Author Toby Hynes
Pic: Photo of the start

As I report out during my noon watch I can describe a great, but interesting, first 24 hours. We estimate we made good about 124 Nautical Miles. Pretty good for a 4 knot wind at the start. I might add, we believe that Comocean was the first to cross the start line (although another boat might debate this fact) in this very tentative breeze condition.

The first few hours required some serious motoring to round the west end of Tortola and Jost Van Dyke. We had made a promise to ourselves to hold at least 5 knots at all times as we meet Joanne, Sue Hoffman and our second shift crew in Bermuda. Before John's delicious chicken stir fry dinner, we had finally found winds out of the East and were setting a great beam reach to Bermuda. Better than the periods of no wind, we had south winds, and better than our period that evening where it was all on the nose.

John and Norm, during their shift, created a little excitement, with a full main and full Genoa as they entered a storm cell. Winds gusted heavily to plus 20 knots. I was downstairs in the bathroom closing windows, and can report it sounded similar to the proverbial freight train. Up above, John was dousing the sails to a more comfortable level, as Joe, in the lee cloths in the salon, took about a gallon in the left ear. As he is recovering from a tough and uneasy feeling start, we found him to be very generous in his comments on our sailing abilities.

Toby and Norm had visitors during their watch. Two extremely large porpoise crossed our bow. To ease Joel's entry into long distance sailing, we moved to a 3\3\3 shift for Norm, John and Toby. Throughout the night we found ourselves watching radar that general suggested we were keeping pace with the majority of the fleet. We could also see mast lights in the horizon east of us all night long. I found that very comforting. Dawn brought us almost parallel to Field Trip, a 44 Antares Catamaran. With today's ESE winds, they are now probably way ahead of us.

Morning has brought better winds, generally easy seas, and scrambled egg with cheese, sausage and toast. Another morning at the "Four Seas Hotel."