Oh Yes......

......did I mention that we caught another Mahi-Mahi off Kalapapa and had it for dinner. Went like a rocket across the channel. ETAs going from 0300 to 2300 to 2221. There was some talk of putting up our last (fourth) spinnaker (the "Wedding Dress") and we gave it a shot but a misplaced halyard got in the way of furling the jib and made a mess. When cleared, time was running out and the hoist abandoned. So I went below to navigate the last couple miles to the finish line. Hardly got into my seat when the Skipper's voice from the helm shook the boat, " #$@%&**&$#@$%^$ I'll be $%^&#$%^%$# if I'm going to cross the line with white sails. Get that sucker up there!!!!!!!!!!"

Did I mention that the skipper is a sailor, not a school teacher?

Well, by now we have a pretty good idea when our services are being requested, and about 3 minutes later, with less than 2 miles to go, there she was in all her glory. The Transpacific Mortgage Group super spinnaker. The wind was about 15-18 and we were reaching with the rail about a foot under. The helm and trimmers were screaming at each other to be heard over the noise and the rest of the crew were screaming just for the pure pleasure of it. I've never seen anything like it. My job was to coach the driver across the line and get the time. The buoy went by in a blur, about 30 feet away and that was it.