Unlike yesterday, I did not sleep much last night. We were hit by heavy squalls with some thunderstorms that made for a mega-spectacular show. At one time when I came in the cockpit to correct course in preparation for the next squall blow, I almost stumbled over a bird! He quietly sat there in the cockpit, did not fly away but kept sitting in my way… He refused to eat and drink, not even opening his beak for herring in tomato sauce… Because he is in the habit of pooping a lot, I baptized him ‘Messy’. Now many squalls later, I am anchored in Vanuatu and ‘Messy’ is still there. As expected, I cannot clear customs before Monday, so I will enjoy a quiet evening aboard with calm winds and a great view of Port Vila.

Laura