Day 14

August 24, 2010
16:40 HST (02:40 UTC August 25)
Lat: 46 22.1 North
Lon: 131 01.5 West
Distance to go: 340 miles to go

The last 24 hours have been spent motoring in less then 10 knots of wind from the stern. When conditions are like this, we all sleep really well. The boat glides along in a calm, but undulating sea, rocking us to sleep. The engine noise drowns out any other noises that might keep us awake. I can't remember be so well rested on a long passage like this. Nothing much has happened since the last blog.

I know that we are all looking forward to getting there. I personally haven't been out of the company of my family for more then a few hours for almost a year. It's hard to be that close for so long and then to not have them there. So it will be a big relief when once we are re-united.

As I type, I saw something out of the corner though the pilothouse window. It was an albatross, flying, skimming, just above the waves. We haven't gone a day out here with out seeing a bird. It amazing to me that we were about as far away as you can get from land and still there are birds out here. I know that several species of bird inhabit the skies above the oceans, not touching land for years. When they do come to land it is only to mate and raise young.  Then they return to their solitary life out on the big blue.

It's massive out here, water for days and days on end. Sailing like this really brings home how much of our planet is covered with water. Earth is not a land world. It is a waterworld, the "Blue Planet". Being out here, seeing this seemingly ending expanse of water, it's hard to believe that we, mankind could fuck it up. But we are. Doing some motoring through the high gives you a glimpse. For days, in the middle of this leg, we couldn't go more then a minute or two before coming across some sort of garbage floating by. Plastic. I don't mean to go all environmentalist on you all, but we as a species need to come around, wake up and figure out how to live more harmoniously with the planet. Otherwise, our kids or our kid’s kids are going to pay the price.

Yes, I'm rambling, but as I said not much has happened over the last day. Plastic aside, it's beautiful out here. If you haven't seen it, I recommend you come out here sometime and see for yourself.

Well, about 2 days to go!

Brad