At last, the long anticipated first day of ARC+ 2021 has arrived.
Preparation to leave Las Palmas R Dock began early. That said, most of the hard preparation work for CoKeMa was completed over the past few weeks - thanks to Fred's thorough and attentive nature.
A few last minute errands, like collecting fresh bread & croissants that had been pre-ordered, emptying all the rubbish & recycling, changing courtesy flags, and going through CoKeMa's safety procedures were completed.
Each member of the crew made sure to have their last, long, hot shower at dock - it's going to have to last us a while!
Ita did a mountain of food preparation last week, meaning our dinner for this evening (Colombian chicken) is already defrosting on the counter, ready to be consumed.
We took the time to stow away all the liqueur on board (out of sight out of mind) - as we are saving the best stuff for Cape Verde & Granada.
We are expecting high winds for the first 48 hours of the trip - meaning it'll be a rough enough start to the journey. More comfortable wind and sea conditions have been promised by Tuesday.
We do hope that all the other participants managed to leave the port safely and are enjoying their voyage. We have had Charlotte Sometimes, Minerva and Our Time in view since the beginning of the trip.
Our only visitors so far was from a pod of dolphins that spent 20 minutes leaping into the air and swimming alongside CoKeMa.
A little insight into the crew before we left the dock:
Fred, Skipper
Most looking forward to: getting started after 2 years of planning
Biggest watch out: to take care in the acceleration zones
Ita, Admiral & Head Chef
Most looking forward to: getting to the Caribbean as quickly and safely as possible
Biggest watch out: that our fridges and freezers dont shut off!
Tony, First Mate & Chief Engineer
Most looking forward to: spending some chill time with the crew
Biggest watch out: getting away from the berth and into the open sea safely
Orla, The Muscle for Grinding Windshields
Most looking forward to: the adventure
Biggest watch out: not getting sick sea sick
We will provide another update soon,
Orla