Greetings from Maravilha. Our present position is 38.5 north by 47.7 west. We have sailed 1100 miles and presently 880 miles from Horta. We are moving along nicely at 8 knots on a course of 100 degrees which will bring right into Horta. We had a great first three days sailing out of Buzzards Bay in a nice North West breeze. We headed a bit south to position ourselves on the right side of a developing Low Pressure system. Turns out that system moved north faster then anticipated and we sailed into a windless hole. As a result we motored for 36 hours through the gulf stream, which was made bumpy and confused by the passing low. Not particularly comfortable or productive in terms of forward progress. The next few days saw some exhilarating sailing in winds speeds as high 34 knots and sustained 28 - 32 from the southwest. Seas built up over this period making things interesting. Add to this heavy rain and lightening activity and you get the picture. We're glad that's over…at least for now. Presently the sailing is near perfect…wind from the southwest at 17 knots and Maravilha moving along at 8+ knots, occasionally catching a wave and surfing to the 12's…nice. A little sun would top it off. We haven't seen much sun since the first few days.

The crew is in good spirits….now that we're past the half mark and aimed at Horta…much of the conversation is centered around our arrival.  Still lots of sailing to do between now and then….but the prospect of the arrival is starting to build some excitement. Meals have been great. Tonight is Herb Encrusted Cod Fillets with butternut squash and peas. Last few days we skipped off the planned menu due to weather condtions…so were looking forward to  a nice meal. That's all for now….Fair winds…vcp