#47 NOW May 3, 2005 - 0213 Zone Time = UTC -9 hours S07’15 W136’36 Temp 81.5, Water Temp 89.4 Wind from the East @ 10 kts, Seas are 3-foot swells, Para-vanes up, Heading 234’ mag. Miles Completed 2540, Miles to Go 235, SOG (speed over ground) 7.3 kts. Good Morning, World! Perhaps it was the slight whiff of bougainvillea and frangipani or maybe it was the thought of fresh mangos and papayas, but Done Dreamin's pace has definitely increased. Actually, it appeared that we would arrive about 1:00 AM on Thursday morning. So we slowed back down to 1200 RPM from the 1400 that we were doing. However, the current kept increasing and it still looked like we would arrive during the black of night with no moon. Thus with plenty of reserve fuel we picked up the pace to 1500 RPM and a burn of 1.91 gph. This along with an ever-increasing current, and another time change, is now going to put us in around noon tomorrow (Wednesday). Yesterday, we covered 172 miles, our best day so far. With a gentle 8-knot wind from the east and a ¾-knot current pushing us along, we are making great progress. However, the gentle breeze is going our way at almost the same speed we are moving, thus creating a very hot boat. With the temperature outside reaching into the 90s and no air movement we started up the genset and air-conditioning. With plenty of fuel, a .7 gph burn was well worth it for an afternoon of cool air. This also gave us a chance to do some laundry. Our bread supply that we took on in Puerto Vallarta (storing some in the freezer) finally ran out. Thus with great confidence and my new bread maker, I set to work to make a great loaf of Done Dreamin' s finest sourdough. To my amazement, we ended up with a rather hard lump of sour something. After careful analysis of all the steps (add water to mix) I determined that the added water was too hot right out of the cold-water tap. Actually, it was around 90 degrees. So, after cooling some water in the refrigerator, and cooling off the boat with air-conditioning, I set out to make a second loaf. “Walla,” as Jim says. Along with an enticing aroma, we were rewarded with a wonderful crusty, golden brown, loaf. From Jim’s log “Almost missed this day, they do go by fast. Today Larry was feeling very warm and ‘fuel rich’ so we started the generator and enjoyed an air-conditioned ride for about four hours in the hot afternoon. Between, sleeping, eating, and fixing things our days go by fast.” In about 34 hours, we will be pulling into Taiohae Bay, Nuku Hiva, and Done Dreamin' will have completed the first and longest leg of its Pacific crossing. It will also be a record for the longest leg completed by a Nordhavn 40. I am sure there will be a band and a great celebration out to meet us . . . well, maybe customs and immigration. Life is a Cruise, (Make it happen!) Larry and Jim Larry Rick Done Dreamin' Nordhavn 40 #33 Site: http://gricknet.homedns.org/ Email: <mailto:donedream@pacbell.net>donedream@pacbell.net