Day 16 to FP - Are We There Yet?

:lat=-18.51:lon=-124.43:
Time: 2330UTC, COG 255T, SOG 4.5kts, Distance Remaining: 668nm

Irie has slowed down tremendously, by about two knots an hour, meaning that
our pitiful average speed is down to 4-5 knots, if we are lucky. The good
thing about this change is that the seas have subsided and the ride is way
more comfortable. The bad thing about the change in weather is that the
winds are light now and not very consistent. The wind meter needle is "all
over the place" (between SE and NE) and so are we, constantly changing
course and adjusting the sails. It is a tough and tiring job, when all you
want to do is rest, sleep or read a book. :-)

Last night, after a nice morning and annoying afternoon, we had to deal with
one squall after the other - no rain - meaning the person on watch had to be
alert and account for the wind changes at all times. Our speed dropped to
3-4 knots and, because of the angle of the wind, we only had the mainsail
up. First thing this morning, we broke down and ran the engines for an hour,
to pass through a squally area with no wind. We hoped for some rain, since
everything is extremely salty and gross on deck, but it didn't come. The
afternoon brought pleasant spinnaker weather. We will get there eventually!

Out of 20 days Mark and I would sail to get to a different destination
during all our sailing years, 1 day would bring perfect conditions, while
the others would range from OK to frustrating. At the end of the day, we
would reach our dedicated harbor and we wouldn't think about it anymore.
Now, we do. Only 1 out of 20 full day trips would be sunny with winds
between 10-15 knots from a perfect direction, comfortable seas and a gentle
swell. Irie would do 6-7 knots and the crew would be smiling from ear to ear
feeling irie. We've been gone for 15 days now, so what that means is that
this perfect day must be arriving pretty soon! We can't wait to produce that
big smile again.