It has been one week since our arrival here in St Lucia and only now are we relaxed and into the Caribbean spirit. But we also have a sense of bittersweet nostalgia as our crew has sadly departed. We have witnessed some indifferent or even tense departures of crews from other ARC boats after an obviously unhappy crossing, but on Gunvør, we were all a bit choked up yesterday when the taxi arrived to carry off our Danish crew to the airport.
The crossing was tough, we really pushed the boat, hand-steering and ripping our 5 coloured sails several times each – but we were united in our ambition and had so many fantastic and funny moments – the Danes’ healthy sense of the ridiculous and their love of celebrating any sort of milestone was key. Now “my boys” are gone and the ARC, for Gunvør, is over.
Actually the nostalgia started upon arrival, I just could not get off the boat that first evening, enjoying the rum punch welcome on board, followed by candlelit drinks in the cockpit and excited calls home to Canada and
Europe. But I couldn’t step off the boat, I didn’t want to: then the voyage would be over, the bubble would be burst. If that is not a sign of a wonderful crossing, I don’t know what is.
Since then, we have had a good week of the perfect mix: cleaning & chores in the morning and outings & relaxing in the afternoon, all punctuated by regular strolls through the docks cheering new arrivals. We seem to have achieved a certain notoriety by a) making a very fast passage and b) creating a frustrated waiting list at the local sail makers. This infamy brings a steady stream of visitors for a chat, good reason to put the chores aside for a moment.
While it is so enjoyable to greet friends made in Gran Canaria and put faces to new friends made over the SSB radio net during the crossing, it is also sad to see some of these cruising friends already leave the harbour here in St Lucia for either further cruising or for a flight home for Christmas. That is part of the cruising life – there is always the hope of meeting again in a distant harbour.
And now we are down to the two of us for a day or so. Tomorrow we are off to Martinique to pick up our daughter Birgitte. We think we may well motor the 20 miles to Martinique, there is practically no wind, the angle is not ideal, and, well, what do we have to prove? I guess the relaxed Caribbean vibe has finally infected us.
Sheila on Yacht Gunvør XL