Sa' fine day to rise at sea!

Steel grey giants roll up behind and under, sea birds swoop and dive, a stout rig pulling strong over the lumpy water. Tall clouds ring the horizon all around. It's clear above. The descending moon giving way on one side of the sky to the rising yellow sun climbing the other. I drink my morning coffee in the cockpit, coming on watch. Its beautiful. Its powerful. And is only today, the morning of day three, that we have emerged from the tough, head down, get-the-job-done transition of putting to sea. Only this morning am I able to appreciate it.
It's been two heavy weather days, nothing like a storm, but brisk. Winds hovering between 20 and 30 knots building big seas in an unbroken fetch of thousands of miles. We are sailing on a beam to broad port reach, with triple reefed main, and sometimes, when the wind abates, staysail. This sail combination gives us enough power to sail along comfortably at 8 knots, and is easily changed up and down with the wind. And we have had rain too, lots of it, washing away the salt temporarily, it only to be replaced from the constant spray from waves running into the boat's topsides. Even in the cockpit, we get it too, a good dousing of salt water, randomly.
Everyone standing up well, looking forward to having the winds abate, and to having the sun prevail.
Position: S 13 38.55 E 091 37.14 Course 250, Speed 8 knots. 1660 miles to go. Cress