27:11.7N 18:39.5W  We went over the Start Line at 11am, and were among the first 5 boats, with 200 behind us.  Scott, our tactician, called a great start with Mike on the helm, and Paul, Cap, and Eric trimming….we came across with full sails, main, genoa, and staysail.  The pictures below show before and after the start, we were pretty busy at the start, so no pictures.  At the dock, on our starboard side was “Rusalka of the Seas” registered in Mexico…they had two small kids, and they are presently ahead of us!  Port side, our neighbour was “Caryali” from Italy…a fun couple in the middle of the picture are the owners.  Other photos show how the majority of the fleet was behind us…at least for now!  As the day turned to night, things got pretty rough…we had 35 knot winds, 15 foot seas, sailing a broad reach (wind off the stbd quarter), hitting a speed through the water of 13.6 knots…a new record for Arbella!  Sleeping was very difficult….but we made it through…and now winds have settled to 20 knots gusting from there, with more settled seas as we continue west…..trying to settle into a routine for the next XX days!