The completion of our voyage arouses a mixture of emotions. Relief that we
have completed it safely; the prospect of reuniting with wives; the pleasure of
anticipation of a hot bath; the prospect of dry land. On the other hand there
must be some regret that our micro world on the boat will be ending.
Our passage time is 18 days 18 hour and 40 minutes. However, as regular
visitors to the Blog will know, this was the ARC of the becalmed and we have
around 140 engine ours to our debit. We are not overly concerned with this as if
we had not motored we would undoubtedly have arrived several days later, to the
consternation of our spouses.
The lack of wind was hardly ideal but the variety of wind meant we tried
most combinations of sailing rig/strategies which has hopefully improved our
sailing skills. The poled out twin headsails rig has proved its worth for going
straight downwind. Last night there were a number of squalls and some strong
winds up to 38 knots; in view of this we had to reef on a number of occasions
which can easily be done by one person.
The boat has operated on pretty disciplined lines with clear definition of
tasks from watch keeping, cooking, cleaning, weather information etc. It has to
be said that (except for the unfortunate problem with the water maker) we have
lived in considerable comfort (rolling aside). We still have supplies of wine,
beer, whisky and plentiful food in spite of not inconsiderable
consumption.
The boat itself has performed brilliantly. It has sailed well in a variety
of conditions and has always coped well with what ever we encountered and we all
feel very confident in her sea keeping abilities.
Finally, in spite of less than perfect winds, it has been a most enjoyable
experience; to a great extent this due to the positive attitude and
hard work of the crew.
Christopher.