From somewhere near Isla de Guadelupe

Some quick observations from the first couple of days:

• This is hard! We’ve had wind and waves on the beam since night one, making for an uncomfortable ride until today when we’ve had now a few hours of pleasant riding. We know it takes awhile to get into the rhythm, and the sea was certainly testing our willpower the first 30 hours of rocking and rolling us.
• It seems to be the law of the sea that if two ships are somewhere near each other in the ocean, they must need be on a collision course. Including Warship 16 the first night, which we somehow managed to be on a collision course with TWICE in an hour and a half!
• We passed a cruise ship coming from Tahiti (!) which was fun to imagine having other people do all the work for you lol.
• Laysan albatrosses are incredible birds in flight, and continuously soar above the waves. They’ve been our friends out here, as well as dolphins, millions of jellyfish that have a sail on them, and likely a storm petrel or two, as yet unidentified (#birdnerding).
  

• Conor and I are a great team, helping keep each other safe and as comfortable as possible while dealing with minor or major boat crises as they arise, and they do, especially the first night after sunset. Our nervous systems were fried and I’m impressed we kept going!
• A photo of our lives right now — how fast is the wind, at what angle is the wind, how fast are we going, where are other boats showing up on AIS on a collision course, etc. :

We’ve been trying to take it easy on ourselves and the boat these first few days while we settle into the routine. The water is getting bluer and the temperature, while not warm yet, is warmer than it was…all good signs as we continue south. We left at latitude 33, now we’re at latitude 29, and latitude 23 is where the tropics start. Bring it!