Hi Everyone, Tom here. Liz and I had an easy 2am-5am watch today. We started with winds of 25-30kts out of the west. Liz saw a number of shooting stars, one of which lasted for 2-3 seconds! Winds moderated down to 15-20, but the skies darkened. We donned foul weather jackets in anticipation of storms, but all we got was a few sprinkles. Michael and Dana relieved us at 5am.
The morning started to shape up like one that sailors dream about. The sun came out and winds picked up to 25-30 kts with a nice following sea. I am reminded of the old US Army commercial that said “we do more before 9am than most people do all week.” Well, I think we have that beat. Dana was in a driving groove and really had the boat moving and gave some us some great driving tips. Michael then broke Matt’s speed record from yesterday with a recording of 17.6 kts. Dana broke that a few minutes later with 17.8 kts. Not to be outdone Michael then achieved 18.2 kts!! Dana exclaimed “this is the best time I have ever had sailing!!” Michael had a grin that was absolutely ear to ear.
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. Bill popped his head up and said “sorry to take away the punchbowl just when the party is getting started” but we should put in a second reef. Seas were building and we were seeing gusts up to 34kts. We got everyone on deck and Michael carefully explained what every crew member needed to do. Bill steered the boat upwind and we took in the reef under some pretty heavy conditions. Just as we were all congratulating ourselves, Dana alertly noticed that the second lowest mainsail car was bearing an unduly heavy load. Left unchecked this could put the sail under heavy strain and possibly cause damage. We all repeated the procedure and fixed the potential problem. Excellent teamwork by everyone on the crew and a great call by Bill. The boat is now appropriately powered and we are coasting along comfortably. All this before breakfast! Speaking of which, time to go eat.
Thanks for all the good wishes. Keep them coming.
St. Martin -> Newport 
WOW, still making great time. You really have hit awesome weather thus far – you picked the right month!
keep up the great posts.
best wishes
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Sounds like great teamwork! Astute and expert sailors! You’ve got a terrific crew, be safe everyone! Xo … no doubt, breakfast was delish 😉
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1 plus one equals 11 ! Great quote I learned recently from my brother regarding teamwork and it certainly sounds like u guys have all that great teamwork going on!! Keep up the great blog! Love reading it!
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Just wondering if you all have adjusted your clocks yet? Also, does a second reef in the main mean everyone clips on?
So glad you’re having such great experiences, and keeping safe.
xoxo
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We have decided to keep ship’s time on ET until Azores, then switch. Clipped in with any reef, and sundown to sunup.love you!
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Don’t know much about sailing but glad to be able to follow your progress. Sounds like things are going well so far. Hope it continues. Praying for a safe voyage.
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Matt is such an old soul, I can picture him sailing across the Atlantic on the Santa Maria!! His skills could come in pretty handy if you have a total power outage and no access to GPS!! Good information to know!!
You guys are going to be so bonded, just like a family, when you get to Spain. Continue to enjoy:)
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I also enjoy and appreciate the sentiments expressed from other family members/loved ones on this blog. (I’m having password setting issues … so can’t ‘like’ individual comments … Eileen, be it known, I ‘like’ ”your comment and those from everyone else too!)
Mary, I was wondering the same thing about being clipped in. Continued prayers for safe voyage! Xo
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Dana: If you wanted wind, then it sounds like you are better off where you are rather than racing on Lake Champlain today in less than 5 knots of wind. Stay safe everyone!
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