20:59.44N

157:39.4W

Babelfish is again on the soft, ie floating on the water as opposed to sitting "on the hard",(out of the water) where she sadly sat in Marina Keehi for the past 2 weeks getting the shaft straightened and strut replaced and ensuing leak fixed, that resulted from a spectacular display of poor seamanship on our LA to Honolulu leg. (We put the engine in gear while spinnaker sheets were floating all around the boat.)

We met a new group of very helpful people, including Munroe and Roy from MRM, the crew at Keehi, and Mike at Towboat.  All  looked after us extremely well and we are much appreciative.

Babelfish left the dock at 7am this morning with her new crew.  Everyone is getting along, no surprise with all the great personalities.  Now don't get the idea they are not also good looking. (We did show you their pictures.) Experience says they will appear even better looking by the time we get to Tahiti.

This is a different ocean from last month.  We are ghosting along with 6 knots of apparent wind speed on a close reach, giving us a not so speedy 3 knots of wind.  Although Tahiti lies at about 150 degrees west longitude, we are heading east to try and cross the equator at 145 degrees west longitude to permit us to "lay" Tahiti when we encounter the SE winds south of the equator.  For those of you who are landlubbers, "laying Tahiti" is different from what you may think, but does have the similarity, I guess, of offering a positive experience; in this case; approaching Tahiti with a minimum of divergences and an easy and pleasurable ride. (Not bad editor)  So, our course is about 155 degrees  and not 180 degrees.  That is about 1400 miles away.

Our second waypoint is to help us skirt the Tuomotos, known also as the Difficult Passage, Wreck Alley, and etc. These are atolls that either rest just below or above the waves waiting for unsuspecting  travelers. (Presumably not us as we are already eyeing them suspiciously on the chart)

Pm the way out of Honolulu, eagle eyed Sam, was first to see dolphins, flying fish and a submarine.

That's all for now; much happier that we are in the water and on our way.

Note on cash register receipt from Honolulu health food store:Healthy Food at Prices that won't make you sick."