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Merlyn III - We have arrived



The completion of our voyage arouses a mixture of emotions. Relief that we have completed it safely; the prospect of reuniting with wives; the pleasure of anticipation of a hot bath; the prospect of dry land. On the other hand there must be some regret that our micro world on the boat will be ending.
 
Our passage time is 18 days 18 hour and 40 minutes. However, as regular visitors to the Blog will know, this was the ARC of the becalmed and we have around 140 engine ours to our debit. We are not overly concerned with this as if we had not motored we would undoubtedly have arrived several days later, to the consternation of our spouses.
 
The lack of wind was hardly ideal but the variety of wind meant we tried most combinations of sailing rig/strategies which has hopefully improved our sailing skills. The poled out twin headsails rig has proved its worth for going straight downwind. Last night there were a number of squalls and some strong winds up to 38 knots; in view of this we had to reef on a number of occasions which can easily be done by one person.
 
The boat has operated on pretty disciplined lines with clear definition of tasks from watch keeping, cooking, cleaning, weather information etc. It has to be said that (except for the unfortunate problem with the water maker) we have lived in considerable comfort (rolling aside). We still have supplies of wine, beer, whisky and plentiful food in spite of not inconsiderable consumption.
 
The boat itself has performed brilliantly. It has sailed well in a variety of conditions and has always coped well with what ever we encountered and we all feel very confident in her sea keeping abilities.
Finally, in spite of less than perfect winds, it has been a most enjoyable experience;  to a great extent this due to the positive attitude and  hard work of the crew.
 
Christopher.


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