To all those who have bee following the blog, my apologies for the silence. Boat and crew are fine and approaching Monterey Bay for fuel. Should be back home tomorrow.

So last Thursday while enjoying a fresh breeze and a fine sunny day, the end of the hydraulic cylinder that controls the rudder and had done a fine job for 35 years decided to crack. We used the emergency tiller while I remanufactured a new end for the cylinder, and while the repair appeared fine it seemed more responsible to head the 410 sea miles back to San Francisco than to proceed 1600 more to Hawaii. The crew discussed the decision and decided this was the best course of action. WhIle disappointing to us all, it seemed safest.

To add insult to injury, that evening while typing my blog the tea pot decided to spill on my laptop during some heavy waves, hence the silent blog. Just getting into cell service now so I can use my phone.

So while the trip back did have some action packed weather moments, all are fine if a bit wet, cold and tired. The rudder repair has held fine, and more than once I wondered if we shold have kept going. But there's always Pac Cup 2018!

Thanks to everyone who bothered to follow the blog, and soery for the stress this caused on Facebook. I'll buy you all a drink to make up for it. Rum all around!