Light in the Night

4am: we have the diminishing lights of the two Dutch boats to port, when a new light appears dead ahead. Another sailboat? But the light becomes two, then three. Bulk carrier. And it slides down the radars cursor line towards us. Just slightly to port for the moment we expect his red port light to come into view. Nope, green. Hmmm. We're overtaking a bulk carrier? In any case we change course to port as we see his broadside blocking our view. We don't discuss with "brick walls"!
Some ocean sailors manage to sleep through their nights, no watch on deck. I'd think twice about that now.

Bath day today. The black-sack water is sun warmed on the forward deck. Washed and dry just in time. Suddenly the wind's up and down comes the spinnaker pole on the genoa, and in with two reefs in the main. (Chinese?Translation: we reduce the amount of sail out so the boat won't be so tippy.) The wind is up to 35 knots and the wave height increasing. As the evening approaches.

The night is an oil painting by an 1800's Romantic: Sublime! An almost full moon makes for a bright silvery sea, between the gusty clouds and dark downpours.