Avanti is back home and with her ten crew is safe and sound.

From the Navigator's desk:
It is 3am, Jim & Scott are at the helm moving us along nicely at 7 knots under storm trysail and reefed genoa. Rest of the crew exhausted, sleeping anywhere including the floor. Boat seems to be performing well. Bilge is dry and the team came up with a excellent jury rig support for the steering box. Looking at the weather to route us back to MDR as fast as possible but also not stress the boat any more. Knew things were somewhat normal last night when we still had an excellent dinner made by Andy consisting of pork tenderloin, rice, and vegetables.
Keep you updated as I can.

Travel Plans to Hawaii

Family & Friends of Avanti:
We have limited satellite minutes so here is a summary of the crew's desire for travel plans to Hawaii. Separate emails will follow to you personally:
Will - Family go, he will meet you there.
Jamie - Family shouldn't go, he will not
Jeep - Family shouldn't go, he will not
Bill - Family go, he will meet you there.
John - Undecided
Jim - Family go, he will meet you there.
Gary - Undecided
Andy - Family shouldn't go, he will not
Jason - Family go, he will meet you there.
Scott - Family go, he will meet you there.

We are estimating an arrival in MDR in 5-6 days. Will be able to email again as we get closer.

Travel Plans to Hawaii

Family & Friends of Avanti:
We have limited satellite minutes so here is a summary of the crew's desire for travel plans to Hawaii. Separate emails will follow to you personally:
Will - Family go, he will meet you there.
Jamie - Family shouldn't go, he will not
Jeep - Family shouldn't go, he will not
Bill - Family go, he will meet you there.
John - Undecided
Jim - Family go, he will meet you there.
Gary - Undecided
Andy - Family shouldn't go, he will not
Jason - Family go, he will meet you there.
Scott - Family go, he will meet you there.

All OK but withdrawing from the race

Team Avanti has withdrawn from the race. We have a problem with the rudder post and feel it would be safer to return home than to continue. All the crew is safe and helping plot our return. We believe this will take 4-5 days. We are in touch with the race committee and USCG Alameda. I will try to update this blog everyday with our progress.

Thanks to Bill and the crew, they have been able to repair the computer and have restored some of the navigational software. With great tenacity, they searched for 48 hours to find the problem, which turned out to be water leaking into the panels behind the computer. The fact that they were able to bring computers back to life after water damage is a win in itself. #winning Read more at http://ift.tt/1RvpCls #avanti #avantitohawaii #jeanneau #sailing #racing #team #gill #transpac #transpac2015 #hawaii

via IFTTT

Thursday Wrapup

Team Avanti really has her sea legs now! We've settled into a great rhythm with the boat moving 9-10 knots under white sails. It may be a little early for the spinnakers, but we've noticed a change in the sea state heading behind us which is a good indicator for the start of a downwind run. We also came across Transformer, our competitor, and had a little match racing in the middle of the ocean. All the guys came floating up from below to hike out on the rail until we pulled away from her. We haven't seen much else out here:  One or two freighters, a floating log, and some old fishing buoys. We still have limited use of our navigational software, as water got into the panels behind the computer and fried some of the electronics. We've been able to find a work-around for most everything. As you can see from the tracker, we are on a Northerly route above the rhumb line and we're hunting for bigger winds in the days to come. Will it pay off? Stay tuned.