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Jack Rowland Smith - Log Day 18 - JACK Rowland Smith - We Have Finished




JACK has Finished - 18 days 10 Hours 30 Minutes

JACK and it’s motley crew have finished the 2018 Atlantic Rally For Cruisers and in the process travelled 3,000 miles and delivered JACK to its new cruising waters in one piece (for the most part!).

We were 100 miles off at dawn yesterday but the forecast was for a dropping wind throughout the day. We shook a reef out of the main and made good progress until midday when the wind started to drop and the main, once again, started its often customary flog after each large wave. We got to the point where the banging was too much to bear, we were pointing in the wrong direction to keep it filled and we were still 30 miles away.

So in a final quest to sail to the finish, down came the main and up went the cruising shoot (bit of ARC rating advice, forget spinnakers as the rating impact is too high for the likely benefit) and we were able to point closer to the finish and keep some speed. We carried on for another hour and a half by which time the wind was less than 10 knots behind us and we were going at less than 4 knots and it was 5.00pm.

Nothing for it, strong direction was needed and so, in true Independent State of Jack style, it required a rapid gathering of parliament (thankfully the parliamentary members had not gone off on their Christmas break!!!) and a parliamentary decision. There were two simple options and a majority vote required:

1). Do we continue to sail and spend the next seven hours trying to cross the finish line or

2). Do we fire up the iron topsail and get to the party.

The Independent State of JACK voted unanimously for the approximate three hour motoring in and so it was, 20 miles short of the line, the sails came down for the final time and on when the iron topsail and we pointed JACK direct for St Lucia.

It is interesting, spotting land for the first time after 18 days I got a very strange feeling, not one of overwhelming relief that we were no longer on our own (which I suspect Clare got but I never dared to ask!!) but rather sadness that our relatively simple world had been punctuated and things would not be the same again, I cannot really explain it. But so it was, at a surprising long 30 miles away, we spotted St Lucia and it was very apt that Skipper was the one to see it first. Of course, after the customary “land ahoy” shouting which mobilised the crew to the port side, there was a small skipper gig which involved lots of arm waving and then the ever so modest “I saw it first ha huh ha huh huh”. We all looked at him, smiling politely and thinking - well you had to get something first on this trip!!!!

The boat needed to be sorted for arrival so we took advantage of the final motor to do that. Of course sails had to be properly stowed and ropes coiled, but there were other very important things that needed attention. Chef Sue got about returning the saloon to an appropriate state and returned all the scatter cushions to their rightful places so there is now no where to sit because their are too many cushions. The hoover came out and Ben had a shower but not a shave (I am afraid Sophie that your boyfriend has become a hippie). With general decorum restored the next crisis, which way up does the courtesy flag go? Google it was the very sad response but thankfully we were still too far out and so we guessed as we were coming in under the cover of darkness if we got it wrong..............

With everyone showering and getting ready for a night ashore, I found myself on my final watch as we motored west into the setting sun over St Lucia, another magical and very satisfying moment. In front the finish, civilisation and all the trimmings but a glance behind at the huge expansion of beautiful ocean with nothing for 2,000 miles.

We finished and were directed to a marina berth where we were greeted with a shore crew to take our lines and a man with four rum punches and a Diet Coke for Ben, which got very quickly swapped for a fifth rum punch!! It was a sweet feeling, on the pontoon drinking a cocktail which, by the way, was damn strong after 18 days of abstinence.

What a journey this has been for us. A family boat we all set off with different ambitions/dreams. There have been no arguments, no difficult silences and no shouting. We have sailed the boat to the best of our ability and we have tried to keep her in one piece. We pushed very hard for the first three days and realised that we were at the maximum of our short handed ability, since then we have sailed as fast as we can in a conservative fashion with the rig issues.

At the end of the day this was about realising dreams and safe delivery, not an ocean race and outright victory. We wanted to finish with an 18 day time, that was Skipper’s dream, and we have done that. And to boot we took the long way and averaged, I suspect, 7 knots. We are thankful and proud.

A couple of final thoughts as all the mobile phones ping into action and we find out Teresa May is still in power (we of course have no idea of what had gone on in the first place). Today’s world is all about communication and, I guess, this is progress and probably a necessary evil. Skipper and I were discussing this at one of our 4.00am watch handovers and we concluded that we are probably one of the last of the generation of amateur ocean sailors who can set sail without access to the internet and everything that goes with modern technology. I am not sure an ocean crossing will be so special in the future when everyone has access to modern technology.

We would like to thank everyone for all the very kind comments on the log and all the support you gave us. Many of your messages were relayed to us via email from Kathryn and they made us laugh and kept us going. The log records our journey and hopefully will act as an aide memoire for us but also as encouragement for others to take on this or other challenges.

For me, I will be back. The ocean is a special place and somewhere that allows you to be at one with your thoughts and with the elements. It has been every bit the adventure I had hoped and more.

My final thank you goes to John and Sue. John and I have talked about this trip for three years and I am so appreciative that they chose to take myself, Clare and Ben along for the ride. The preparation work you put in was incredible, the boat was in fantastic working order and we have wanted for nothing. I feel guilty at all the work Sue has done in the galley to ensure we were fed and watered, I only hope I have repaid some of that hard work with my bit, albeit not so important.

Until next time, thank you for reading and we have had a blast.

Nick (Head of Delivery Crew)

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