Sunday 27th July 2008 50:09.808N005:05.025W.It is a busy time on this sunny Sunday morning in Falmouth, the pontoons are rocking with the constant stream of eager sailors heading for their boats. 

Leaving Weymouth on Wednesday  23rd July we stopped to bunker fuel before heading out to sea and rounding Portland Bill in a freshening easterly. We set full main and poled out the Genoa on the port side. We rompt along, heading west at a steady seven knots. The hydrovane found it difficult to respond quickly enough in the growing following seas, we switched to the autopilot. With wind easterly and gusting twenty six knots, we reefed the Genoa and had another try with the Hydrovane, initially it coped well but a large following sea forced a violent gybe, the preventer at the boom end snapped and the gybe followed with a loud bang, shattering the top mainsheet block. The crew came on deck to help sort out the main with Bob, the first mate trying to sheet in the main, when another sea picked up the stern and forced another gybe to port, without a preventer and the mainsheet traveller free, the boom swung across, the lower main sheet block caught Bob's left wrist with considerable force. In some pain we helped him below and administered first aid, being short handed we furled sail and started the engine to make best speed to Falmouth some twenty miles away. With the help of a fellow member of the Cruising Association (many thanks) we were driven to Trelisk/Truro A&E. After a long wait, triage, xray and examination, our worst fears were confirmed, a broken bone that would require pinning and six weeks in plaster. Reluctantly Bob had to leave Libertad on Saturday with Martin driving a hire a car to get him home in the most comfortable way (thanks Martin). We will keep you updated with his progress and I am sure he will be back with us very soon. With just Jake and myself on board we have been catching up on the endless list of jobs, and waiting for Martin to return this evening before our planned departure to La Coruna/Bayona on Monday evening. On Saturday Jake and I decided to lift our spirits with a ferry ride to Flushing and a walk to Mylor Creek, the ice cream at the marina made it all worthwhile. We had to visit the chandelers to purchase a new set of main sheet blocks.

The sun is shining and the winds are light southwest to west 2/3 with a forecast of similar conditions for the week we will update our blog in Spain.

Best wishes to you Paul