hermit crab and sea horse update

Just a quick note to say thanks for reading. I know you are because I have left two loose ends on the blog and have been asked to finish the stories. First of all, the hermit crab died overnight, and we felt really bad, so I didn't put it on the website. :( We didn't mean to kill him, and the shell is pretty great, so I got over my remorse fairly quickly. Second, we didn't see the seahorses. We did find pipefish, which are a very close relative. They swim horizontally, but have the same horse shaped head. We didn't make it on a night snorkel, so maybe they really only come out at night.

We're off tomorrow for NZ!! That's Tuesdays in the U.S. We're anticipating it taking anywhere between seven and 10 days!! I'm really dreading it, but am as organized as can be. I'd really appreciate prayers for energy, strength and joy. We all get exhausted and on each others' nerves on passage, so this is a bit daunting. This will be the longest sail we've done with the kids, without crew. We might stop in Minerva Reef for a break about 3 days down, so that might be the ticket to sanity. It's all dependent on weather, so pray for 12 days of moderate trade winds with no gales.

All for now, it's time to make dinner. We've learned how to make tortillas, which is great because we love tacos and really missed them after leaving Mexico, but it's time consuming so I better get started.

-kellie

PS- I've gotten out all the warm clothes since it's estimated to be in the mid 60's in NZ right now. Ellie has just popped out of her cabin wearing a stocking cap, a sweatshirt, a coat, sweats and tennis shoes. It's 90 degrees today and I'm sitting in front of a fan as I type!! We'll see how long she lasts.