Penguin
Tue 13 Dec 2005 00:42
 Monday December 12
LE FIN
Hooray, we've made it!!!!!
Within minutes of landfall here we are, a glass of
champagne in hand (many thanks to the Goodleff family) at the end of the
Atlantic. Stormin Norman also present but took the photo, in case anyone
was worried that we'd lost him!
Well, we arrived at 0239hrs GMT Saturday
December 10 2005 to hooting, shouting and cheering. A rum punch
(courtesy of the St Lucia tourist board - how neat is that) put in
your hand even before the boat has been tied up and then a
bowl of fruit with a bottle of rum. We were all tired but the rum
punch awakened our taste buds and as St Lucia is 4hrs behind UK the bar
was open, in fact stays open until the earlier hours with Caribbean music
blasting out. So Pina Coladas all round. despite already having had an
excellent supper of chilli and rice J and Norman couldn't resist some fresh
meat so at 1am they tucked into burger and chips....and the chips didn't half
taste good!
The first sighting of land for 18 days was
perfect....the sun setting behind St Lucia allowed us to see the silhouette of
the tallest volcano and then just as we were celebrating this sighting 20
spotted dolphins came up to the boat jumping and bow riding in exuberant fashion
as if to share in our joy. they stayed with for a good ten minutes before
departing, to presumably welcome the next boat under instruction from the
tourist board. it then seemed to take an age to do the next twenty miles to the
finish line and just as we thought the wind was dropping off and we got rid of a
reef in the main sail(made its area bigger) the wind started to pick up
again and we recorded our strongest wind of the trip (46 knots!) going over the
finish line. It was then a very quick drop of the sails before we headed into
Rodney Bay. very strange to suddenly have to sail into a confined area after the
expanse of the ocean for 19days. The last few hours of helming
was hard work - dead run, v. windy , big waves, dark, end of the trip etc. they
also mark their red and green channel marks the opposite way round to the rest
of the world! The finish line was hard to spot as it was set in front
of all the lights of the town, and having seen nothing but darkness for the last
3 weeks it was a little odd and disorientating. Various other people we
have spoken to all had the same problems, which was reassuring.
Since then we have cleaned the boat, sent the
clothes to the laundry, taken ourselves to the laundry, drunk
quite a lot of rum and generally become human again. Great
atmosphere in the marina as each competitor comes in. Party each evening
with a great night at the local national trust island with a band, fire eating
and limbo dancing.
Today we all went on a trip into the rain
forest/plantation area for a high wire tour through the canopy. it took us
about an hour in a minibus to get there and were probably more scared by the St
Lucian drivers than anything the Atlantic could throw at us....over taking
on hair pin bends, driving off the edge of the road so we can have a better
view of the sheer drop, stopping on a bend so they can have a chat with
someone coming the other way...etc. Anyway it was a good tour of the island; its
all very lush and a bit like driving though the tropical house at Kew with
bananas, giant bamboo, cocoa trees, grapefruit, coconut palms, massive
cheeseplants, mango trees, guava trees and huge fern things. it all looks a bit
wild but most of it is cultivated with a lot of houses (everything from fairly
smart looking villas, pink and white seems the fashion, to run down
shacks with corrugated tin sheet roofs) set in amongst the greenery and the
occasional goat and cow tethered by the roadside to graze. The canopy tour
involved being harnessed onto wires and then moving between platforms on the
wires...bit like 'Go Ape' for those of you that have tried that back in UK but
without the difficult bits of going on wobbly planks, cargo nets etc. it was
lots of fun and we got up to 20mph flying through the trees but the only bit of
wildlife was a half dead cricket...we obviously made too much noise and scarred
everything else away.
For anyone that may be interested, the final score
on the betting through the trip was a very convincing victory for the gal from
up north. Yes, Clare took the chocolates and pretty well annihilated the
rest of us. Good stuff and the reward for winning was she has to buy the
first round!! (Didn't tell her that part of the game 'till the
end).
HLS ?
Well what can I say maybe the photo says it
all. It was an experience for all who took part and it has been
really interesting speaking to all the competitors and
their different boats. One man we met the other day
has a boat worth about £450,000 and they helmed the boat over the start and the
finish but nothing in between everything is done with the push of a button. Not with our Penguin the sea is all but inside the
boat and the boat is steered mostly by an actual human. So we sailed the
Atlantic some cruised, almost sunk, pulled out,
got hit by extra tropical cyclones which ever way and whatever we were
travelling in most are all here and safe and getting very drunk most nights. Is it sheer relief I ask myself well just take
another look at the Photo.!
So her lady ship made it, now what ?
DUNNO
Thank you all for being with us and reading our web
pages over the big pond I hope it gave you a taste of what is like. J and Clare
are leaving on Saturday so it's back to
the three of us, only it's not, we have met lots of
lovely people on the way, (there is a boat load here now!)
Well I suppose I had better go to another party and
eat some dinner I have about 48 meals left to catch up on.
Love to you all Jak. (Jane G hope your
mums OK)
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