Gwendoline - 26th day at sea
S/Y Gwendoline M - Atlanterhavskryds
16. December. 08.00 UTC.
On bord Lene, Bente, Annette, Maiken, Oliver, Orla og Kim
Position: 14.14.4421N 58.29.621W
The moment we can say that we've conquered the Atlantic ocean is closing in fast. Well - maybe not conquered - because you never conquer the Atlantic Ocean, but then at least having crossed it - which by it self is a personal victory for everybody on board S/Y Gwendoline M.
The past 24 hours, the weather has been changing a lot. From the steady 20-25 knots of wind, we suddenly lost it all, as the wind was reduced to merely 10-12 knots over a period of 10-14 hours, which resulted in a dramatic speed reduction from 7 knots to 4 knots. Late in the evening, the wind finally picked up again to 20 knots. We do hope that this wind speed will keep up until we reach St. Lucia.
If it keeps blowing 20 knots, we anticipate to make landfall at approximately 3-4 o'clock local St. Lucia time on Dec. 17th 2016.
This also means that we have absolutely no chance to cross the finish line before it is officially closed - which it will be in 9 hours from now - at 12.00 o'clock local time (17.00 UTC)and we still have some 140 nautical miles to go.
We are joyful nevertheless, as we have received news from Rally Control, that the finish line will stay in full operation until noon Saturday 17th. Our finishing time will be noted, and our placement will be calculated, but we will not appear in the official ratings. We do not care so much about that, as it is something entirely different we are looking forward to:
THE WELCOME COMMITTEE
Yes - even though we are late arrivals, we will still be greeted at the dockside by the official ARC welcoming Committee with rum punch, fruit basket, loud cheers and a lot of "Well done's" etc.
But we are still having fun every day on board. Wednesday Lene had a Dejavue from 2009. When we crossed the Atlantic Ocean with the ARC in 2009, a flying fish one night took aim at Lene and propelled itself out of the water and landed directly on her head. It must be a popular sport amongst flying fish, as one large flying fish repeated the event Wednesday evening.
Oliver and I was doing some R&R in our cabin, when we heard wild screams coming from the cockpit. At first we thought, that somebody had gone over board, but as we got out of our bunks, and aimed for the cockpit, the screams were replaced by laughter, and we could return to our cabin and some more R&R. Later we got the story about the 2nd flying fish aiming for Lenes head.
On the whole trip, we have had fantastic meals every single day - (Thanks Lene and Bente). Yesterday, however, the crew wanted something more exotic, so the menu was set to be Indian curry pot á lá Kim - which seemed to be welcomed quite well by the crew. A strong Indian curry dish, enjoyed in the 26 degrees warm cockpit, with a view to the beautiful spectacle of a setting sun is apparently a good combination.
I hope that the 27th day report will be from Rodney Bay - St. Lucia.
Over and Out from
S/Y Gwendoline M
Atlanten
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