First Edition lll - We are OK!!!

1500 UTC May 30
Most of the gale has passed, the waves still huge, winds 20+. I am in the cockpit and notice one of the snaps on the dodger is loose and I reattach it, just tidying up. . Susan laughs till tears roll down her cheeks - Why does she laugh at my absurd attempt to tidy up??? Because several hours earlier we were hit with a powerful rogue wave that crushed and tore the dodger. WE had been in "hove to" throughout the night and then after daylight while Susan was typing an email to friends and family - BANG - the wave hit - KNOCK DOWN!!! - The dodger was crushed onto the companionway top, gallons of water sprayed through a closed leaky port light, the rub rail on the leeward side of the boat was torn loose and everything that was not nailed down "and mean everything including the chart table contents" rocketed to the port side of the boat. Fortunately we were both sitting on the port side when it happened so we were not thrown far, but we were showered with seawater and everything imaginable. The force exerted on the leeward side of the boat when it was driven into the sea by the rogue wave caused the rub rail to detach and inside the boat, opposite the rub rail, the force flexed the hull inward and caused a 6 ft long shelf filled with books to catapult off the wall.
The hull, rigging, sails and electronics are fine (thank heavens I was able to stabilize the mast days earlier after discovering wooden wedges had come loose and I had made and pounded in substitute wedges fashioned from through hull plugs) - So once again we trimmed the sails and are heading to Horta - 160 nm to go.