Big Alex perspective of a night shift on the massive passive Pacific. To be honest anything but passive. We have been cruising along at a blistering pace, at 2:30 am we achieved our 2/3 mark of 2000nm. So we are on the home stretch to Marquesas. My night watch is the infamous 2 - 5 am. The moon has just risen, lightening the night skyline. It’s a clear night, not had many of those. The stars and planets are out on full display. But cold! Dragonfly, our fellow sailing compatriots, an Oyster 56, are a mere 1.4 nm to our starboard. Comforting to know . Tonight is a calm sail 7.8 knots. Bliss compared to the past several nights or week, when we were doing on average 10 - 13 knots boat speed, eyes glued to the instruments on the helm. Focusing on apparent wind angle, true wind direction, apparent & true wind speed. GPS Course over ground to boat speed. Sails are set. Auto pilot is on wind hold. She needs assistance at times, small incremental - a couple degrees to a boost of 10 - 15 degree, bearing downwind to take power out the sails due to a rogue swell, wind gust or both. Squalls. Calamity if you don’t catch it on time. Parasailor could collapse…. and does, gennekar could just blow & tear as happened on our Atlantic crossing. Thus, razor wire focus required on your 3 hour shift. Stressed and exhausted thereafter. Yet thrilling exhilarating. Massive responsibility. Everyone is asleep. Love the solitude, the roar of the ocean and wind. It’s just you sailing her on course.

Awesomeness!!