Distance traveled since departing Mexico: 1855
Distance to go to Hiva Oa: about 1100 miles
I decided yesterday that we must be the Bubble Boat. Remember bubble boy- the popular movie about the kid in the hermetically sealed environment? Our boat seems to be inside some kind of sealed environment in the ITCZ. For days, we have seen squalls everywhere around us. We've closed up the boat up several times in anticipation of going through them, but somehow we never get a drop of rain. Everything just bounces off the bubble around Totem.
In the unsettled nature of the ITCZ, these cells are the norm. With nothing to obstruct our view from horizon to horizon, all weather systems are very obvious long before they cross our path. They typically bring wind, intense rain, and sometimes lightning. We watch them approach, consider their path against our course, and get ready...only to have them pass in front or behind us. Somehow, the skies over Totem are always blue.
That all ended today- and we were quite happy about it. We have passed through not one, but three squalls...so far. The rain is welcome: it provided a lovely freshwater rinse on our boat and gear. We caught water for showers outside and bathed in the cockpit. The relief from the humidity afterward is delicious. The accompanying wind is sending us merrily on our way, and hopefully toward the southeastern trades...quickly!