Tabuaeran II: Bigger and Better

August 4th, 2009 Rough, really rough. At around 4am the sea conditions got so bad that we turned around and started heading back south. However, after a call to Commander Weather, we learned that there was a tropical storm forming between us and Fanning, making Hawaii our only option. So with that we continued on toward home in hectic seas. All throughout the day we had both an eight to ten foot north and east swell joining together and making our lives miserable on board Rosinante. The boat was moving around so much and getting hit so hard by waves that sleeping became almost impossible. Water was constantly washing over the entire boat, which meant all hatches were on permanent lock down. If you wanted fresh air then you put on your slicker pants and jacket and headed up to the cockpit where you were treated to lots of fresh air accompanied by a good salt water soaking every few minutes. The night was just as rough as the day if not more. Every loud bangs caused by Rosinante ramming through waves woke us out of our attempted sleep immediately and some crashes were so loud that they shook us to the core and made us wonder just how much abuse the boat could take before giving way.I can safely say Rosinante can take a serious amount of abuse. At around 10pm the second reef in mainsail blew out in the twenty-five plus knots of wind, though it was the hard and sudden changes in direction that did the real damage. After putting in a third reef in the mainsail I scrambled up the mast and crawled to the back of the boom while Kenny tiptoed on the back railing as we put in a safety for the third reef. A few hours later one of the lines that holds the skiff up on back of the boat broke. Luckily for us we had a line going around the skiff to keep it from swinging that just barely prevented the bow of the skiff from going into the water. With blurry eyes, a strong wind blowing, and waves crashing over us, Riley, Kenny, and I were able to get another line on the skiff and hoist it back into position. It doesn't look pretty but it works and that's all that matters. At 4am the pulley for the third reef blew out. The good thing though was that just the pulley had blown out and the straps that held the pulley on the mainsail were still in good condition. I climbed up to the cockpit and took over at the helm as Kenny rigged up another line to reef down the sail. After the third reef was fixed I headed back down into the cabin praying that the sun would come up soon.by far the longest and toughest night of our trip.