Day 5 of Leg 1: St Lucia to Santa Marta, Colombia (Day 8 for the fleet)
With 138 nautical miles to run - and less than 24 hours to go - we can see Columbia. So thrilling! This is the furthest west we have ever sailed and we are super-excited to overtake fellow fleet boat ‘Misfit’. Okay they’ve actually been moored in Aruba for several days - but hey, when you’re so far behind everyone else we’ll take anything as a win!
We’re just coming around the Peninsula de la Guajira and are expecting the wind to increase substantially as we start our final run down to Santa Marta - probably 35-40 knots as we approach. But for now we are revelling in champagne sailing, sparkling sunshine and flying fish a-go-go. As we’ve rounded the cape, the swell is now coming from behind us and the boat has steadied right down which means we can prepare ourselves and the boat for what is to come. So showers, change of clothes and food prep. M kindly told me I smell a lot better ….. nice! (I’d just like to say ‘pot, kettle, black’)
We’ve started to reef down already to try and keep Aqualuna at a steady 6-7 knots in order to arrive in daylight. Otherwise we understand it’s a choice of a tricky moor in the dark in high winds in the marina or dropping anchor outside, where it’s apparently not unusual for boats to be boarded, so we’d like to give that a miss.
So let’s get ready to rhumble! Clip on, hold tight and enjoy the ride. Santa Marta here we come!
Posted by Claire