Current Location: 25 37.74N 70 44.84W
Distance from San Salvador: 227 NM.
Distance from Culebra: 536NM
Local time: 09:34
Weather: Partly cloudy, Wind 17SSE, Seas 5-6 feet

About 24 hours after the forecast predicted the wind FINALLY switched to the South, quite suddenly. This gave us a chance to make ground to the east. About 6 hours later, it switched back again. Sigh… But, once again, we are on a perfect course just a bit south of east, and sailing at 7 to 8 knots. The nearest land to our current position in the Turks and Caicos, about 200 to the southwest.

We are in a race. Our objective is to get far enough east that when the wind changes back to coming FROM the east, we will be in a position we can point the boat at our final destination and be on a reasonably comfortable reach. If we can hold this course and speed for another 48 hours, we should be in a good spot. If I believe the models (Ha!), just 20 to 50 miles to our west, and overtaking us, is a large patch of very calm winds. Our strategy, if and when that reaches us is to motor to the east to continue to try to put us in the best possible location for the return of the east blowing trade winds.

Other than our frustrations with the weather, it has been a very uneventful passage so far. A bit rough and bumpy, but that was expected. It has been too rough to get any fishing done, and this part of the ocean is pretty thick with Sargasso weed, so fishing would be a challenge anyway. Not much in the way of creatures to see, and most of the time no ship traffic on the screen at all.