Looking out onto the Ocean Yacht Marina it is very quiet now on the docks with all of the rally boats having departed. In the first 48 hours all of the boats have made great progress south and made it safely across the Gulf Stream. After a light start with many boats choosing to motor into the first evening they are now setting a great pace. This is in part due to the low that developed to the north of Bermuda and the fleet are skirting its western edge in strong northerlies in the 20-25 knot range with stronger gusts.
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For many of the crew this is the longest offshore passage they are sailing on and after the apprehension building up to and preparing for the start they will be pleased to finally be underway. Some are sending in blogs which talk about settling into the patterns of life at sea and the challenges that brings. Challenges of getting used to never really being still, adjusting to being in a small environment and settling in to the watch system. Once in the zone, and as they head into the tropics, the simple pleasures of being offshore will become more common and hopefully a “sublime uneventfulness invests you”, to quote from Moby Dick.
The ARC Bahamas boats have started to break away from the rest of the Caribbean 1500 as they head to Marsh Harbour in the Abacos. With a shorter passage they are already approaching the halfway mark and will be expected to arrive Wednesday and Thursday. Lee & Rachel, who sailed in the ARC Bahamas last year, will be there to update them on local conditions as they approach and to welcome them in to the finish there. For the Caribbean 1500 boats heading down to the BVI it really depends if they can keep up this pace it will be a fast year and we might see some arrivals by the weekend...
Safe sailing to all.