Day 9 Morning from Al

Well it was tale of two nights.  First until the 0200 shift change it was delightful, balmy 15-20, some stars then the bats left and the sharks took over.  Mother nature had something in store for the sharks.  Squalls, winds to 35, shifts but Alex was something for this duck to watch.  He assumed the Jedi master role and just kept Kotuku (mostly) on her feet and just motored forward on Lightspeed, doing steady burst of 12, 14 knots for minutes at a time.  Absolutely magnificent to watch.  The bats came back on at 0500 (we have shifted watches ahead one hour to try to keep a little sync with the daylight) and were prepped for their watch.  Mother Nature had other ideas.  About one hour into the watch a squall came through with winds over 35 and in a hurry to get the kite down things didn't quite go according to plan.  No harm, no foul in the end though other than a minor rope burn to Alex's hand.  We went along for almost an hour under main only through daybreak (still hit 16 knots) while we did some checking.  Sent Nick up the mast for a rig check with all the stress she has seen over the last few days we thought it would be prudent.  Eli did an adjustment to the steering pedestal which was making some unwanted noises and also causing concern.  We set the S4 and then changed to the A2 shortly thereafter as the winds continued to ease back to 15 knots.  600 miles to go, be safe, Al