Falcon - Grenada - we made it..!!

That’s it then. The fat lady is centre stage at the Royal Albert Hall and belting out a medley of old school classics… we have safely arrived in Grenada.

We had a proper Caribbean welcome as we approached Grenada, with a dolphin escort and then a final glorious golden sunset leading us toward the last 20 miles. What a ride we have had; there have been highs but, amazingly, not a single low… some challenges maybe, but certainly no tears - we even found humour when the windvane rudder snapped off (“well that should give us an extra half a knot”!)

So our passage and Atlantic adventure is at an end. Before dashing off to find the nearest back-street tattoo parlour to have our chests emblazoned with a well-earned Atlantic anchor, time to look back on what we have experienced and achieved. We know what it means to be truly self-sufficient. When faced with a problem mid-Atlantic, 1000 miles from land in any direction (unless you include directly down when it is only 3 or 4 miles) you can’t call the plumber, electrician, or mechanic… you must own the situation and find your own solution.! We have been reminded that whilst proper planning and preparation are essential to undertaking a journey or task of this magnitude, flexibility and the ability to adapt to your surroundings or situation are the real measures of success in this game. Ingenuity is perhaps the best character trait for an ocean yachter! If I have to single out one disappointment with our passage, it was the apparent scarcity of wild life we had originally hoped to encounter. Over the course of 3000 nautical miles, only twice were we blessed with a dolphin escort. We sighted no whales, but were visited by some avian friends needing a place to rest mid-way through their own Atlantic challenge. We have a duty to protect our planet, it’s oceans, and all the wonderful creatures that can still call it home - let’s not rape, pillage, or pollute it any more!

Some thanks are in order. First to the ARC Yellow Shirts for all their help and logistics. Second, to the other rally participants with whom we have partied ashore and radio’d at sea - some lifelong friendships have been cemented! But finally, I must extend my heartfelt thanks to Bev and Ade for inviting me along on this wild ocean ride… it’s been an incredible time and an invaluable learning experience for when I bring ‘Arkyla’ across in a couple of year’s time once finished with the Med! I hope you pair can adjust to life without a bilge monkey aboard!

I now have a task of culling and editing some of the 2000+ photos from this trip to preserve the memories of a great passage so very well made!

That’s it. I must have a small bit of grit in my eye as it is a little watery as I write for the final time… ‘Falcon out”!