Equipment Failure

TravelingLight
Randall B Griepp
Mon 5 Nov 2012 12:11

34:08.61N 73:41.214W

November 5 Monday 06:00

Just a brief update until I can write more in detail. The first night the wind direction was unfavorable to follow a direct rhomb line to Tortola. So we jibed around our rhomb line all night while everybody else motored or motor-sailed. As expected most everybody and his brother and cousins passed  us. But we did not mind after all we came here to sail. Early in the morning even the unfavorable wind died and we gave up and started motoring. Half way through the Gulf Stream the wind picked up and we put up the sails going at a good clip and reeled in no fish but most of the boats that passed us during the night. Just as we were patting ourselves in the back David’s stomach started acting up and equipment failure of the bad kind hit. In the middle of a squall associated with the cold front and the low pressure system that every body was trying to escape our twelve year old jib halyard broke.. It took us more than two hours to get the jib down and stored and sort things out while we meandered through the Stream backwards. When Emre saw the track he thought I was steering since he has seen me do this improbable maneuver once; but it was the outo-pilot keeing the wind aft so we could get rid of the jib. Now we are back on course to Tortola and out of the Stream but caught in the low that we tried to escape. All night we battled large waves, thunderstorms with frightening lightning and heavy rain. But the boat and the crew are holding up well; we are heading towards sunny Caribbean. So have no worries; We think we know what we are doing…