#42 NOW April 23, 2005 0250 PDT N07’20.2 W118’43.9 Temp 81.3, Water Temp 87.9 Wind 110 @ 0-6 kts. Seas are 4-5 foot swells, Para-vanes up, Heading 200’ magnetic Miles Completed 1126, Miles to Go 1649, SOG (speed over ground) 5.0 kts. Greetings from the ITCZ, No, we have not gone aground on an “itcz” island! It appears we have reached the ITCZ (Intertropical Convergence Zone) also known as the doldrums. This is an area just north of the Equator where the NE trade winds and the SE trade winds meet. It is know for its calm seas punctuated by occasional thunderstorms. This band of calm seas was the scourge of old sailing ships as they sat for days and sometimes weeks waiting for a breath of air to carry them back into the trade winds. However, for the modern sailboat it is a time to start the engine and head south as fast as possible to get through it. For the powerboat trawler, such as Done Dreamin' that prefers no wind and calm seas, it is an area to enjoy (except for the heat and humidity). As you can see, the wind has died down and so have the seas. We have brought up the para-vanes and our progress is improving. So far, we have only encountered some light convection (small thunderstorms). We greatly appreciate the weather updates that Gordon has sent us. While at this time of year there are usually few surprises on this route, it is nice to have a look ahead. In addition, we have also been able to receive reports from several boats that are sailing along ahead of us. Last night, Jim the “Chef Par Excellence,” provided us with a great salad, bake potatoes, and steak. This was followed with some peaches and cream for desert. All this enjoyed more than a 1000 miles out at sea. Sorry Captain Cook, but freezers were not available in your day. We have been surprised that we still see the occasional bird this far from land. They quite often will land on our para-vane poles for a rest. One lazy booby bird stayed for about 48 hours. Our fuel situation is excellent. We now have over 70 gallons above our 20% reserve minimum. With an average of about 4.75 mpg, you can see we are in very good shape. Capt. Jim, who is a very experienced on sailboats, still has a hard time believing we can run this boat on just over a gallon an hour. To convince him, I have been running off the Port tank for three days and we are just now starting to get an indication on the sight gauge (tank holds 420 gallons, sight gauge starts reading at 330 gallons). I will switch back to the starboard tank at noon today to balance out the load. The sight gauge confirms, as we have calculated, that we presently have 705 gallons onboard. Life is a Cruise, Larry and Jim Larry Rick Done Dreamin' Nordhavn 40 #33 Site: http://gricknet.homedns.org/ Email: <mailto:donedream@pacbell.net>donedream@pacbell.net