can we help
+44(0)1983 296060
+1 757-788-8872
tell me moreJoin a rally

Menu

Windleblo - Day Twenty Two



They told us later that the wind was the most wicked Sunday night. Like a hurricane, they said. They worried about us all night long.

Out on the Windleblo, we were oblivious. Yes, the seas were rough. Yes, the winds were strong. We surfed down big waves, the knot meter reading 25.7 at one point. (OK, this must have been an instrument glitch, but the 13.7 was certainly legit.) But this was the "new normal" and we thought nothing of it.

I took the 8 to 10 a.m. watch, UTC. At just past 60 degrees west longitude, the sky was still very dark. They had told us in Las Palmas that the eastern shore of the Windward Islands can be difficult to see at night because the lights of all the towns are on the leeward western side of the islands.

But then, out of the gloom, I thought I saw a light.

At first, there was only one and I thought perhaps it was an oil platform. But there are none of those in these waters. I studied longer and slowly a few more lights appeared out of the haze. Then a faint outline of some hills became apparent and I was sure.

I grabbed the VHF cockpit mic. The big moment had arrived. I pressed the intercom button and said, "This is the the Captain speaking. LAND HO!"

Nothing happened. All three of the crew were fast asleep in their bunks! I left them to their slumber.

By the end of my watch, the sun was almost up and the coast was clearly visible ahead. One by one, the crew stirred. We worked our way toward the St. Lucia-Martinique Channel and around Pigeon Island on the island's northwest tip, hooting and hollering at the howling wind. Once around the island we started beating toward the finish line, receiving instructions on VHF from ARC staff.

At 11:11:45 UTC, Monday, December 16, 2013, 21 days, 22 hours, eleven minutes, and 22 seconds after starting, Windleblo crossed the ARC 2013 finish line. We had done it!

We started the engine, furled the sails, and motored slowly into the marina. We were directed to slip Foxtrot 26. There was Jocelyn to take our lines.

I stepped onto the dock and took her into my arms. Nothing ever felt so good. We were handed cold rum punch and a basket of tropical fruit by some friendly St. Lucians. Moya appeared out of nowhere to surprise the Coach. She had kept secret from him that she would be in St. Lucia to greet us. The look on his face was priceless! Jocelyn and Moya offered champagne, which we immediately shook up and sprayed all over each other. Shortly, we gathered together back on board for the official Austrian "manoeverschluck," the first of many toasts to our accomplishment.

The last 48 hours have been a bit of a blur. The ARC parties are in full force and every other minute, it seems, we must help toast a newly arriving boat. That, plus the poor Internet, are my only excuses for keeping this final ARC 2013 blog post from you. My apologies. From now on, I will resume blogging on our Windleblo.com site where some photos should appear soon.

Thanks for your support and friendship.











Previous | Next