FINNROSE 28:07.64N 15:25.51W
Finnrose
Fri 23 Nov 2012 08:26
only 48 hours we will be setting off across the Atlantic.
Life has been hectic since we arrived. Where has the time gone? A lot more
boat maintenance and preparation, Liz spent a week back in the UK, and in
the last 2 weeks a lot of time has been taken up with the 'ARC' events,
checking-in, safety inspections, seminars (all of which told us we needed to
make further preparations to the boat), and of course a whole round of
social events, Opening Ceremony, crew dinners, welcome parties, masked ball,
etc. And, lately we have been much concerned with provisioning - you
wouldn't believe how much food 3 people can eat in 3 weeks! Liz has also
cooked a lot of our meals in advance and the freezer is now full of prepared
meals.
We have met lots of nice people here amongst the ARC boats, and become
re-acquainted with others that we met on the route to here. We are all in
the same boat (so to speak), and all sharing the same experiences and
anxieties.
In fact we have been so bound up with boat preparations, ARC seminars, and
social events, that we realised we hadn't really seen anything of Gran
Canaria at all. So, we hired a car on Monday and had a trip round the
island, up into the mountains in the centre, and down to the south coast. A
pleasant day out and a much needed break from the frenetic activity of boat
preparation.
We are just about to go and get the fresh fruit and veg. Richard arrives
tomorrow. Skipper's briefing at midday on Saturday, followed by the
Farewell Party. And, then on Sunday we are off, crossing the starting line
at noon.
Our plan (like everyone else's) is to head towards the Cape Verde Islands
and then turn west and head straight for the Caribbean. We think we should
make it to St. Lucia in about 3 weeks.
We will be pretty much out of touch during the crossing, but will continue
to update our blog on a regular basis, and our progress will also be visible
on the ARC website, ie. www.worldcruising.com (click on the ARC link, and
then the Fleet Viewer - you will see the positions of all the boats - expect
to see us somewhere near the back).
Looking forward to fair winds and good speed!
(More photos to follow)
