Leander is at 22 01 North, 26 25 West, on a course of 260 magnetic. We sailing at 7 knots on a broad run, in 22 knots of wind (gusting 25) taking the wind off of our starboard side. We are sailing under jib only

All is well. Leander continues to bound eastward over bump seas. Picture a springer spaniel romping up and down through a field of high grass — ever seen that? They bounce like rabbits, and you lose sight of them between jumps, only to jump up like whack-a-moles an instant later, moving this way and that. Leander, seen from a distance, must look like that, in the large, uneven swell that now surrounds us.

It hasn’t been very difficult sledding thus far, but it hasn’t exactly been easy, either, with the seas so lumpy. We are up and about and getting done what needs to be done, but not much more. Usually, at this stage in a passage, we are relaxed and down below and catching up on boat projects. This trip hasn’t been that way this far. Though we are sailing down wind, it feels a bit like getting chased down stairs at some sort of college initiation, getting smacked and pushed as you careen down, trying to avoid those bumps and pushes. OK, they don’t do any long-term harm, but they aren’t so pleasant either! Put us back on the gentle slide of the Pacific Ocean, please. Perhaps the seas will even out as we move into the trades.

But we are making progress, and happy for that. All are well aboard. We have sailed 695 nautical miles, with 2013 to go. We are one quarter done.