8/12/08

We are back in the business of sailing! We raised the main and turned off the Volvo at 04:00 HST Lat N 35 15 Long W 150 52. The sweet sound of Compromise coursing through the waters has replaced the dreadful din of diesel (apologies in advance for the excessive alliteration). Sandy and I went below to grab a couple hours of sleep before going back on watch at 08:00. Then the fun began. We are driving dead down wind on a heading of 050. Sandy made the call to pole out the jib so we could fly wing on wing. HAL was on the helm as Sandy went forward to set up the lines while I worked the fore guy and afterguy and raised the pole. This boat is a beauty as she sails with wings spread and we ride the wave trains. Nothing like the race but winds are a consistent 10-15 and occasional 15-20. Matt has our surfing record thus far with me in 2nd. Driving is more taxing down wind but we are all doing our share. It's hard to do more than an hour at the helm. I miss the Compromise Curtsey.

On the third day of the return I put together a little betting pool for the crew. Our weather guy has predicted a return lasting 15 days, 10 hours. Sandy, calculated we covered 248 miles in our first 48 hours. Crew members were given this information and asked to determine the date and time when Compromise crosses under the Gate. Wager: $3.00
Dave: 8/24 at 15:00 hours
Lorraine: 8/21 at 15:00 hours
Matt: 8/21 at 06:54 hours (Matt's a funny guy)
Sandy: 8/19 at 18:00 hours

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