My night watch begins at 1900 hours and ends at 2300 hours, giving me the joy of every sunset, followed by reclining in the cockpit enjoying the night sky while Windy, the wind pilot, holds Anthea on course. This past watch began with Devon serving us a fulfilling dinner in the cockpit as the beauty of the sunset deprived us of our thoughts. We had been fortunate with the wind for it was on the beam between 10 and 16 knots, however this night watch had no such luck. As the sun disappeared, the wind took it as a que to follow suit; the wind odometer began a rapid descent until recovering in the mid sixes. From previous experiences with much less than desirable wind conditions we all knew that Anthea excels in light air, yet she astounded even me when her speed dropped from the mid sevens only for her to quickly regain composure at 6.5 knots, matching the wind speed!
Until last night we had been flying across the Pacific at a rate which, while impossible to maintain for the entire crossing, certainty created a joyful atmosphere for the beginning of the longest ocean passage of our lives. The most astounding purplish-blue color of the water enhanced by the shadows of dolphins frolicking around the bow is a constant reminder that we are far from the waves crashing on the sandy beaches of Mexico. Anson
18deg 52.7′ N
115deg 41.0′ W
Sail on! 
Oh my gosh, just reading your blog is an escape from the crazy realities of my world. I love imagining you all on the open seas, just going for it- savoring all opportunities. Can’t wait until your next post!
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Bravo Anson! You’re all such awesome writers! A whole family of eloquent writers!
Its Wonderful to hear from you again and experience the trans-oceanic crossing through your eyes. Has anyone enjoyed the star charts during night watches?
Thank you for the time you put into editing and uploading the video – we loved it! We were AMAZED by the underwater ballet of the two frolicking seals – exquisite. It would be nice to have sound all the way through, even if punctuated with random conversation by family members.
We look forward to hearing/seeing more from you
By the way, its been raining almost steadily since you left a couple months ago. We did have a one week reprieve last week, but now we’re being pelted with rain and wind again!
Love & Hugs,
Zara & Grandma
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What a wonderful watch time! How wonderful to watch the dolphins in the phosphorescence created by all the tiny sea creatures- have you dipped a bucket in for a closer look at night? So sorry your wind has abated- yes, the first 3 days with quite a bit of wind really was a blessing. Luckily you can turn on Mr. Perkins when needed- think back to all the sailing ships before motors which just had to wallow until the breeze kicked in again! Glad the cook is working our well! Hugs, Nana
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Dolphins in purple blue water … Hi from us all!
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