Day Three - En Route to Canton

Our third day at sea. Winds are brisk - 20 knots or so. Seas are two meters
or more. Once in a while a big wave slams the boat, and she (and we) shudder
loudly in return. But all is well aboard. We move as little as possible in
these rolling conditions...spend at least 22 hours of each day in a
horizontal position. We rise up to look around for other boats.
Speaking of other boats, Eric has decided to join us en route to Canton. We
agreed to race and to have a fish derby en route. We pulled ahead on day one
and haven't seen him since. Can't hail him on the radio. But, without our
lines in the water, we're definitely not going to win the derby. But neither
of us can fathom cooking fish in these conditions, let alone filleting one.
But we need a bit of help for this race. Can any of you racers out there
tell us what our handicap is?? I think the waterline of our 1980 Cape Dory
36 would even out the odds of the sleeker fin keel of his 1969 Cal 33.
Anyway - if any of you happen to have a sense of which of our boats have to
give up some time (and how much), it would sure add to our excitement out
here! Feel free to post in the comments, or send us an email.
As I write this we are abeam of a small island in Tokelau. The island does
not offer a protected anchorage, except in the mildest conditions. But we're
still going to get in a little closer and see...perhaps we can stop for a
moments rest to cook up a proper lunch (i.e. Ramen noodles).
We're almost 1/2 way to Canton. If you're looking for it, it is in the
northern Phoenix Group of Kiribati.

Currently, it is 1130 Samoan Time (-11UTC) on July 18.
Our position is 09 22.57S and 171 18.66W.
Our heading is 356 (well, except for this little side trip looking for a
lunch spot).
Our average speed is a smoking fast 5.6 knots.
John just caught a huge wave, right in the face. Gotta go. :O)