Our final few days of the rally proved to be very exciting indeed.
We were sailing on our fastest point of sail, a beam reach, and the occasional fetch. Ballytrim just loves these points of sail and she excelled - almost continuously surfing above her hull speed. We felt privileged and somewhat awe inspired by the performance. It was almost as if we were in charge of a horse that had sensed its stables were nearby and it was up and galloping - heading for home...... It was very impressive for us all to be part of this finale.
Much of the time we had dolphins for company: All sorts of shapes and sizes. Some playing tricks with each other, whilst others simulated displays like the Red Arrows, darting in from opposite directions - seemingly to collide, but somehow avoiding each other. They were even more entertaining in the dark, as the phosphorescence in the water made them look like torpedoes. The easy grace and elegance of the dolphins is so watchable - it doesn't seem to matter how many times they come to visit.
The 'boys' ( our crew ) played/competed for the best rousing and loudest music. I think "The best of Queen" probably won the competition and the dolphins seemed particularly pleased to be bouncing alongside, as Freddie Mercury did his stuff.
We did finally have an encounter of the "oh my god" kind, as we surfed into a large pod of whales about 8 hours out of Horta. Wow, they were BIG. It was a little scary as we didn't dare alter course for fear of confusing them and increasing the risk of a collision. So we just sailed on through as they rolled and glided in and out of the ocean. Fortunately we didn't harm them and we came away unscathed too. The whole encounter was really quite majestic.
Our final hours of completing this momentous journey from Bermuda to The Azores almost ended in disaster!!! Let me set the scene for our stupidity:-
Prior to setting of on our voyage we carried out safety checks, discussed 'what if situations' and generally did a good job of preparing ourselves. One of the big decisions we made was who would do what in the event there was something to do that required everybody on deck and could be considered a difficult or potentially dangerous situation......
Approximately 3 hours away from reaching our destination, it was pitch black, nearly midnight and the wind was rising. We had been flying a spinnaker in the dark, with torches strapped to shine light up into the sail. In this way we had been pulsing ourselves and Ballytrim. Our three most experienced helms were taking it in turns, changing over, every 5 to 10 minutes to steer and surf down the waves. We were making fantastic progress and every thing was euphoric.
The decision was made to drop the spinnaker just after midnight, as we felt tired and didn't want the wind increasing to make a tough enough job, in the dark, more difficult. What we didn't do was revert to our primary roles ( the job each of us knows best) but just stepped in to do the job that was nearest to were we where.
It proved a very bad mistake. One small error in the dark, then lead to another, which then compounded another error and finally we ended up with the spinnaker dropping into the water. the spinnaker was now acting as a break or sea anchor. The boat was at risk of broaching ( tipping on its side) and there was also a possibility that one of the crew could get injured trying to recover what was now an impossible situation. Regretfully, the spinnaker and some of the running rigging had to be released and abandoned to the ocean. It was such a massive blow. We, all of us, knew how expensive a mistake it was and so close to finishing, it left a horrid silence that carried us over the finish line at Horta. Such a shame.
Our finish time was at 0400 and 35 seconds on 26th May. We were first in from the mono hull division and had line honours. ( the result of the handicap and engine hours won't be known until Saturday evening 31st May.)
After a bit of " having a talk to ourselves " - we put the near disaster behind us and rejoiced at arriving safely and in good time. What a great achievement. We came though it all pretty much unscathed and remain the best of friends/mates who have taken on the elements and made a good job of it. Until next time!
Geoff