First gale at sea and still alive!

Well, we made it to Newport, but it wasn't easy! We were finally able to leave Tillamook Bay Monday morning; the bar was open after being closed for days. It was a beautiful sunny day. We went offshore a ways and south a ways. The wind was good and we were finally able to raise our sails and turn off our sturdy, but loud, diesel engine. Boy, this was the life! The quiet, calm beauty and majesty of the wide open sea, a gentle, steady breeze, sunshine, and the kitten pouncing on flies. Yup. It was great. Then about 1600 hours the winds started to pick up. We lowered the main. They picked up more and we lowered the headsail and started the engine. Then we proceeded to experience 14 hours of hell. Well, that's what it seemed like for our second day of being on the ocean! The winds built up to 20 knots with gusts of 30, but it was really about the SWELLS! They were HUGE! 10 foot swells coming from the southeast rocked our little boat back and forth, about 25-30 degrees over! Try and imagine your house tilting 30 degrees over and then back the other way, non-stop for 14 hours! It was quite terrifying! We knew we would be bound to experience some storms while on our journey, but we didn't expect it on our second day, with no warning! There was nothing in the weather forecasts; we were completely surprised and less than a little happy about the whole experience! Michael was a champ at the tiller, while I would venture inside for supplies(food and water) and mental break-downs. Our kitten, Myrtle Marie was quite zen about the whole experience, and calmly waited it out(although she _was_ more affectionate than usual). Michael steadfastly steered until about 2300 hours when exhaustion caught up him and we decided to see if our other crewmember, Tom(our autopilot), was up for the challenge. He handled the situation masterfully, so we proceeded to take 2 hour watches until dawn. It was the most beautiful dawn we ever saw! The winds finally died down, and the sea calmed down, and we calmed down. We made it into Newport around 1530 hours, and land had never looked so beautiful! But on the bright side, we now know that we have the most wonderful boat ever made by human hands! Minor Key handled the crazy seas with far more grace than we did! Even though she was subjected to some tremendous forces, she stood fast and never faltered!