[030827,  1746  UTC,  ca. 70 miles SW of Big Sur, CA,  USA,  35º 19' N /122º 46' W]

Dear Friends:
This morning we altered the course we have been following since northern CA so that we can begin to close on the coast.  If we keep up the pace we have had (ca. 130 miles in 24 hours) we can expect to approach the Channel Islands late tomorrow.  We have considered making landfall at Santa Catalina Island but with the holiday weekend approaching this may be a folly.  We are in day 10 out of Neah Bay and have fallen into a routine of watches, reading, napping and just watching the amazing ocean.  One could easily get used to this downwind sailing!  Passing San Francisco we had some overhead fog, as we have this morning.   This makes it a bit cool, but even so it is noticeably warmer than it was in WA and OR.  Jake is coming out of his hidey hole a bit more to play and to snuggle up with us as we sleep protected by lee clothes but still is reluctant to go into the cockpit.  Probably a good thing.

Leslie & Philip with Howard Hanners & Jake the cat