Newport to Bermuda: Day 4

November 4, 2012

Finally the seas and wind have calmed down a bit (13 knots and 5-8 ft swells).

Thanks to all this damn wind, we are well ahead of schedule and are looking to hit Bermuda tonight!

I had a bit of a scare last night on my watch (3am-6am). The batteries died and we lost auto-pilot all of a sudden. The boat, in an instant, rocked a 120 degree turn to windward and we were in the no-sail zone (from a broad reach) with the sail flapping around like mad. Scared the s*** out me. I had to jump on the helm and get her back into control before we tacked. So that kept me awake for the rest of my shift that night.

Today has been beautiful sailing, great last day out before arriving in Bermuda.

I have hung my clothes all over the cockpit to dry them from the rough weather the last few days. I also did the old ghetto 'bag over your socks" trick to keep your socks dry from your wet shoes.

It's even warm enough now for shorts and a t-shirt (at least for me, everyone else is still wearing pants and a jacket).