Originally we were thinking that we would return to the boat around 10p at night so that we could relax and sleep at El Momo.  However, I really wanted to return to the boat in the light.  We were very glad that we decided to return in the afternoon.  The sea state was quite rough and we were bouncing up and down in the dinghy.  It was probably one of the roughest dinghy rides that we have ever taken.  When we left our boat originally, all of the mooring balls in our area were taken.  When we returned, only one new boat was in the area – everyone else had left.  The weather was predicting that the seas would get rougher and the winds would pick up.  We could see that already happening in the afternoon.

We had a 1:30am wake-up call and were underway by 2a.  The seas were quite rough in the anchorage and it was dangerous to be walking on the deck.  We had the mast light on, so we could see well-enough. 

I was in the front of the boat, and all of the sudden something wet and white brushed against my arm.  I have no idea as to whether or not it was a bird or a fish.  Nothing was on the deck when I was able to turn around and look.  It was quite weird.

 Steve helped me get the ropes off of the mooring ball, as the sea was putting a lot of tension on them and I was unable to pull them up.  I got the ropes to the back of the boat while Steve started sailing us west towards St. Croix.  We wanted to arrive before the sun went down at 6p, which is why we left so early.  We saw flying fish along the way, but not much more wildlife.  We ran into a couple of larger squalls, but the wind really didn’t kick up too much with them.  Every time a squall neared us, we pulled the Jib in sum (reefed it), just in case the winds were to increase quickly.  Then, we sailed the boat from inside the salon until the rain passed.  Then, we would un-reef the jib to pick up speed again.  Because of our schedule, we had to run the motors, along with the jib, for about 2/3 of the trip, which was unfortunate.  We encountered 7 to 8 foot swells, however, because we were going downwind, the ride wasn’t that bad.  We were able to walk around the boat fairly easily.  Unfortunately, I had taken some seasickness medicine before we traveled.  (I woke up with an uneasy stomach after trying to sleep in the mooring field).  Even though the medicine is non-drowsy, I still get tired from it (and I only take a half a pill).  So, I slept for several hours and would wake up to give Steve a break at the helm so that he could nap.