We have had some delay in updating our diary as everyone has been extremely busy with all of the final preparations for our departure on Sunday. Andreas and Manuel did a great job last week getting much of the most critical work done on Escapada. A full Rig check was completed and necessary corrections made. Escapada was officially registered for the ARC after passing a full series of safety and technical checks and received her ARC 2009 flag which flies proudly from our mast. Peter and Nick arrived on Saturday and immediately joined in the preparations (or at least in the beer drinking). The list of work that still needed to bedone was quite extensive and the Skipper (Andreas) effectively started to distribute the tasks to all of us.
Sunday marked the officially opening of the ARC 2009. I fun parade and flag raising ceremony led off the festivities. 250 ships from 39 countries are registered for the ARC. During the parade the entire crew of Escapada marched under the Ukrainian flag! It was a fun event full of energy, excitement and anticipation.
On Monday we continued our preparations of Escapada and also started to attend the various ARC briefings. In the afternoon we went out to sea for 3-4 hours to practice raising and flying our new Parasailer as well as reviewing emergency procedures and some sailing skills. Tuesday through Thursday involved continued preparations, buying last minute necessary items, making final repairs and doing preventative maintenance on Escapada as well as attending further ARC lectures on Weather, First Aid, Downwind Sailing, Helicopter rescue and Emergency procedures at sea.
Everyone is healthy, spirits are high and we are all looking forward to our Sunday start. On Friday we will take delivery of all of our provisions, completeour last minute tasks, get some well deserved rest and attend the evening farewell party. We will keep you informed as everything progresses!
m_ARC Las Palmas 013 m_ARC Las Palmas 034 m_ARC Las Palmas 087 m_ARC Las Palmas 096 m_ARC Las Palmas 095