Friday June 1

Not a lot to report today. We continue to try to make northerly progress in hopes of getting above a high pressure ridge that will give us the magical southwesterly winds to send us on our way straight to the Azores. So far this passage has been very all or nothing which is a continual test of our patience as well as a reminder to savor the journey. I’m reading a great Isabelle Allende book right now set in the 1850s. This would be during the time that people from many countries and continents were flocking to the US, and California specifically, in search of the prosperity that the Gold Rush might bring. Of course their transportation came in the form of ships, and though this was also at the time of the advent of the steam engine, the journey could take many months. Thinking of this helps give a little perspective to our own situation. Not only will our voyage across the great expanse of the Atlantic ocean take us a mere weeks, we do not have to contend with hunger, thirst, abysmal conditions, or disease. Perspective is a beautiful thing.