We made it to the Trade Winds!

We hit the trade winds late this afternoon, then gybed from starboard to port and we are now headed due south straight for the Marquesas!

We also got to experience a bit of the eclipse. The sky cleared up and we could actually see the sun. Chris brought the proper glasses so we got to watch the moon cover about 70% of the sun. We were about 500 miles short of being in the area of the total eclipse.

We took the reef out of our mainsail (which makes it bigger) and had full sail area up for the day and made great speed. Our top speed was 12.7 knots, about 15mph. After we gybed we went back to our reef (second reef point) for the night. We are experiencing a lot more wind than what is in the forecast I get. Forecasted wind is in the mid teens and we seeing wind in the low 20s. A big difference. It makes for fast sailing, but its not as comfortable as we roll over the large swells.

Everyone onboard is doing great, including Catalina. We are working well as a team and we all get along well. Last night we each took a shift for 2 hours so we each got lots of sleep including me and Chris. Much nicer than the 4 hour on, 4 hour off shifts Chris and I were doing so we were always on deck with another crew member. The crew has gained skill so they can be on their own which is great!