Eiao, French Polynesia 5 Feb 2012 5:13 p.m. 07S59 140W42

Well we’re actually 200 miles due north of Eaio, officially outside of the French Polynesia 200 mile economic zone, but I never sent a message from Eiao, and a position near land is always more interesting in Google earth than a position on passage, just blue blue blue. We did not stay long, due to a north swell that made for an uncomfortable anchorage, and impossible landing. The island looked dry. They’ve had a drought here for a couple years (two la nina’s in a row). Frank said he visited Eaio with the army over 20 years ago, and remembers it as being a tropical green mound with steep cliffs. To me it looked like a desert island with steep cliffs. One zone at the bay where we anchored was green, but it was a small steep area, where some water seemed to be oozing out of the cliff. The surrounding landscape was brown with white tree skeletons. Not a goat in sight.

We’re on a fast beam reach headed straight for the equator actually at about 04S00. This passage should take 12-18 days…but at our current speed, our nav program is predicting less than 10 days. I’m sure the doldrums will impact that ETA upward. We’re again looking for a thin spot in the ITCZ, aiming for the backside of a low moving through up there. We’ll see if our aim is good.

For now we’re healing enough to make sitting here an athletic endeavor. I’m going back up to see if today’s sunset will produce another green flash (I’m hooked).

xoxomo