Amazingly enough S/Y Unconditional, a 2004 Oyster 49, and its crew
of 3 won 2nd place in Leg #1 Class 1B . As the only USA boat and only Oyster
yacht to finish ‘in the money,’ actually a small plaque, we felt special and
many fellow sailors congratulated us – Wow!
Repair-wise, I felt that our treasured gennaker with the open heart
logo was beyond economic repair. Well, Tuga arranged for repair at a fraction of
the price back home, and it was returned to the boat 2-hours before
departure.
While a little unnerving, our rock & rolly marina entrance,
allowed everyone to look out for each other and being clustered so close,
friendships developed – some even ‘close’ friendships!
Sara & I thoroughly enjoyed the Sao Vicente tour, and in spite
of local economic stress the residents were friendly, and you felt safe walking
around.
We are now a crew of 4, and our start of Leg #2 was beam reach,
becoming broad reach and finally into a run before losing wind. Every type of
sail configuration was tried in the fleet, and we had most success with our
repaired gennaker. While we rigged dual headsails ourselves, we ended up losing
the wind and having to motor a bit. Nevertheless, it was a wonderful start to St
Lucia.
Tom Hughes
Owner/Skipper