A Note From The Boat
(Our Managing Editor is the Navigator aboard US 68, "Vicki")

Sunday, July 11
1:40 PDT
Lat 25 21 N
Lon 147 29 W
611 nm to Honolulu

We have come to accept that the great white north had no benefit. In an effort to claw back in we gybed onto port and took another swipe to the south and then after several hours the wind filled and yesterday afternoon and night were exceptionally spectacular.

Some highlights of the evening. We (Skip, Steve, Nick, Dave & Tyler) came on watch at 8:00 and had about 2 hours of daylight (PDT). It was blowing 25 to 27 true and we were screaming along at a 17 kt average with the heavy air runner asyo runner (A-4). The other watch had its hands full so we were a little apprehensive. Skip took the helm and it was about as easy a job as we have seen. We have about 8 different numbers to watch on a variety of read outs. We typically sail to the TWA (true wind angle) as a reference and have a compass course for a reference. On starboard tack, we might be steering 270 and then catch a wave and surf at 240 for a minute and then at the bottom of the wave it is imperative to get back to 270 or the boat will find itself in a bad place and death is sure to follow. The five of us rotated every 15 minutes, one on the grinder, one on the spin sheet, one on the main, one driver and one to rest and get anything (like water) for the rest. Every 15 minutes we would switch one position clockwise. Everyone was grinding and pumping on the sheets. It was magnificent. Nick and Steve both hit 20.9 down a wave. It was a real team effort. The fifteen minute rotation gave everyone a trick at the wheel while it was light and then a trick in the dark (twice as exciting!)

The sunset was very cool ahead of us with a bright moon rise behind us. The sea was glistening when shortly after midnight Tyler spotted a light on the port bow and we thought we were coming up on a race boat but the light was red, meaning it was heading toward us. It became evident it was a navy ship and Nick contacted them on VHF. Turned out it was an Aegis Cruiser. We were going 16+ and they were probably going 30+ roughly 1/2 mile away. While they weren't very talkative to Nick, they said that they had seen us.

Our watch ended at 2:00 am and we went below and tried to sleep. The boat is quite loud below and ear plugs are necessary to sleep. Around 3:00 there was a huge bang on deck. Below deck, we assumed it was a rig failure, but the boat kept moving so we were quite confused as to what happened. I was behind Nick waiting to go on deck, when Al, to Nick, said "hold this" and handed him the secondary winch, which had ripped clean off the deck. Although there is now a small crater where the winch landed, we are grateful nobody was injured. It could have been nasty. Turned out, the secondary's are thru bolted with barrel nuts, which sheared under the load.

As a write the wind is down and we are making only 9 knots, hoping to catch Icon and/or Grand Illusion.

Bye for now.

Dave and the crew of Vicki.