Thanks Alan, I was beginning to worry about you guys. I did relax quite a bit when Geoff D. (viva 27 Tyger-Tyger) told me that he had spotted you heading in toward shore as if you had aborted.



Funny thing though, I asked Geoff "where, San Diego?" to which he replied "Oh no! it was only a little ways out." I guess everyone was covering so much ground that it didnt' seem as though they could have been so far south already.



I'm sure glad that all you fellows backed out as you did. Being too cold that early in the game would certainly have led to big problems.



Regarding chicken lines and controlability: Can you imagine how difficult it would have been to manage in the dark? Geoff said the moon came out occasionally, but was not always out.



Geoff also broke his spin. pole. Jerome had gone forward to douse the jib in preparation to rehoist on a spare halyard after breaking the jib halyard. He was standing on the pole when the connection between the jib bridle and spin. pole let go.



The pole droped with Jerome standing in place on it, and came to rest on the emergency trampoline. He was unhurt.



The skipper however, was hurt when this meant that he would again, for the second year, have to sail the entire course without a spinnaker.



Did you hear that a Rave made an attempt?



Here is second hand information on it that I just received:

---

Mark has tried unsuccessfully to reach you by e-mail. He would like to

make a reservation for camping at Catalina with you. Did you here about

his aborted race to Ensenada last Friday? He was sailing his Rave (like

Grant's), hitting 30 knots at times (according to his GPS), passing

everything in sight. However, the waves built up so steeply that he was

piling into their backs, having to pump continuously. He decided to "let

discretion be the better part of valor," wisely pulling into Oceanside

Harbor. I have been having some very fast sailing lately but nothing like

that.

---

Really glad you are safe and sound Alan!



GARY