up the mess.  As it was about 05:00 and the guys were both asleep, I didn’t have the heart to break out the vacuum cleaner, so a damp sponge had to do the job.  Yuck.  Don’t worry Brenda, I didn’t use the kitchen sponge.  After 46 years of hanging around you, I am nearly housebroken.    Well, sort of housebroken, at least when it comes to cleaning up coffee grounds aboard Pandora.   Ok, at least this morning and I admit that I still have a long way to go to be properly “restrained”.    :

So, here we are FINALLY moving in the direction that we want to go and it feels terrific.   On the one hand, we are still 500 miles from Antigua and that’s likely to take us somewhere around three days to cover the distance, suggesting that we will arrive in Falmouth sometime on Sunday.

I plan on going into a marina for a few days to get Pandora cleaned up and back into cruising mode.  With Brenda arriving on Wednesday I’ll have to decide if I am going to move out to the anchorage before she arrives.  I guess I’ll have to ask her what she’d prefer.

Yes indeed, it’s sure a lot more pleasant to be actually pointing where I want to go with consistent and, more importantly, “predicable” trade winds that we can count on make the remaining 500 miles seem more like a “day sail” than major ocean passage.  What, no changing waypoints Chris?

Oh yeah, one more thing.  It’s nearly 500 miles in every direction to land.   Nope, nobody around, just us and the flying fish.

Yes, it’s nice to be sailing, the easy way.   I can practically see Antigua in the distance.  Not… But it feels like I just might.

Heck, we’re nearly there with only 480 miles to go…

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