We had a good northeast wind, so we zoomed along, pushed by the wind and waves. It was good to be out on the ocean again. Towards evening, though, the wind started getting stronger and the waves larger.
The radar kept intermitting, to coin a phrase. Sometimes it worked perfectly, but other times it didn't work at all. One of the GPS's began acting up. It was the Revolt of the Electronics.
We decided to pass up Savannah and Georgetown and Port Royal, and just make a run straight to St. Augustine, if the weather holds out, so we sailed all night again.
It was hard to sleep, sliding all over the bed and hearing the wind howling. About half an hour before time for me to go on watch, I decided I had better get up, because Roy would want to reef the main, and he'd need me to hold the wheel, but he's always too considerate to call me. He was glad I got up, because he did want to lower the main. When he got out in that raging wind, he discovered that the mainsail was caught on one of the spreaders. For a while, he thought he'd have to go up the mast to free it, but he had me steer into the wind, and after struggling for nearly an hour, he managed to get the sail down. What a relief! The boat was a lot easier to handle then.
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