Larry wrote in news:Xns974B55B1C24E9noonehomecom@
208.49.80.253:

Somebody screwed up!

Well, we came, we saw, we got conquered!

First leg went very well and we took off like a shot bumping 10 knots in
the old Endeavour 35 downwind. God it feels great to look BACK to see
the other boats for a change...(c;

AS we approached the last bouy out before Ft Sumter at the mouth of the
harbor, we were into 5' seas, a tide just dragging everyone into the bouy
going the same direction as 40 knot winds, gusting to 45 or so. On the
third attempt to round the bouy, after a couple of brushes where
broaching was being discussed in the cockpit, against all this, THE MAIN
BLEW OUT, even double reefed! Hauling that down proved a real problem as
the little 3cyl Yanmar was near powerless to point the damned boat into
the wind with everything flapping and it simply peeled us off course a
couple of times at full throttle, black smoke pouring out the exhaust.
Pointed into the wind with the Yanmar winding up over 3000 RPM, we were
going BACKWARDS!...(c; The deck crew finally got the main remnants down
and lashed to the boom and I got relief trying to keep the mostly furled
jib sheets from knocking someone overboard up on deck.

Furling the 30% of the jib that was out required the biggest winch in the
cockpit. We saved that. It's fine.

Motoring home, we had to TACK! The 3 cyl Yanmar was just powerless
against the hull and rigging drag in the gale! We finally got back into
calmer waters up the Ashley River past the Battery and that's when I
pointed out that on both port and starboard shrouds there were BROKEN
STRANDS. It's a wonder we didn't lose the mast.

Discounting the thousands of dollars in repairs Cap'n Joe was moaning
about while smiling from ear to ear and briefing us on what NOT to tell
his wife back at the Charleston Yacht Club bar...everyone had a great,
very exciting time. We migrated from the stoic CYC to a nice little bar
with great fish and chips on Vendue Range across the peninsula where I
met this wonderful little creature who is about 5' 1" tall, maybe 90
pounds and all the days' dangers seemed to just slip away into the glass
in front of me.

What a great day...and night....sailing....(c;

Ah, Ben-Gay....it helps the hurt.