However, I am going to give you a bit of a story on our trip from Panama to NYC.

Well, in the dead of night, (10pm) 9 Clipper boats slipped out of Shelter Harbor with the remaining three still making their way out of the Panama Canal.  We were to gather for a 3pm start the next day after the remaining 3 caught up (yes we were supposed to be motoring slowly toward NYC).

3pm comes and due to 2-3 knots of wind start is postponed until 6pm.

6pm arrives with 3-4 knot winds so start postponed, instructions to continue motoring towards NYC and start will be at 5am.

5am and still 3-4 knots of wind so postponed to 7am.

7am and the winds have built so we get a start off in 15 to 20 knots!  YEA though our start was not so great.  However we have a few thousand miles to go so we will just smile and get on with it.  We reached off under the fleet (yes we were really out of it) and moved to the westside .  Then, in the first couple of scheds (the 6 hour info on all our positions) we show up in the lead.  Now how did that happen?

Oh yes, we now have Rich, the media man on our boat. Sorry about that jump in thought.  Just needed to let you know that he was on.

Rich is interviewing Han, Justin, Skipper Matt and me for this race.  He changes boats each race and is working on a documentary for Clipper.  He is insisting I am involved because I am the wisest but we all know it is because I am the oldest!

June 1st- LMax,, Derry, Garmin and DaNang gast and soon they are in the lead.

June 2nd- Wind still awesome and great sailing and still on starboard tack which is great for me in the bunk I have!!!  I am less likely to fly our or fall out of it while sleeping.

This evening we saw a long thin phosphorus greenish yellowish thing in the water alongside the boat.  Not sure what it was but once again Mother Nature is showing me new things.

June 3rd- lots of changes in positions on this race and most fun of all still lots of boats in sight!! (this is not a normal happening).  Winds going from good to nothing to really shifty, etc.  Good thing as it keeps us alert and on our toes.  We have now passed between Haiti and Cuba with the Bahamas next.

Interesting tactic as Matt decided not to cover LMax, Derry, Great Britain and DaNang as they go west.  I am thinking oh no, another flyer.  We should be up there with Dennis Conner for not covering.  However, this one PAID OFF!  Unbelievable!  The boats west went into a giant hole and we keep moving toward NYC and are now in the top 3!

June 4th- Today on watch we are treated to an amazing dolphin show!  Even had a couple jumping about 15-20 feet out of the water.  This is truly better than Sea World.  Not sure why, but everyone becomes like a kid watching the dolphins.  Cameras come out, we run to the bow and watch them crisscross under, around and in front of the boat while others swim alongside and leap out of the water every once and a while.  Do they have radar or incredible instincts that they can swim so fast together and turn without running into each other.  (Reminds me of marching band days and wondering if kids are going to turn wrong way and run into each other…..yes I have seen that happen!)

Great stars tonight with 3 shooting stars.  Question for all since I can’t google currently. The bright planet that has slowly been moving over the weeks from inside Scorpio to currently above Scorpio is? Mars or Saturn ? or something else?  Also is Ceres a star?

This race has been great fun as we maneuvered our way past Visit Seattle and then ended up in a great duel with Garmin for 1st place.  Besides being able to see Garmin and having  fun, we discovered that we could reef main and have smaller Yankee up and still be very competitive and fast.  Now if we can just transfer that knowledge to the last few races!

 

You thought you would not have to see anymore sunsets?  Wrong.  Don’t you love the way the colors change?

 

 

Just thought I would entertain you with a few of our meals.  The one that looks a bit pasty is my version of raisin bread that I was in process of making.  It turned out well and even got compliments!  Don’t ask me what they might be, just enjoy your food at home and understand why we get so excited to get to shore and take pics of the food we eat!  It can’t be all that bad though as we all clean our plates and some even ask for seconds.  When I ask for seconds it is a calendar event for the cooks for that day.

OK, they look the same, but if you look carefully there are some slight differences.

Along the way form Panama, we started noticing flies on the boat.  A new first.  Not sure why, but they were multiplying every day.  Really annoying! Soooo,

Linda the fly killer at work.  This became my self appointed daily job! Others tried also but I was the master!  Toward the end of the race we found out why.  We had eggs still on board from Seattle and they had become a bit disgruntled on not having been eaten thus they rotted and became a fly incubator.  In comes Sean and carefully and stealthily cleans them up and tosses them overboard and almost instantly the fly numbers decreased until a few days later we became fly free!!

Kat signaling what trim is needed (I love this way as I don’t have to hear) while Mike later on trims the kite with Great Britain to our starboard side. (just throwing the starboard in so you non sailors can think thru this)

John pushing me to my limits on grinding.  He is really strong!  If these pics were bigger you could see the expressions on my face as I tried to keep up with John.

Another beautiful day with everyone relaxing.  John reading, Lynn in the beanbag pretending she is trimming and then Lynn and Jen showing off their trimming skills.

Going to start a Part 2 as I think this post is going to keep you busy for a while.

It is a beautiful day in Derry.  First day with Sun most of it!