WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 10

 

RELENTLESS IS ALMOST THERE!

 

Position at 2100 GMT: 14 deg 05.38 north 60 deg 06.88 west

 

By the time many of you read this, the remarkable adventure of Four Men And A Boat will be over.

 

By noon UK time on Thursday we should be tied up alongside in Rodney Bay marina, tired but happy and more than a little bit proud of our achievement.

 

Right now it’s 1700 here (2100 in the UK) and after another long hot day (made even longer by the fact that we’ve just put our clocks back another hour) we’re packing away some of the equipment for the last time.

 

Dave, the official record keeper, has just calculated that at 15.10 this afternoon – three weeks to the minute since we left the Canaries – we had covered 2,840 nautical miles. We currently have about 46 miles to run to Pointe du Cap at the northern end of St Lucia.

 

In the next hour or so we’ll sit on deck to enjoy our final sunset at sea. Then after a few hours of darkness we’ll be looking out for our first sight of land for 21 days.

 

Here’s a parting message from the skipper, Nigel:

 

One year ago I started to prepare to sail Relentless across the Atlantic Ocean. What equipment would I need, sails, power generation etc. Then how many crew and who. The lesson i quickly learnt was that we don’t make the rules out here – the ocean is the boss and we have to react to its whims and moods. When after a week of frustration because there was too much or too little wind and swell and often in the wrong direction, I fully gave up and learnt to accept what the Big A was throwing at us and thats when I started to really enjoy the journey.

Everything in his world is in massive proportions, the clouds, swell, stars, moon and sun.

 

My crew haver been  better than anyone could wish for, all from different backgrounds but bound by a common goal – fantastic so big thanks boys.

 

Then to the real star Relentless. When we went off watch she carried on and when we came back on she picked up her skirts and flew again. She kept us safe in big seas, storms and when the screaming squalls came out of the black night. Now she needs some repairs and TLC.

 

Finally when the boys are getting ready to fly home we await the arrival of the intrepid adventuress, Tracy J Fincher to start our real quest which to find “ The missing gold of John Cortez ....

 

Watch this space.

 

Captain Nigel A Houghton

Relentless of Portsmouth