Position           00:00.00 S 088:38.58W

Date                1350 (EDT) Thursday 13 February 2014

                        1850 (UTC)

72 nm from destination Puerto Baqeurizo, San Cristobal, Galapagos, 781nm travelled from Panama

Days distance run to noon (EDT) – 162nm over the ground, 148.7nm through the water

I thought that I should delay the time of todays position to record our crossing the equator.  It has been some time coming.  Last time I achieved that distinction on a sailing boat was in September 1975 on board Great Britain II en route for Sydney, Australia.  It was a first for the mate but on this occasion no visit from King Neptune.

1850 UK time we crossed the equator, the earth may have moved but we did not feel thing, apart from anything else the Skipper as soundly asleep.

Our arrival at San Cristobal, 75nm to go, like all new arrivals will occur in the middle of the night but hopefully without a lot of shouting and screaming.  There should be a fairly full moon which will help.

We ended up last night with a veritable squadron of white birds which by first light had once again disappeared.  They were with us in gradually increasing number for almost eleven hours.  I cannot believe it was waiting for the one desiccated flying fish that I retrieved from the deck.

From the Mate:

We continue to motor on and are now getting just a bit fed up as the wind seems to follow our course round to hit just off the nose.  We have decided to accept that and motor sail as best we can directly towards the destination.

Thank goodness they have fuelling facilities in the Galapagos, and that we purchased 4 jerry cans that are strapped on deck.  Although we know we have a tank large enough to get us to the Galapagos there is always the Pacific to come.

Our routine continues with 6 hour watches at night, naps during the day and meeting up for a late lunch and pre- dinner drinks, mine soft, and then supper.  The night watches are greatly helped by the luxury of watching films and TV series on our IPads, fancy watching 6 programmes about the traditions of the British army crossing the Pacific!

For the last 2 nights we have been treated at dusk and until dawn to a visit from a large white bird, never seen during the day. It flies around the boat like a ghostly spectre for about an hour then seems to disappear to reappear at dawn but never appears during the day.  Tonight it brought friends!