28:07.35N 15:25.41W

Good afternoon readers!

The much anticipated ‘Sea’ themed fancy dress party did not disappoint!

The day leading up to the party, we weren’t sure what to expect. Will most people be dressing up? How seriously are people taking the costumes? Should we dress up at all? If so, what should we go as? Time was running out and we were short on ideas as well as anything FOR costumes.

Despite this, we felt it would be a shame to miss the seminars of the day; so we attended the talks on weather, medical care at sea and what to expect upon arrival at St. Lucia. As has been the case with everything the ARC has organised, they were well worth our time. The speakers  were all very knowleadgable on their respective areas and they communicated accessibly.

Following the seminars, Manel and Boyan set off to El Corte Ingles in order to find, among other things, red face paint for our ‘Sunburnt Sailor’ costumes. After searching throughout this enormous store, they finally found what they were looking for…in the cosmetics section. In spite of the fact that Las Palmas is also known for its “drag queens”, it must not be everyday that these make-up vendors sell their products for two eager young men – and it was clear when seeing their reactions!

After rushing home in order to quickly get ready for the party, the sunburnt sailors were ready to go!

It was clear from the start that our costumes were worth our efforts, as we received an extra free drink each. The sunburnt sailors were a part of the many other original costumes at the party. Some that really stood out were a man dressed as Jaws, a couple in a cardboard boat and the ‘Merm-Indians’ (they had brought Indian outfits before finding out what the theme was). Aside from the costumes, the night was terrific. The music was just right for the wide age range. This was made clear by the fact so many were on the dance floor for quite some time! Furthermore, Manel and Boyan were able to meet many others their age – so they all continued the party by making their way to the old town afterwards! In the meantime, the older sunburnt sailors made the decision to head back after the dress up party finished. As the attached photos illustrate, the party was a great success.

The next day was back to sailing preparations. Following the live life raft and helicopter rescue demonstrations, everyone headed to the nearest supermarket to make a final stock up. All the food, toiletries, detergents and over 180 litres of drinks made this excursion take some time. After organizing all of the supplies back in the boat, the day’s work was paid off by a great cocktail party for Lagoon owners. However, the day’s work following the dress up party took its toll, and we all decided to have an early night.

And now we write to you as we make further preparations before the departure. Manuel Sr. was up on the mast earlier to check the rig, and was able to take some fantastic pictures! We are also cleaning up the exterior and interior of the boat and look to make another trip to El Corte Ingles.

The next entry will be our last in Las Palmas, so stay tuned as we get ready for the big adventure!

Until next time,

The Enigma Crew