Position 26-28 N 61-46 W 0020 AST.

Hi All,

We just passed Liberty of the Sea. It is a 1112 foot cruise ship lit up like the statue of liberty. Must be a quite intimate group of people. Yukkk not my way to travel.

Today we had a little work to do as our Headsail (front) started to show wear. It is a very heavy sail made for very strong to storm force winds. The biggest job was getting it down and stowing it as it is made of heavy material and on a rolling deck it was hard to fold and roll it small enough to fit in a forward sail locker.

Putting up the other lighter and bigger headsail was easier. Although being whipped by the flogging sail and lines while cranking up this sail to the top of the mast took some effort on my part. It took all four of us to get the sail up. I am glad that the winds were not higher.

Today tropical storm Sean will be located directly over Bermuda with winds 55 and gusting to 65 knots. I am happy we chose to bypass the haven of Bermuda and head east.

The bad news received today is that one boat is still missing, and one had to be rescued.

Another boat that was near us 4 days ago is still far north and will be in heavy weather soon. They seemed to be panicked today as they lost the use of their main sail. It is cutter rigged and still has 2 sails flying. We thought it funny that he asked our weatherman Herb, where they should call for assistance. Like there is a AAA at sea. He spoke to them and asked why they needed help 400 miles from shore and would call them today 4 hours before normal check in time.

Races and passages are rated 0 to 5. A category 5 being a sail around some buoys in a confined area.

A 0 classification is a race like the around the world race, it is classified as a trip with little to no chance of rescue. The passage from New England to Bermuda is classified as a category 1. Little chance of rescue, the boat should be self sufficient.

Most people think that this trip we do twice a year is like the love boat. Unfortunately a 1600 nonstop trip is no joke and every year we hear on the radio some boat or boats in distress.

I believe the boat in distress left New England with a number of other boats.

I am sure they thought there is safety in numbers. However, after a few hours you usually never see another sailboat and you are on your own. I wish them well.

We are about 520 nautical miles north and slightly east of St Martin. We are definitely the only boat that outran the storm. There is not another sailboat between Bermuda and the Caribbean.

Tonight a simple dinner of Baby back spare ribs-I was too tired to cook anything fancy.

Till tomorrow

Eric