1943utc 9/50N  35/23W,  9.1knots @ 340T, staysail, 3 reefs in mainsail, 20-25 knots ne wind. Finally into what I recognize as trade winds, cresting seas, blue water, blue sky, fluffy white clouds. On edge between 2 reefs and 3 reefs, but going to stay with 3 to make it easier on boat. It doesn’t mean the tremendous crashing will go away, but maybe it will be just a bit less bumpy if we happen to rocket off waves. 

Spoke to the bulker Sea Hamery this afternoon, bound from Portugal to Brazil for 140,000 tons of iron ore, 25 crew aboard, good looking ship, in ballast. 

Cleaned the desalinator with biocide today, trying to keep ship systems going. Turning off computer between communication and weather sessions to save battery amps. Have forward ballast tank 1/2 full to help in the pounding upwind, have some apparent leak in the starboard side of the tank it seems, so trying to keep the water off that side. When we get to the lifting trades, will look again up forward. Took 25 buckets of water out of starboard compartment after the big blow off Brazil.

Not making a very good course right now, but trying to keep going, laying the boat over a bit to let her land on her side, not her bottom, and keep the speed going. Four-day weather charts show a bizarre circumstance which will not be helpful, with the Azores high practically looking like it will move over to somewhere off New England, so we can’t go north and wrap around like the others. We will have dead upwind, where those who have already finished the race had downwind conditions. We’re not excited about that. Doesn’t look as though there are too many alternatives, though, because to the east is a dissipating high which will have no wind in it. Maybe things will change from those forecasts. Hope so.