26:23.9N 16:22.1W

Five, four, three, two, one…  GO!!  After 30 years of dreaming about this and 3 years of planning, the long awaited moment has arrived.  The endless sea is ahead of us (and, of course, many of the 250 sailing boats setting off with us, heading for their own transatlantic journey).  This is very much a personal experience.

I (Manuel Sr.) am writing to you today more on a personal note, as planning this adventure (and making it happen) has meant so much to me.  Savouring the moment, the day of departure, is a unique experience and I wish I could stop the clock to avoid missing many details.  We put a lot of energy into planning, and then the moment passes by too fast.  I remember having a similar sensation, on the day of Catarina’s (my daughter) wedding, last June…

But let’s go back and review the day.  We all woke up early and enjoyed our last meal ashore as a brunch at Sailor’s Bar.  This friendly watering hole, right in front of ARC office in the marina, had good wireless connection and great atmosphere.  Last minute photos, cleaning the deck, filling up water tanks and saying goodbye to Julia, who saw our departure from shore and is flying back to Lisbon to meet us in December at St. Lucia.  Julia always supported me on making this trip a reality and took care of a great deal of logistic details, which will make this experience so enjoyable.  From the bottom of my heart, I thank her so much for it.

So we left the dock and joined the fleet, already exploring the departure line and testing the best way to be the first to cross, without being too early (or risk shame and a 3 hr penalty for the time).  The view was fantastic, the whole city of Las Palmas was looking at us from the shore and signs of nervousness were clear in some boats (inevitable shouting was heard, here and there).  So we took some small, calculated risks, the crew rose perfectly to the moment, hoisted the gennaker (large sail, red and white stripes, easily identifiable from shore, as Julia could witness) and we crossed the line some 30 seconds after 13:00 hrs.  Next stop, island of Saint Lucia, some 20 days from now!

The weather is pleasant, with light winds.  Our friend Joao Cabecadas advised us on the weather and suggested we take the route south, not too far from the coast of Africa, as we should get better winds there.  We had a delicious roast pork loin for dinner (thanks, Julia!) and settled down for a quiet evening.  Seven boats on the horizon and some chatter on the VHF radio are all reminders that we are not, after all, alone on the planet.

The dream is becoming a reality, come along and savour the moment with us.

Manuel

PS: For the following blog entries, I will hand over back to the Enigma Crew, with Boyan as the main writer, as we have had great feedback from many of you.