Dousing the Spinnaker

For the first time last night the winds changed from a steady tail wind to a shifting head wind.  We had to wake up several times to douse the spinnaker and tighten the sails.  Last night was also bitter cold.  I was wearing four layers of fleece and a jacket, but the wind pierced it like knives.  Today is another beautiful day at sea.  The swells are at a minimum and we are cruising along at a steady five and a half knots.  We have been averaging 6.38 knots along a great-circle route to the Strait of Gibraltar.  This route has taken us north along the coast of Nova Scotia and we are now approaching Sable Island.  (Actually, we just wanted to stop by Matt’s parents in PEI to restock our fridge!)  For those of you following our route via iBoatTrack, don’t worry, we are not off course.  We are actually slightly south of the great-circle route to get better winds and weather.