24:17:89N 65:47.31W

November 9 Friday 21:00

Last night around midnight we jibed to get back on the East side of our rhomb line to Tortola anticipating the predicted wind shift to North and East further during the night and next day. With the triple reefed Main and substantially furled Jib the boat was underpowered going down wind in spite of 20 knot winds. I unfurled the jib; but progress was still slow and we lost some ground against the other boats that we had passed during the day; unavoidable consequence of sailing short handed with a tired crew. As soon as the Skipper came on watch we shook off the reefs from the main and immediately picked up speed and started surfing down 8 foot swells at nine to twelve knots; Traveling Light was humming like a purring happy cat. During the day the swells diminished in height and the ride became a lot smoother, winds continued to shift and we zoomed along our rhomb line with top speed of 17 knots. The noon position report showed us at 11^th place with eight of the ten boats ahead of us at striking distance if Traveling Light could hold this bruising pace. This greatly helped boost the morale of the crew. The pleasure ride and the dreams of glory was rudely interrupted around 5 pm as we were furling the jib in 25 knot winds in order to depower and slow down the boat.; we were concerned that at these break neck speeds something might break. And that something did break... The shackle binding the main sheet block to the boom disappeared and the boom with fully deployed main got away in high winds; a dangerous situation for boat and crew and a true emergency. “Have no fear”, the Skipper and the intrepid crew are on the case immediately. With a well choreographed operation( I will spare you the details of this operation)  they arrested the runaway boom and re-shackled it to the main sheet block and in short order Traveling Light was back on her way to the races; this time bolder than ever, with a fully deployed jib and only a first reef in the main in 20 knot winds. After all the Skipper and the crew are not about to let small matters (!) , like a runaway boom in the middle of a gale, deter them from showing a respectable finish in this race. We are closing in to the home stretch on a rocket ship called “Traveling Light”!...