It's like the old Jimmy Buffet Song!

Oh, there's good days and bad days
And should never been had days
But as long as I am on a Passport
The ocean is Heaven to me

There's days we write home about
And some drink alone about
But as long as I am on a Passport
The ocean is Heaven to ME!

From "A pirate looks at fifty (tons)"

Last night, we decided to braid the spinnaker with the spinnaker net and forestay. THese items, normally constructed in such a way as to resist braiding, did in fact braid, so we spent an hour undoing them. Of course, it did not help much that the wind had dropped to nearly nothing. "Could be worse," quipped the late Marty Feldman, "could be raining!"

Did I mention it was raining?

Well, truthfully it WAS only an hour, and the foredeck handled the snarl-up quite well. Lou got tagged by some hardware and received a compensatory miller lite, first to ease the shiner and later to salve the soul.

But we do have the boat positioned roughly where we want her, and are politely waiting for the wind which we are told will be here.

Hello? Hello? is this thing on? We are ready for the wind now.

The water is so smooth, John has taken to assuming that he is sitting poolside and is demanding that the cabana girl bring him umbrella drinks. We have been explaining that she is busy with other customers and that he will have to wait just a bit longer. THis seems to assuage him, but the tip may be smaller than we hoped. I hope to make up the revenue with a commemorative glass.

We had our half-way party last night. A delightful boeuf bourgignon and some Turley wine. And a tossed green salad. Toasting our progress and each other and our families back home and the boat. I don't think that the toasting had anything to do with the braiding, but it is worth a consideration. We don't drink much underway, and this happened alot later. But we shall be extra vigilant.

As I look at the gps, we are now 1035 away, so that is OFFICIAL half-way, at least in terms of distance. I shall open my presents from sweetie-bride and before the rooster crows thrice, report back on what happens next! Will do some math to do some arrival forecasts. Seems unlikely that a Friday arrival is in the cards... Figure Tuesday. MMMAybe Monday if the wind picks up, which it is right now even as we speak. 5.4. 5.5. 5.7. Go John Go. Hey Cabana Girl! Meet John at the New Otani!