Ring around the Rosie 07 55N 118 49W Oct 28, 2013 Evening Amazing how fast things can change. That lovely downwind went light and we were left rolling from toerail to toerail every 20 sec or so; it was awful. After about 4 hours of that, and taking the flogging main down, we gave up going N and at midnight last night went to start the engine, turn E, take out the reefs in the main, and take down the pole. However, the engine wouldn't start�..... We were able to steer the boat E under sail, turn on the foredeck light, and go out on the pitching deck to take out the reefs and stow the whisker pole. An hour later done, except we caused a small tear in our mainsail-forgot to take out the belly lines before trying to shake out the reef. Talk about dumb! Got it taped up and will get it repaired in Mexico. So we fired up our generator because in 8-10 knots, windvanes and trolling generators do nothing. After a long night, come morning we were able to start the engine spraying WD40 in the air intake while starting it, a good trick. We will run it more often just to make sure it will. So weather wise, we are below a large Low in the monsoon trof with counter clockwise rotation. We are going to try to ride it E then NE, and N as it passes by us over the next three days. At least it has 15-20 kts wind from the SW and we are sailing E at 6 kts, second reef in the main. We hope to turn NE in 2 days but will let the gribs tell us when it is safe. At least the rain is washing the salt off. Going this way adds a couple hundred miles to our voyage, but we couldn't do the more northerly direct route, so I guess this is the way the winds are blowing us�.....