14:09.16N 058:58.79W

Sunday 12^th December

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The wind keeps toying with our emotions and expectations. Friday we had winds up to 28kts and hit a max speed of 13.2kts over the ground. Then for the last 36-48 hrs we’ve been motoring with virtually no wind and making about 5kts. Right now, Sunday morning, we have about 125nm to run so looks like could be early hours of Monday morning, maybe 3 or 4 a.m.

We all would have liked to have arrived in daylight so it’s a difficult choice: motor more quickly (but maybe run out of fuel!) or go a little slower when we get nearer to await dawn. We shall see.

There’s a strange mix of emotions on board. On one hand, we’re all dying to get off the boat onto dry land with no 2 hr watches but on the other hand we’re a bit institutionalised in the PhoebeB bubble that has been our home for the last number of days: 21 days/ 2920nm for Jonathan since Gran Canaria, 37 days/3660nm for me since Gibraltar and a massive 51 days/4425nm for Paul and Sue since Sardinia (which includes the first leg on Tranquillizer). As for Dan, this is his second Atlantic crossing E to W with a zillion other miles logged!

So, it will be strange to actually get there.

When we do arrive, Jonathan will spend a day or so seeing SL before flying back to the UK on 15^th. I’ll be meeting my wife Eileen (hooray!!!!) and we’ll be spending Christmas on SL and flying back to the UK on 28^th December. Dan plans to maybe visit a bar or so before he has to leave early on 14^th to skipper PhoebeB to Grenada to begin a charter on 16^th.and then back to the UK on December 23^rd. And Sue and Paul will be delivering Tranquillizer to Grenada, after which they will see where life takes them – the big unknown!

For Jonathan, Paul, Sue and me it's been our first trans-Atlantic crossing. It's been a real adventure, a test of endurance, a great learning curve and a great life experience. 

For Dan, it's been his first trans-Atlantic crossing as skipper. We're not quite home and dry yet and we don't want to tempt fate(!) but we all want to thank Dan for being a great skipper, for getting us here safely and for managing the whole voyage in such a positive and enjoyable way. Thank you Dan, from all of us.

It's not over yet but not far to go before getting back to the real world.................for some of us.

Tony