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Shiva - Log day -3 – Last preparations before take off



November 19, 2015 – The crew is complete! Yesterday morning Gerard and Nicoline arrived in Las Palmas. Few days before Herman and Inge had already welcomed Daan and Mariette. The four of them have been super busy with the preparations for the crossing & the fun stuff that comes along with ARC. So were they part of the ARC 2015 Opening Ceremony by carrying the Dutch flag in the midst of all other 36 nationalities that are joining the ARC 2015. On Monday they’ve rented a car to explore a bit more of the island and see the views of Gran Canaria. Last Tuesday there was an inspection on the rigging on board and Herman and Inge have joined several ARC seminars. Every evening there is the ARC Sundowner where the Shiva crew and all others that will do the ARC crossing (in total around 1250 people) can go for a drink and a chat which is great for hearing each others stories and getting more and more excited to actually sail away for Saint Lucia! What’s more, Inge and Mariette have been provisioning the non-fresh food already. In other words, stuffing the boat and filling all its empty cupboards and corners with pasta, rice, eggs, pepernoten, olives, chocolates, chips, etc. etc. The last empty spaces will be filled this Friday and Saturday with the fresh food. By the way, speaking about eggs, finally it has been decided that we bring 90 eggs on board and Daan has been numbering the eggs so that we can see which ones to eat first with respect to the shelf life. Smart thinking! We have removed the packaging material of all food and things for as much as possible so that we can minimize our share of garbage during the crossing. But to safeguard ourselves from cockroaches and other unwished animals and situations all is neatly packed in cover boxes. A well-structured and thought-through system of food we have now on board!

 

The arrival of Gerard and Nicoline yesterday was perfectly timed so to join as complete crew the ARC “ 80s Films” Costume Party. It felt as if we just walked out of the Crocodile Dundee film set! We didn’t win the best costume prize (perhaps because we were late!?) but of course that “didn’t kill the fun”.

 

After a good night sleep we started the day today with several tasks: we turned the boat so to lay out the anchor chain on the pontoon that enabled the Shiva men to mark the chain after every 10 meters (handy when anchoring in the Caribbean); we’ve marked the mainsail with tape to indicate where to put the reefs; we’ve washed the main deck and all its accessories; hung out the laundry; installed the Watt&Sea that will generate the electricity on board; and Daan and co bought the last fishing gear – the fishing preparations are REALLY getting serious…! And then it was time for us to join the life raft practice in the pool. With life jackets on we experienced what it is like to enter and exit a life raft and we got some good advices just in case we might come into such a situation. We don’t expect it at all but it’s good to be prepared for everything (that is what we will be) and it was also interesting and fun.

 

It’s beautiful weather in Las Palmas (happy I just brought 1 pair of jeans) and the atmosphere is great with so much people around that are all getting prepared for an ocean crossing.

 

Only 2 more days and then we will be taking off!!!

 

So what is it that we expect & dream? The skipper’s dream is to make a very beautiful and, if possible, quick crossing to Saint Lucia. The goal for Herman is to do it in 16 days. But most important is that everyone makes it to Saint Lucia safely and healthy and that the boat remains in good shape so that Herman and Inge can continue sailing for another few months after having arrived in Saint Lucia. So, safety first! Herman is also curious to get water from the water-maker and has all faith that Gerard as our Chief Engineer can repair it (anything) if needed. Furthermore with the wasabi, soya and ginger already on board he expects Daan to catch tasty dorades and tuna fish. And finally with daughter Mariette teaching him yoga and the view on the beautiful ocean he expects to feel very Zen (which is so popular and much sought for these days).

For Inge it’s a dream come true! In the 70s Herman and she found in a book shop the book “in 4 jaar de wereld rond” (in 4 years around the world) from Claes and Welmoed Honig and together they knew that’s what they wanted to do! And now it has become reality and will the dream start… With an enthusiastic crew we will be crossing the ocean and will enjoy many, new sailing areas. From the Caribbean Islands to the Bahamas, then along the American east coast to New York and perhaps even to Maine. Inge is very much looking forward to this adventure and all new encounters.

Gerard is also very much looking forward to the adventure of crossing the Atlantic Ocean. It’s great to use the Parasail together with the rest of the crew and of course he’s a little bit proud to be the handyman, ahum Chief Engineer on board. Hope it won’t be needed but if so we are in good hands!

Mariette is mostly looking forward to the yet unknown adventure of the ocean with wind and water being the most important topics of the day. It could even become a philosophical journey where it’s possible to reflect on the small and big things and choices in life. But let’s first get into the habit of living on a limited space with 6 people!

Daan expects to catch so much fish that he needs to stop fishing because people get nauseous of it! And mostly he dreams of the phenomenal views at sea like dolphins, flying fish, sunrises and sunsets, and night skies.

Myself, I’m super curious to experience what it is like to walk, sit, sleep, live on a constantly moving vessel but also looking so much forward to this. Over the last weeks, but mostly last night laying in my cabin, I was already picturing it in my mind and feeling it slightly due to the little sway that is around in the harbour. I expect to be very very happy and enlightened, I will tell you in a few days if this expectation has come true (or if it appears to be the opposite...!).

 

Next blog that we’ll post will be on Sunday or Monday when we’ve actually taken off! From then on we aim to post every day an update on the ARC log website. Don’t worry; they won’t be as long as this one! And please also don’t worry if a blog comes 1 day later, I could be just very busy reading, chilling, sleeping, cooking or just enjoying doing nothing … 



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