|
Wednesday morning in Rodney Bay was a wet one. The weather system which has parked much of the fleet nearest to St. Lucia has brought with it buckets of rain earlier this morning. Those who did manage to find some wind overnight found that it came from the wrong direction, and had to beat towards the islands if they chose to set sail.
No matter - those who made their arrival during the downpour were just as thrilled to be here. The crew of Il Duplo, the Spanish-flagged Jeanneau 54, shouted "Bueno!" when Johnny from the St. Lucia Tourism Board presented them with their rum punch and Heineken.
"They love Santa Lucia weather, I think!" said one of the crew.
Despite the wet weather, the Tourism Board and the 'yellow shirts' continue to greet each boat as they enter Rodney Bay Marina.
Some twenty yachts have arrived since the last update, and continue to arrive regularly in St. Lucia. The first official event on the ARC program is tonight, with the St. Lucia Tourism Board hosting a cocktail party on the beach at the Royal by Rex Hotel in Rodney Bay. This event has been one of the best-attended in recent years, and should prove popular tonight. Another 13 yachts should arrive in time for the festivities.
Meanwhile, the ARC office is busy collecting photos and stories for some of the competitions on offer this year outside of the sailing portion. Vaquita and One Dream have submitted some fantastic photos of life at sea. Vaquita sent some amazing photos from the top of the mast, highlighting the boat's incredible speed. One Dream submitted a fishing photo that will be hard to beat.
|