Here's my rendition...two weeks later...and don't get me wrong...I am ready to go again!

I survived Grateful Red's trip from Horta to Amsterdam. On two occasions I was so scared I shivered like a chihuahua curled up in the aft cabin. BUT (and this is important) though I ranted a couple of times, I never cried!

I am gonna to pack a wallop in this tale...three days out the roller furling blew out of the bow, taking the jib with it. We let the sheets run. The sail blasted like a banshee on the starboard side of the boat, all of the crew thinking the furler casing would knock a hole in the boat. Took all six of us to grab the sheets with boat hook and wrangle the forestay and jib into the cockpit...around the boom. Got the sail off and below and spent the next hour attaching what was left to the bow with whatever shackles we had on board. Rigged a storm trisail on whisker pole so we were running "main" on "main" when downwind.

Didn't know if the whole rig would come down but the carbon fiber mast stayed strong. Two nights later under heavy winds and seas the capt. jibes the boat not once but twice and then the mate does the same. Instruments froze. Sailing in rain, no horizon, no stars or moon. The boat just rounded up. People had a sort of vertigo. Blew the cars out of the traveler.

Next day, Matt (what a brick) fashioned some shackles out of dyneema (space age line) and that's how we limped along. We managed to fly the spinnaker when wind dropped below 12. With the funky trisail, we still managed to pull 9-10 knots surfing. And, I am not kidding, autopilot failed (on and off) and we hand steered 1300 miles. Last two days, we discovered boom was pulling out of the mast. Trashed for sure!!!

Crew did 3 hours on 3 hours off. I spent 12 hours a day in foulies. Cold and crazy. Saw whales five times and laser light dolphins blasting through bio-luminescent plankton. What a light show at night! Averaged 6-7 knots overall. I told you racers were nuts. Pulled into Ijmuiden 12 days after setting out. Trip...Sun. night 10 p.m., July 13; arrived Fri. night midnight, July 31. Crew headed for Amsterdam and was "baked" all day Sat. Spent all day Sun. on repairs which capt. had worked on via sat. phone and email.

I headed to Haarlem and spent time in countryside on bike. Fab. Now home in sunny California, wishing I could do it again! Keep in touch. I grew some balls, serious enough to sail on anybody's boat!! Today I bought women's bibs with a drop seat and an off-shore life vest of my own. Hey...West Marine was having its summer end sale.

I am sorry I'm missing the Oslo party. Really sorry. But I am ready for the brings back in 2010 after the Med.