Happy New Year from the mid-Atlantic!

Passage to Barbados, day 4. The Rum Runners Net this morning was full of New Year's best wishes, and we know at least one person on each boat was awake to see the new year in regardless of time zone. Both of us were up because midnight is watch change.

Today we saw and talked with another sailboat. Transcendence is an Irish boat with a multi-national crew. We've been hearing them on Rum Runners since before we left Mindelo (they didn't stop) and on check-in with Herb since we've been underway. We knew they were a little ahead of us, but today we caught up. They said we're the first boat they've seen since they left the Canary Islands. John took a picture of them with his long lens, but they were several miles away, so you really can't see much.

Day 4 was a fast one: 161 nm actual (6.7 kn avg) and 138 nm straight-line (5.75kn avg). Our position was 14°21.422'N, 032°51.84'W.

All is well aboard Solstice. Marzen's paw is getting better. On Orinoco Jim is well, but the genoa got a rip in it, so that has slowed him down.

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com