Jasmine - DAY 3. Sailing at last.

The wind filled in from the north west last night shortly after my watch began at 0400 and has continued since,the forecast is for it to last 48 hours.
We are heading southwest with the wind on the beam and Jasmine is romping along at 8 knots and behaving as if she is enjoying it aa much a we are.The sea is sparkling in the sun with bright white wavecaps .At last real progress and great sailing.
Last night shortly after watch began,with help of a sky guide we identified Mars low on the eastern horizon. Very bright,large and easy to pick out from the nearby stars. Later Mike heard dolphins blowing in the darkness which prompted us to shield the stern light and look out over the stern.To our delight the phosphorescence in the sea allowed us to see dolphins playing behind the boat,the outlines of their bodies were wreathed in tumbling light which then snaked back through their wake making them look four times their actual length. Its easy to understand how sailors of old could imagine them as something else. Before the wind filled in it became flat calm and Joxer gave zoology lessons by shining a torch into the water and revealing to his amazed spectators a myriad of tiny and not so tiny translucent creatures going about their nightly business having risen from the depths following nightfall.
Excellent fried breakfast from Mike at nine then clean up both boat and boys and now we are steering one hour each in turns to save the autohelm batteries in this fresher weather .Lunched on Cinco Jotas iberico ham with salad cheese and rolls and Jasmine still powers on delighting all.
Good dinner and early nightfall ,nightwatches begin again ,looking forward to breakfast already and a good overnight run as we are still traveling at 8 knots
Wind now northerly and we are beam reaching due west.
-- Tuesday 22 2040.