Thanks for the several nice thoughts re the video.

Jeannius you are exactly correct on all counts regarding the halyard. What made the process particularly interesting - and which I didn't detail in the video - is that there was only a single halyard (charter boat). With that jammed, I needed a way to get up the mast. So, I disconnected the topping lift to use as a spare to haul me up the mast. However, with the main successfully released, the boom would fall to deck and damage bimini, rails, etc. without the topping lift. So, I had to first run up the mast to a spar in order to secure the boom by rigging a spring line down to the boom as a makeshift topping lift prior to releasing the main. Only then could I use the topping lift to run up the mast. So, the whole exercise was a bit lengthy. But that's what you get with a charter-oriented boat! Frankly, that's why I spent over 2 days on the front of the trip (and really, weeks in advance) preparing for the trip knowing that I would have to handle any issues that came along. (And there were several other issues that I had to fix or figure along the way.)

BTW, people have asked what our favorite destination was - while a tough decision with so many great destinations, it would have to be Guadeloupe including Deshaies and the Saintes...

As for Southern Cross - I can only hope...we'll see whether that's in my future...

Best,

Kevin