23:44.8N 76:59.8W

Saili9ng across the Gulf Stream was handles but annoying.  Well actually the first day or so our in true ocean seas takes some getting used to.  Their is always the issue for seasickness and the debate about who goes below to make dinner.  Obvious choice is to have sandwiches and not spent too much time below.

Now under way we were getting some rhythm with the watch schedule.  What comes into play in the subtropical areas is heat.  Yes it is not the hottest place but with rough seas all the hatches are closed so no ventilation in the cabin.  Immediately it becomes a sauna with all the humidity.  Luckily we can keep the companionway open (the doorway into the boats from the deck) as our new enhanced windscreen and hardtop keep nearly all water out.

Now underway the winds have dies and we need to turn on the engine.  Normally we would not do this so quickly but we are  running east fast to beat the strong cold front coming down that will drive winds very high and make life not so great.  With the motor on we set the RPMs to the best for fuel consumption but also to give decent speed, 7- 8 knots.

We motored through the day but at night got a little show of bioluminescence in the bow waves.

Also when the engine is on the batteries are being charges so we run the water maker.  This is a system of high pressure pumps and membranes that allow freshwater to pass through but discharge the saltier brine back to the ocean.  As a result we can keep our water tanks full of drinking water.

We began fuel consumption calculations.  Normally the boat can travel 700+ miles on fuel and the rest is sailing.  We anticipate the trip to be over 1,000 miles so a lot more sailing is needed.

We did cast out the fishing line with bets on when the first fish would be caught.  We also had a bet on the first flying fish on deck.  To many of us John bet a very early hour and surprise, surprise he was right!

We made 176 miles in 24 hours, mostly on engine power.