Arrived in St. Lucia, West Indies
Escapada
Andreas Haas
Sat 12 Dec 2009 14:44
14.04.32N 060.56.55W
ESCAPADA arrived safely and joyously in St. Lucia, West
Indies on Thursday 10 December at 0616 after completing her 2750
journey across the big blue Atlantic and is now safely moored at Rodney Bay Marina. It was
an exhilarating, emotional feeling to cross
the finish line. We raced all
night on a starboard tack with both the Mainsail and
Genoa out reaching speeds of over 10 knots !!
With Captain Flagpole and Neil on watch, we were blasting towards
St. Lucia in the starry and half-moon light of the night. First, the lights
of Martinique and later St. Lucia became visible in the distance which provided a good helming reference point. Neil was the first to yell:
"Land Ahoy" and seeing land right
ahead, a rush of adrenalin went through all of us. As
the sun was rising, we rounded the northern point
of St.Lucia and finally crossed the Finish Line with yells of joy, happiness, accomplishment and some
regret that it was already over.
THE
LAST NIGHT AT SEA: BLASTING INTO
ST.LUCIA BEARDED
PIRATES ABOUT TO CONQUER RODNEY BAY
ESCAPADA UNDER FULL
SAIL
YES, WE DID IT...!
CROSSING THE FINISH
LINE
BOYS "ON THE EDGE"
Once over the line, we dropped anchor in Rodney Bay where,
in line with an old sailing tradition, we threw the Captain overboard and then
joined him for a long awaited and
glorious swim and "bob". This was followed by a hearty breakfast of
omelets, bacon and a bottle of
Champagne, a breakfast truly fit for the accomplished transatlantic sailors
we had become. Afterwards, we simply enjoyed the
peace of
doing nothing, the tranquility of the morning and
consecutive cans of cold beer. This was followed by an extended
afternoon Siesta. Finally,
in the early evening, we proceeded
to the Marina, where we berthed and got our much
deserved and much anticipated Rum Punches.
BOBBIE FINALLY GETS TO DO
SOME BOBBING
OUR FIRST CONTACT WITH THE LOCAL NATIVES
THE
BOYS HAVE
ARRIVED! THE
PROMISED RUM PUNCHES
Now it is time to get some good rest and prepare for a series of arrival parties and the
final prize-giving ceremony hosted by the ARC
Regatta Committe,
before everybody flies home to
Europe and a "normal" life. Over the next few days,
the Captain will also have
ESCAPADA fully
serviced and prepared for the continuation of his
voyage, which will take him and his yacht to some of the
most
beautiful Caribbean Islands during
the coming months.
For our remaining time here in St.Lucia, we will
continue to inform you of the ongoing arrival
celebrations every other day, or so.
Keep watching the blog!
Thanks for all of your feedback and morale support throughout our journey.
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