June 25, 2007
Hello Friends,
As the sun falls lower in the sky, we approach the Rhode Island coastline. Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard and Buzzard's Bay to starboard, Block Island, Montauk Point and Point Judith to port. It has been a beautiful afternoon of sailing, with a rock-steady southwest breeze allowing us to slide along at between 9 and 12 knots. Gryphon Solo has been revelling in these reaching conditions after struggling upwind for the first half of the race. Dobbs Davis and I have traded off loose 3 hour watches, allowing each of us to catch up on sleep and have a chance for some good conversation, about boats, relationships, work, happiness, boats and other aspects of modern life. We just passed a huge container ship called "China Trading Lines" and reflected that most of its contents was probably going to Wal-Mart. Interesting world we live in.
We are only about 50 miles out now from Newport and are quite ready for a cold beer(s), hot shower and steak dinner- in that order. I understand that the rest of the fleet may have gotten caught up in some light air around the gulf stream and we may have been able to pull out on the pack a little in the last 24 hours, but I don't have the full story. So it is looking like an arrival around midnight tonight if the wind holds- knock carbon.
Hopefully I will have an arrival message on the airwaves tomorrow am.
Sleep well
Joe
