33:58.3N 73:06.5W   Today was an absolutely perfect day sailing!  Wind at 15 knots, all sails up, beam reach, settled seas, sunny sky, warm temperatures...and great crew...perfect!!  We have now traveled 1196 miles in 6 days, we are about 200 miles off the coast of the U.S., and we have about 350 miles to go.  In about 50 miles we will enter the Gulf Stream....like a river in the ocean, it is a special warm ocean current that is swift and powerful, originating at the tip of Florida and following along the east Coast of the U.S.  It loops up to Newfoundland and branches east to Ireland, UK, and Europe, then down to Africa.  Because it is warm and fast moving, challenging weather conditions are frequently created when sailing "across the stream" along the east coast.  Generally, the tactic is to cross it quickly and at a right angle.  Over the past few days, our outlook has improved such that we are anticipating a "not too rough" crossing.  At the point where we cross, just below the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay, the stream will be about 75 miles wide, so it will take about 10 hours to cross it.  The pictures only try to suggest how nice today has been.  Then, to top it off, Ralph made "Vicki's chicken zitti" for dinner...broccoli, chicken, pasta, and multiple ingredients for the sauce (including white wine).  As we went through watch rotation throughout the day, with such great conditions, most of the crew was up and topside most of the time...taking in the beauty that Mother Nature and the vast Atlantic offer.  Captain Mike