It is 7PM and we are about 75 miles from Tortola. We are going slowly now to time our entry during the daytime as it would be more interesting and safer. We were all very excited today with the thought of our approaching arrival.

Last night our boat reached speeds of 9 knots and sailed in speeds over 7 most of the time. From 9AM yesterday morning to 9AM this morning we sailed 170 miles, averaging a little over 7 knots/hr. This has been our record mileage so far.

In the morning the weather was somewhat rough as the Trof had moved southeast of us and we were riding right behind it. We had a few squalls (minor) during the afternoon and passed the Trof (we think) at around 5PM. After, things have quieted down and now we are sailing at 5 knots with winds coming out of the East. This is just perfect since we want to arrive to our first way point by dawn. After this way point it will be about 2-3 hours to get into the Village Cay Marina at Road Harbor.

We spent a lot of time at the cockpit today talking about the things we will do when we arrive. The parties started today -pool party. But we should be able to make the best parties - tomorrow Rum party, Thursday the awards ceremony and Saturday at Virgin Gorda Yacht Club. Do you get the idea that this group is a party group? Well, from what we know, ralliers do like a party specially after being at sea for so many days and in the adverse conditions we faced. There is a lot for which to celebrate.

For many like us, this is the first long distance passage. Being able to make it safe and with our boat in good shape is an accomplishment in itself. We almost did lose our whisker pole. It came out of its cradle and Nancy, with her eagle eyes, saw it flying in the air while we were all sitting at the cockpit. Fortunately, the winds were light at that point and we were able to grab it and secure it. This is one of the many things that Nancy has been able to catch before they became problems, including screws coming out of the mainsheet block, the boom vang, etc. Had these things come loose we would have endured some damage to sails, blocks, etc. So between Nancy's knowledge of sailboats and expertise in seeing problems and Dennis' expertise in sailing, particularly during the heavy squalls, we have managed to get this far with no damage unlike other boats that faced similar conditions as Kikuyu.

It is pretty warm right now. The sea water temperature is around 83 degrees and the air is humid and warm. But with our fans we can comfortably sleep. We are now pretty happy to be approaching land after 9 � days at sea.