It is hard to believe it is already Nov. 2010. Last year at this time we were getting ready to leave Hampton, VA ,USA on the Caribbean 1500. We were about to head off on our long trip around the world via the 1500 rally to get us to Tortolla, BVI. After that we left Tortolla on our own to get to St. Lucia in plenty of time for the start of the World ARC on Jan. 6. Now we are heading off from Reunion in the Indian Ocean for South Africa. That is a long way from Hampton, VA. But that is still not as far from home as we have been over the last year. We are well beyond the halfway point in our journey. Many of us from the World ARC are thinking about our plans for the holidays and beyond. Last year Bill, Matt, and I spent Christmas in St. Lucia anticipating what we would be facing in the coming months. Every step of the way we have met so many interesting, different, amazing people and seen some amazing sights. I don't think any of us would say we regret our journey. But we all agree that we are excited to get to Capetown, South Africa and get on our flight home to see our wonderful family and friends back home. You have all supported us even though you may have thought us a little crazy. It has been good to hear from you over the internet. We have even seen our new member of the family over Skype. But nothing beats seeing you all in person.
We still have our adventure from Capetown to St. Lucia with all the stops in between. The people we have met in the rally will be our friends for a long time to come. It will be hard to say goodbye to them. They have been our family. Every time we reach a port and see the World ARC team it is like we have family waiting for us. Paul, Suzana, Nick, and Andrew are supportive and are just as excited as we are when we arrive. Many of us go off to see South Africa, go home for a short break, or have friends and family visit us in Africa. Our paths all come together again in Jan. 2011 for the rest of our journey around the world.
Of course we still have this leg to get to Richard's Bay. Right now the wind is light and we are motoring. We expect the wind to pick up as we near the coast of Madagascar. There are currents and wind to contend with after that in getting to the east coast of Africa. So I will continue to write and keep you up to date on our progress. Hopefully, we will catch up with the rest of the fleet and head down the coast to Capetown with some of them. So for the night we are out here in the middle of the Indian Ocean after a good meal and taking turns resting until it is time for our next watch.
Rosemary, Bill and Matt