Poor Parasailor

Anastasia
Phil May and Andrea Twigg
Fri 13 Jan 2012 00:14
11:52.8N 75:16.1W  861 miles covered, 240 miles to go
Up until 5:30 this evening everything was going really well.  We were averaging 11 knots and making good progress towards San Blas.  The wind was gradually increasing and we were wondering whether it was time to bring the Parasailor down.  A 35 knot gust made the decision for us - the Parasailor exploded.
 
Then it was everyone onto the trampoline to pull down the tattered shreds of sail.  Parasailors are normally hard to douse, but it is surprisingly easy to get one down when it is in ribbons.
 
Anyway, it was fun while it lasted.  Here is a picture of our wake from the time when we were still being pulled along by the Parasailor.  At times when surfing down waves we saw speeds of over 20 knots registered on the GPS. 
 
Tonight we just have the mainsail with two reefs in it, proceeding at a more sedate 8 knots.