50 43N 01 30W

Great Escapes Yacht Charters SY Great Escape
GEP /Phil Munday/ Ocean skipper Emily Bower
Sat 8 Jun 2013 11:26

Horta to Hamble -   Are we there yet?

Well almost. We have just passed the needles –photo attached – which mark the end of the Isle of Wight and the entrance to the Solent. Tides can be very strong and with good judgement from our skipper we have made it with 30 minutes to spare.  A 90 minute motor / sail up to Hamble from here and we have arrived! 

The crew are all wet and salty. The long awaited stronger winds on our nose arrived last night. And with steep waves we could not motor so we were tacking back and forward with strong tides against us. At the same time we had to dodge fishing vessels, warships, the Queen Mary, various ships and other yachts. As the seas built up the spray became stronger with buckets being emptied over us.  Luckily the day has dawned sunny, we are quickly drying, and soon the only sign of a memorable 3,000nm plus ocean crossing will be our salt- stained clothing.

Please forgive us if we go on a bit when we return. The memories of this strange environment (though not at all strange to us), the nights with time to think, the endless sea miles, the sleep deprivation, and the closeness of the team will give us enough material to bore you for a long time.  And in some ways that is fair; all we have heard is how much each of us misses you.

Thank you for reading and for your interest in our little lives.

And may your own journeys turn out well.

Stephen

Ps some of the crew wanted to add:

Hi mom!  See you soon.  It may take me a day or two to get to Paris.  I’ll try and give you a call when we arrive. – Evan

I would just like to say a big word of thanks to our superb skipper Emily who’s been fantastic and  ensured we reached our destination safely also to our 1st class, 1st mate Steven who has been generous with sharing his knowledge and providing help. Finally to the rest of the crew who have helped make this adventure the great success it has been – Many thanks – Ben

Thanks to everyone who has made this a trip to remember.  I’m looking forward to getting back home and seeing the family but I’ve enjoyed the past month with the crew as well as the professionals, Emily and Steven.  I’m sure we will see each other again at some point in the future. – Corbin

Tony here now…

This has been an awesome ocean sailing experience. It provided us with intensive thrill of enduring relentless beating by forceful waves, winds, splashing; in a word rich, rich sailing joy. Of course all this required strong mental endurance.

The crew has been most fun and good to be with. I have been a bit challenged regarding the strong British accent of the Great Britain members of the crew, nevertheless, that too was an element of intensive experience I sought.  

To all I thank from the bottom of my heart. And to my family: I am immensely looking forward to seeing you again. With love! Tony

JPEG image