As they say “LAND-HO” !!!

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Ken’s update, Tuesday AM:

“After a week of great sailing we could sniff the Azores but the winds were not cooperative. two days of wind holes and glassy water with spurts of low winds. since the alternator fried out five six days ago the only electrical power generation is “AQUA GEN” – a generator dragged behind the boat (read: an anchor when the winds are lite).

No refrig – no icy beer, no auto pilot all crew steering – nothing worse then driving a 40 foot boat with 2.7893098 miles per hour of wind. slowly consumed our few gallons of diesel trying to motor to the wind “hot spots”. Curtis was popping the spinnaker out with every whisper of six knots of wind. We can now fly the spinnaker and douse with a crew of two (plus the appropriate amount of beer – warm or cold). Me I am half way through the “life and times of Muhammad” done with “Outliers”.

Finally last night the wind started fill in – six then seven, eight finally kicking ten plus. boat speed of six plus – real sailing again ….. and no rain. On shift at six am by nine “Land Ho”. Monte de Guia appears in the fog only thirty miles away. if the winds continue we will be at Pete’s Bar by five this afternoon. we left St. Georges harbor Bermuda for the second final time at five on Tuesday two weeks ago – in the rain, motoring without wind. two thousand ocean miles in two weeks ain’t bad!

Ken”

Saturday, Skipper’s update!

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Finally, after several days of one-liner e-mail check-ins, a Skippers Update!

“three days of twenty five plus winds – the spray alone was a monsoon in the happening. At night – no moon, screaming winds, seas of eight to twelve and No Moon. Like sailing in a black ball – absolutely no sense of direction – up/down/right/left all the same. On three hours, three hours in the cockpit for safety (hate to lose someone so always two in the cockpit) and three hours sleeping in water but ……. the grateful red was cruising. knocking off miles – heading east.

Last evening the sun peaked thru, quaffed some of the ’77 port – looking good. But no – started to rain for hours, not only a black sphere but a limited visibility black sphere. Only point of note was when a tanker passed by at mach three. By the time the cockpit screamed – boat on the starboard – it was gone. Passed within a mile – looked like a moving spaceship coming out of the mist disappearing into blackness.

Sun came out today and the boat looks like a Chinese laundry – clothes hanging from every line drying. winds are dying as we head into the Azores high pressure system. back to flying the spinnakers and drinking semi cold beers (alternator failed a few days ago living on Fronz’s Aqua generator – quite a machine but limited electric power). the Master Chef has been feeding us wonderful seal meals – very tasty. “if you are going to work the animals you have to feed us”.
Less then three hundred miles to Horta – Ken”

They are still optimistic for a Tuesday AM arrival in Horta! Hurray from all of us Land-crew!

Official Skipper Update

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Three days of overcast and rain mixed with sprinkles means everything is wet – clothes, underwear, you – boat, deck and cockpit are covered with dew and we are thousand miles from Bermuda, a thousand miles from Horta. crew settles in the settee for their three hours of “sleep” only to find Gigdeon 50 – no I mean a fish carcass in the cabin. Fish carcass means a new wet blanket for sleeping (dead fish is below our lowest acceptance level) and more wet sleep.

Up today for my early shift – sky looks clear winds are hummin at 20 plus and Jack ( now referred as thre “master” chef) makes pancakes, butter and syrup – oh did I mention butter from our icy fridge. spirits revive – autopilot is off and the crew is the driving on a big beam reach at 20 knot plus wind . all grateful red sailors know this means only one thing – skeletons in the closet CD, icy cold Heineken’s and we are sunnin in the cockpit.

soon only the old guys are in the cockpit, we are on our third repeat of skeletons and the master chef requests a music change. Out comes the shiny red ipod with “new” music. Let It Bleed, Beggars Banquet and Sticky Fingers and cold PBR’s – Rolling down the ocean a thousand miles from everywhere. Perfect