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George - The End?



Well we have arrived in St Lucia. All I can say is well done George who was certainly flat out constant for last week and kept us going over the 20 days. Thanks to Tim who prepared the boat amazingly and for giving me this life time opportunity. Thanks to all my crew members for a great trip. I am getting choked by even thinking about what we all achieved together and it was certainly together. A great team effort. Thanks MN.

We have made it to St. Lucia in one piece, safe and well and all happy. 23.48 UT Saturday (some time in the evening St. Lucian time!). What a trip and what a welcome into St. Lucia by the ARC team and St. Lucian Tourist board, crossing the line in heavy winds and rain and then being presented with a basket of fresh fruit and rum punch cocktail as soon as we stepped onto the pontoon. It has been a fantastic trip and I am so grateful to Tim for inviting me and to Steve, Jim and Mick for making it such a safe and enjoyable crossing, without a cross word between us. Also to "George" for carrying us safely here without any serious dramas. We ended up being pipped at the post into 4th place in class by Annabella, who overtook us in the last 24 hours, but all credit to them for sailing their boat so well and not using their engine at all! Well done you guys. We have seen exploding shooting stars, a killer whale, caught a 5 foot barracuda and witnessed a water spout, who gets to see all that in it's natural habitat. Now to work on getting George ready for her winter lay-up before flying home for Christmas...can't wait! Thanks to all those who have followed us and wished us well. MK 14.10N 60.57W

Having made it safely to St Lucia, Poirot was ready to deliver the findings of his three week investigation into 'log gate' and related matters. He gathered the entire crew on deck and after sampling the long awaited rum punch he began his ramblings. The initial 'log gate' that revealed the twenty pence piece that kept appearing in various places including, the windex, under my burger, behind door 11 in the advent calender, in the nibbles jar to name a few. The apparent sabotages during the night shifts when the halyards went or the shackles, the sheets failing and breaking, the fridge stopping, twice. The crews behavior, including Hastings inability to start his night shift on time, The nightwatchman's surprise spot of the 50 meter trawler lit up like a Christmas tree, cookies/navigator lamb hot pot, or the unknown crew member who kept leaving the heads stop cocks open resulting in the inevitable sloshing about on the floor. He had only one conclusion that one person was responsible for it all. And that person was 'George', the only person who was constantly on watch and able to get away with it. The crew wobbled on their sea legs, dumbstruck and gagging for a pint. 'George' stayed passive and calm as usual, he knew what he had done, he knew he had carried his crew 3000 miles back to their loved ones in safety, and had done so without complaining or stopping, had fought off squalls and killer whales, dodged water spouts and high winds. At times puffed out his chest like a spinnaker and then raced for the line in the worst conditions of the three weeks. If you could hear him speak you would have heard him saying...'my work here is done'...
From all the crew, 'Thank you George'. JDR

It is difficult to find much more to add to the above, other than to thank Tim (again) for the opportunity to be part of this fabulous life changing experience as well as all of the time and effort he put in before the trip in getting the boat to the start and fully prepared for such a long voyage. Thanks also to Mason, Jim and Mick for their patience, good humour and comradeship at all times over the last four weeks, to George for her strength and reliability through the rough and the not so rough conditions, Otto for his tireless concentration during his many, many hours at the helm, to Roger for keeping us alive long after the fridge had expired, the ARC Team, the crew of Annabella for creating serious excitement over the last few days - well done guys, and finally Sail Mail for all their sympathy, help and understanding with our email issues mid-Atlantic. SN

Well there you go... what a trip, what an adventure, what good friends we have made! We have been there done that and got the T-shirts! We have stood together and unflinchingly faced death together, except for Steve, (Masons Lamb hot pot). We have laughed in the face of adversity (broken fridge). We have slapped the bottom of sleep depravation. We have come through it all and we are still talking to each other. What more can be said? Thanks guys and again say thank you to our lovely wives, that we have all missed terribly, Thank you for letting us go on this big adventure. So from George and her crew good buy and thank you for following us.....God bless...x TB






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