Day 139 Sailing

Position @ 1900 - S14º42 W167º33
I can't tell if it is today or yesterday. The two days are twins. Eat, read, sleep. Eat, read, sleep. I'm ready for a hike, a good game of tennis, a run, a swim or anything to get some exercise. During my watch, when I am alone in the cockpit, I often do some exercises to keep myself awake and to get the blood moving but otherwise, there is not much to do when the weather is perfect and the boat is moving along without human intervention.
The most constructive thing I have done in the last two days was a complete inventory of our stores which I compared with the provisioning list we compiled in Puerto Vallarta. Added to this is the knowledge we have gained along the way of what we like to eat and what we can keep without spoilage. The result is a fairly comprehensive list (gee, Michael made a list - there is a surprise) of the provisions we need to get when we get to Pago Pago. This will be the second "big provisioning" with the first having been in PV. We are expecting more favorable prices and selection than we have seen in French Polynesia and the Cook Islands so I hope we will not be disappointed. Up to now, we have used the staples we got in PV and added the things that are perishable or that we can easily find along the way plus those items that we cannot stock enough of in one go.
We will pass by Rose Island in the middle of the night so we have chosen to bypass this uninhabited atoll and push on to Pago Pago.
I found a star chart (not a very good one) in the Puddle Jump book so I have been trying to find stars in the Southern Hemisphere sky. I can easily recognize those constellations that I am familiar with in the Northern Hemisphere like Orion, the Big Dipper, Scorpio, Sagittarius and stars like Arcturus and Spica and I was able to find the Southern Cross and the two stars Hadar and Rigil Kentaurus that point to the South pole but I am unfamiliar with anything else that is only visible South of the Equator. Regarding the Big Dipper, I can only see the handle as the two stars that point to Polaris the North Pole star are below the horizon from this latitude. When I am on watch, there is not a lot to do except watch out for other ships and to keep track of the weather so star gazing is a good pastime. For the last week or so, the moon has been waxing and the stars are very visible. Also readily visible are the planets Venus and Saturn. The latter is currently next to the red star Antares in the constellation Scorpio and during my watch is almost directly overhead. I always remember Antares because it was often mentioned in the science fiction stories I read as a kid. I think the red color made it seem mysterious and foreboding.
So much for my night time musings.