Campechano - Setting Sail
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:36:07 -0800
Family and Friends of Campechano!
We hope you all are well!
We are writing to you from approximately 150 NM SW of Gran Canaria at hour 27 of our 3000+ mile journey. We have a transmitter on-board that transmits our position every six hours, so you should be able to track our progress on both the Campechano website ( www.campechanopuertorico.com ) and the World Cruising website by going to the Fleet Viewer. (We don't have the website address on-board with us, but you can find it by Googling "World Cruising ARC.)
Our week in Las Palmas was filled with a lot of hard work preparing the boat, but we also were able to enjoy the ARC festivities and the camaraderie of our fellow sailors from 38 different countries. As the only Puerto Rican boat in the regatta (indeed, the only Latin American boat), we received quite a bit of attention. The fact that we were one of the more boisterous crowds probably helped, as well as the fact that we attended nearly all of the events in coordinated uniforms. After a week in Las Palmas, our group appeared in two newspaper articles (one of them a full-page article) and Mano made two radio appearances. It was an exhausting week, but a lot of fun.
After months and months of planning, the day of departure finally arrived. It was exhilarating and filled with music, dancing, celebrations and fireworks! As you might imagine, we were among the first to cross the start line at 13:00 on 22 November with our spinnaker flying and an enormous Puerto Rican flag on our stern. After a "highly charged" start
and first few hours, we settled-in for our long journey ahead. We were blessed our first night with good winds and very good speed, although the seas continue to be slightly choppy, which we expect for the next few hundred miles until we turn west.
For now, the sun is shinning, the winds are favorable and our top speed has been 19 knots. Our big decision now is when to head west. If we head too far south or turn west too early, we are likely to hit a dead zone which could slow us down for several days to a week. We will see which of the twins wins that battle.
We are all thinking of our families and friends back home and missing you all already. Thank you all for your continued love and support.
Abrazos,
Campechano Crew
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