Pleasure - Day 18 - St Lucia and Rodney Bay

After a fantastic journey of 3055 nautical miles we have actually crossed the Atlantic, shouted "land ahoy" and arrived in Rodney Bay. We got a very nice welcome by the ARC organization (rum punch breakfast). We did not find an obvious reason to remain on the watch keeping schedule (the day broken into 2 hour slots of steering, sailing, back-up and other duties) so everyone slept for 12 hours straight. Some of us still feel the ground rocking or swaying, unclear whether this is primarily due to long hours at sea or excessive re-hydration after arrival back on shore. Today, some time was spent on cleaning the boat, dealing with dirty laundry etc. It looks like we'll have some time to explore Saint Lucia until we head back to Sweden for Christmas.

The journey is still very much in the forefront of our minds and it will probably take a while to digest and process everything that we have experienced. Some things stand out, though. It's been tougher weather-wise than most years and what most of us expected; no lazy days basking in the sun on deck. On the other hand, we have come together as a team, solved problems the we've come to realize will happen during an Atlantic crossing and we have been part of a unique, thrilling sailing experience that will forge lasting memories and pride.