The Thrilla to Anguilla

Holy Seven Seas, (really only two, the Caribbean and the Atlantic).  We were triumphant – just barely!  No trophy, but many horrible memories. Unlike Ali and Foreman’s notorious Thrilla in Manila, only Kai Kanani and her crew bear the evidence of the grueling 15 hour 75.3 mile match. Although battered and bruised from stem to stern, we share this blog post from Anguilla’s idyllic Road Bay, where last night we celebrated our victory with Mommawannas in Elvis’s iconic beach bar.

Anegada Passage,  channel in the West Indies, connecting the Atlantic Ocean with the Caribbean Sea; it is 75 miles wide and separates the British Virgin Islands (west) from the Leeward Islands (southeast). It has the greatest depth (more than 7,550 feet [2,300 m]) of any channel in the eastern Caribbean. The passage is one of the two through which subsurface water enters the Caribbean (the other being the Windward Passage).

Results of the match:  Kevin and Craig are battered and bruised in so many places we can’t even count them.  Our hands and arms are limp from the 15 hour death grip just hanging on for dear life!  Kai Kanani handled the 25 knot winds and ten foot seas valiantly but suffered as well.  The recently repaired bow pulpit deck is once again cracked from crashing through the waves.  At least now we understand the design flaw and can repair it properly.  We lost the main staysail sheet block, which parted violently but luckily caused no other damage.  Topping off the horrendous night, moments after we anchored, but before the dinghy was back in the water, the Stars and Stripes, along with the teak flagpole, waved goodbye forever as they decided to jump ship and float off into abyss. 

We look forward to recovering for a few days.  St.Maarten awaits!

Last memories of the battered Stars and Stripes.   The flag was ready for retirement, but darn, the teak pole was still very much functional!  Please stand and salute our fallen comrade. 

As First Mate Kevin said, better to break everything that's going to break now instead of on our 250 mile open ocean return voyage!  Note the block that should be attached to the traveler. below....

Round two for the pulpit deck.  Recently repaired when Kai Kanani was hauled in Tortola, it's now cracked exactly the same way it was before.  Crashing into the waves many times during the night, the upward forces were too much to handle.  Now we know it's a design flaw, and we can fix it properly next time.  Craig's not too happy....

Wounded warrior.  The deck is not fastened to the steel pulpit in enough places.  We'll add steel top strips and through bolt in three additional places.