Black is the night, and full of FUN!

We aren't technically in the tropics yet.. but its starting to get
tropical. The wind is finally "abaft the beam" and the downwind spinnaker
is up. First typical day of racing.. our die is set, our "slot" can't be
changed and we focus on our boatspeed and hope that the wind to the north
with our competitors isn't that much favored.

My 11 pm watch was... worth the price of admission. Got up in the pitch
black.. moon not yet up and overcast. Lush compared it to driving the
"Space Mountain" ride. Asked about my night driving.. I boasted that it
was better than my day driving. Its funny, but in some ways, its true..
just focusing on the compass course, the curl of the spinnaker lit by the
running lights, and the feel of the sea transmitted through the deck to
your feet and the wheel to your hands. "Use the force, Luke!" On the
other hand, not seeing the world around you does leave you feeling like you
are constantly making a left turn, but just ignore that.

Did I mention there was 23+ kts of wind and we surfed to 20+ kts. Oh...
yeah. Nothing like it. So exhilarating. (As I write this... Sailor Chick
just bested my speed with 21+ kts.)

My last watch ended with dawn.. Venus came up first.. just over the edge of
a little squall. Nice misting and a bit of pressure. What a great
beginning of the day. (oh.. and the fresh air reminds me.. time for a bath
today!)

So.. are we having a good time.. you bet. Thanks everyone for making it
possible for us come out to play.

Data