The Overdue Update

Dubbel Zout at Sea
Nik Ormseth
Thu 16 Feb 2023 01:30
When last the intrepid crew of Dubbel Zout reported in, they were recuperating in St Lucia.  We had a lovely time there — recharging batteries (literally and figuratively), touring the island, celebrating the accomplishment of crossing an ocean with our fellow ARC participants, and enjoying some cross-cultural festivities: How often can you make a single weekend of the Gros Islet Street Party, Six Nations Rugby Championship (with people who can explain the rules), and the Super Bowl??  Rowan even learned how to swallow flame.




Alas, Damian and Rowan have gone home, their hall passes expired.  Nik and DZ are island hopping north with new crew, recruited from one of the other ARC boats.  At the moment, we’re in Fort de France, Martinique, with the plan to head on to Dominica on Friday.  US landfall (in Florida) should be about March 5, and I hope to have the boat in the water on Vashon before QYC Opening Day.

Last but not least, an update on the ARC “results”.  It’s a rally, not a race, so the competition was informal (though still intense).  Dubbel Zout finished in 22D 7H 2M.  With the handicapping rules and our decision to not use the engine at all for propulsion, that gave us a corrected time of 19D 9H 11M — which put us in first place for both our division and the fleet overall!!