Day 1
25.45.79N 017.31.75W
Everyone is safe, healthy and well.
We slipped our lines at the Las Palmas marina at 1030 on Sunday and along with 250 other boats headed out to the ARC starting line in the entry harbor of the port. It was a fabulous sight!!. As we left a local band played music, people lined the banks and cheered everyone on. Fog horns were sounding everywhere, sailors laughing,
taking photos of each other and waving to each other on various boats. It was truly fun and a celebration of life. As we positioned ourselves for the start, we adjusted our sails to get the maximum of the small wind available. Nick monitored the radio for important communication with the ARC controllers as we moved closer to the starting line. At 1300 UTC the official horn sounded the start of ARC 2009 and we took off across the Atlantic on our 2850 nautical mile voyage!
The first day at sea was exhilarating! With 250 boats all leaving from the same place on the same heading, it was like a traffic jam in the city. We needed to be very diligent and careful to make sure we didn't collide with anyone. As we got further out to sea, the boats dispersed in a wide area and it was easier. Once we cleared Gran Canaria, the wind picked up to 25-30 knots, with 2-3 meter long waves. We started or watch system, which will continue throughout the passage. The watches are broken down into 4 hour shifts. Peter from 1800-2200 and 0600-1000, Nick from 2200-0200 and 1000-1400 and Manuel from 0200-0600 and 1400-1800. Andreas as the Skipper fills in whenever necessary and also takes care of all of the cooking. In addition to the watches, we all have additional responsibilities. Nick is responsible for Radio communication and engine checks, Manuel takes care of the rig and weather reports and Peter is the ship doctor and writes this blog. The first full cycle of watches has completed and everyone is already getting into a nice routine. We have experienced our first of many sunsets and sunrises. Tonight, Andreas made a great dinner of chicken with pineapple, garlic and cayenne sauce and Basmati rice. A real treat out in the Atlantic. We are preparing for the night and continuing our passage.
Wishing you all well. We miss you and love you. More news tomorrow.