July 24, 2008 Day 13

Black Feathers
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Lat/Long: 28.02 N 142.52 W
Distance to finish: 969 12 hour mileage: 70
Course (true): 260 degrees
Speed: 5 knots
Date: 7/24/08

Well, we spoke too soon. Robert was about 1/2 an hour late calling this evening because he broke his fiberglass rudder. He and Black Feathers are fine and now doing 5 knots. He had spent 2 hours removing the broken rudder and installing the refinished original 1961 mahogany rudder that usually graces a corner of our living room. The Monitor (steering mechanism) is now attached to the "new" rudder and all is well, except he is tired and has some housekeeping to do before it gets dark.

AND he also now has a crack in his solar panel, but like him, it's still going strong. with all this, he still managed to get 60 miles closer to Kauai today. What a guy! HOWEVER, he will probably sail a bit cautiously the next couple of days. Should this rudder fail, the Monitor would be able to serve as a back-up.

The first to finish was Dogbark, a 60' monohull, at 6:04 a.m. this morning and Hecla (which is presumed to be the VERY fastest boat) a 54' trimaran is slated to finish this evening. The Dogbark skipper was the first to finish and the first to receive his lei and drink of choice in his SSS mug...he is a happy camper...oops...sailor!

 

Black Feathers
7:00 a.m.
Lat/Long: 28.21 N 141.44 W 12 hour mileage: 63
Distance to Finish: 1029 miles
Course: 250 degrees true
Speed: 5.3 knots
Date: 7/24/08

He's past the halfway mark! He is enjoying perfect wind and mileage and if conditions hold up, he should be in Kauai by the 31st of JULY! Black Feathers is performing as well as Now or Never, his Ericson 32 he sailed in the 1994 TransPac.