South Pacific 25 April 2011, 7:45 p.m. Tahiti Time 29S07 141W32

We passed into the 20 latitudes, and indeed the wind dropped from 30 knots down to the 20 knot range. So we’ve had wind speeds to match our latitudes in degrees this northbound half of the trip. The wind is clocking around to the north as predicted, but since we’d stayed east as we worked our way north, we should be able to arc back around as the wind comes around, and slide into our destination (now northwest of us), hopefully without tacking too much.

We have not passed the tropic line yet, but this warm north wind is decidedly tropical. Today everyone switched to shorts. Tonight wool blankets will be replaced by tifefes (light cotton Tahitian blankets, really just a sheet with 2 layers – thick enough to stop a mosquito, thin enough to keep cool). Tomorrow, we should be able to relish the cockpit again; even if we do get splashed, it’ll feel refreshing.

We’re a bit more than a day away from Rapa. The tricky part now is arranging for a daylight landfall. Marotiri, an uninhabited rocky outcropping, is on our way, a location of fond memories for Frank, and of a great lobster tale (and tails). It’s completely exposed with no good anchorage except in very calm weather, which we’re not expecting, but we’ll pass close enough to see. Today we passed 60 miles west of an active volcano bigger than mount Baker, but we couldn’t see it – it’s all underwater still. When Frank was last here about 20 years ago, it had risen to 9 meters below sea level, pretty amazing when everything else around is 3000m to 4000m down. I’d like to be a bug on the water to witness that island’s birth (but maybe not a human on a boat – too close for comfort).

xoxomo