Mom and dad back on boat...

From Jared: It is with great happiness that the Capt and good lady have returned to ship this morning after an exhausting ordeal of having to fly back to Maine to have emergency surgery on his bicep and tendon. The crew is extremely ready to put Salinas/La Libertad in our wake and begin the 4-5 day journey to the land of Darwin. We anticipate the Galapagos to be everything we have hoped for and more importantly, lacking any mishaps. We'll have to watch our for those mahi-mahi. We've fought a lot of leviathans but nothing compares to the dangers incurred by these beasts that have a way of getting you back once they are in the cooler. Much work was accomplished on the boat by mates Tom and Buck while the Capt and lady were away. Considering how ugly the port of La Libertad is, I reckon it was a good place to endure those monotonous, yet essential tasks. We needed some good news as morale was a little low. Have you noticed life sends you those little pick-me-ups when you're down? Well, it is my pleasure to say that in a fleet of 31 boats "Brown-Eyed Girl" took first place in the race from St. Lucia to the San Blas Islands, a race of 6 days. Way to go Captain and her good crew! We'll try to keep the Captain doing as little as possible as he mends, but you know the Capt.. It's hard to tell him not to fight a fish once hooked or see a problem something that needs to be done and jump on it. I hope the win in the first leg of this journey will quell his desire to run and gun. Something tells me that I am sorely mistaken. I have procured a large quantity of duct tape which will be applicated to the Captain and his chair. Thanks to everyone in your kind letters and actions after dad's mishap. It means the world to him and all of us. A huge shout-out to my brother, Travis, who arranged flights and logistics stateside in a timely fashion and got mom and dad home safely. Remember those long lines I was telling you about in Panama and the problems incurred by them? Well, unfortunately, a boat in our fleet, "Bristol Rose", ensared one and the force of it yanked the drive shaft of the engine out of its housing, driving it aft into the rudder. That's a problem. They were stranded for several days with no wind, no motor, and no steerage. A joint effort by the U.S. Coast Guard and Panama (Panama didn't answer the mayday calls for the better part of a day) has allowed the crew to get towed back to port. With no engine, nor steerage the crew became very ill. Dead in the water is no predicament any of us want to be in. Best wishes to the "Bristol Rose" and crew. We hope to see you all when repairs are completed. Godspeed! "Brown-Eyed Girl" out...