Report from Rich McVeigh:

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After waiting all day for wind it filled in quickly. They sent us out in 22 and started a sequence. 1 minute into the sequence it went nuclear. We saw it coming and gybed in 30+, then managed to get lined up on the start line. From there it really got nuts. 1/2 the fleet got destroyed. They abandoned with 20 seconds left in the sequence. RC stopped taking wind readings at 46 knots.

It was totally survival just to get back to the beach. We couldn't even trap at all. Big waves and huge gusts. Ken [Hilk] and Diane [Bisesi] flipped twice on the way in. During flip #2 Diane got hit in the face and broke both her front teeth. She was taken off on a chase boat and Mike Siau jumped onto Ken's boat with no life jacket and no harness. He got picked up off the beach to help.

Diane seems ok other than being really upset. She was taken right from the beach to a local dentist and is in with the dentist right now.

It's 1:32 now. All the boats are finally accounted for and back on the beach. They have postponed all racing until 4:00 but they are dreaming. It's now blowing 50+ and the sand is blowing so hard it will hurt you down on the beach.

Other than Diane, I saw a few people at the ambulance getting fixed up but didn't seem to be anything serious.

After three days we have now sailed a grand total of 1 race in light wind and we have been abandoned twice.

SI's say the round robin will continue until all competitors have four races, so no cut tonight. Maybe no cut all week!

We made it in fine, no flips just slow going. We managed to loose a jib batten though and I am sure they are going to ding me for that. The jib battens on these boats are held in with velcro and not ties. One of mine just got ejected.

There is also a big forest fire just west of us. So when the wind comes, so does the smoke. It smells and hurts your eyes.

Rich