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Lydia - Leg 2 Day 14 - We've Arrived!



Packing away the laptop computer from the cockpit yesterday evening after a screening of 'Stupid Crazy, Love' and regaining our full night vision, it became apparent that the lights of Martinique were just visible on the horizon. These grew throughout the night watches and were joined by those of St Lucia as well as a flurry of commercial contacts that emerged from the gap between the islands, including a Carnival cruise liner that was lit up like a Christmas tree.

So at long last, with the hankee safely on deck, both poles stowed and the >main raised for a final, short beat towards the flashing orange light of the committee boat, the optimists sweepstake bid became the winner and Lydia crossed the ARC+ finishing line at 0500 and 20 seconds local time. (Matthew was 15 minutes out in his guess at our arrival time and he very generously changed the rules & bought us all breakfast when we stumbled ashore - after our welcoming rum punch of course!)

Rodney Bay has welcomed us and the celebrations have been swelled by each successive yacht as others have arrived at steady intervals. A rather bigger event took place ashore this afternoon to celebrate the record smashing crossing of LEOPARD BY FINLAND, the first of the ARC boats who arrived yesterday from Las Palmas after just 8 days at sea. That rather puts our 2 week rolling around trip into a different perspective.

Highs and Lows - the finish and achieving what we set out to do in a very respectable time, was clearly the high point that we all shared. So too is the buzz that we got from overcoming some of our difficulties in order to do that. Fishermen's tales became impressive reality. Culinary masterpieces were created and shared under some stunning starscapes and very empty horizons. We've made, and are still making, some good friends amongst the ARC+ Fleet and will look for the telltale flag and T shirts in the years to come.

Lows were mercifully few - the beer running out was clearly one but in true Lydia fashion we adapted and overcame by switching to alternatives until they too were exhausted. Another candidate might be that during our caipirinha fuelled choir practice the crew failed to muster the enthusiasm to get further than verse 6 of the 12 verses of a corrupted version of 'Green Grow the Rushes O'. It began with 'I'll sing you one oh. Sailing the ARC+ ho ho. One was our position on Leg One and on Leg 2 may be so!' and rambled through references to the motley crew diesel in the bilge and the number of eggs in Huevos Ramon. CDs sadly will not be available!

The crew dynamics get a shakeup in Rodney Bay. Andrew Richards' who had flown in from UK yesterday to join Lydia had his gentle start to the day in the form of a cup of tea at a waterside bar gate-crashed by the remainder of the crew in search of local money and breakfast. Richard Jackman has just one full day to savour the delights of St Lucia before flying back to UK on Friday. And Steve Jones will probably see Lydia off as she heads north to Antigua on or around the 11th. He will also get the benefit of a planned quick flit across to Martinique this coming weekend.

The stalwarts in the form of the skipper, Donald Begg, Mate, Matthew Fyfe and Andrew Richards should have some enjoyable sailing (across the wind rather than downwind this time) on their way to Antigua where she will be tidied and left in Jolly Harbour until the next phase of Lydia's adventure begins in the New Year.

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