Firsts and Lasts - Sunday 19th November
The Adventures of Tin Man
Andy Topp & Steve Arnold
Sun 19 Nov 2023 19:40
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027:47.51N
015:24.96W What three words :
indentity.gamblers.stretches
Where do I start? We arrived back in Gran Canaria on
Thursday 9th November after a two month break since we first arrived here on Tin
Man in the early hours, one Saturday at the end of August. The last two months
have been relentlessly busy as we resolved some of the issues that became
apparent during our last trip (leaky hatches, the satermaker and a few
electrical issues).
The last 10 days ramped up as Andy and I worked hard to
get all the last bits resolved, and then had a few other issues presented to us
(a diesel spill to name one). It's been exhausting, and at times it's been
pretty hard work both physically and mentally. But above all that the atmosphere
over the course of the week has been electric. Work peppered with social events
have helped us to get to mnow some of our fellow sailing adventurers culminating
in the armada of a departure today - the sheer experience of which, I am not
afraid to admit, made me and Sam well up.
The sense of camaraderie that we have experienced - not
just with our crew but also with those on our neighbouring boat pontoons is
incredible. I struggle to liken it to anything else I've personally done or
taken part it. This, plus the amount of organisation that goes into each boat,
and organising a fleet of almost 160 boats carrying many hundreds of crew, has
served well to quash my anxiety and heighten my sense of excitement.
The latter part of the week was all about food. We
bought food. Then we bought more food. Then more food. Julian has been busy in
an airbnb all week working and batch cooking some awesome treats for us to have
on this trip. They're all tucked away in the freezer neatly filed and ready.
We finalised the last of our tasks this morning - mostly
just making sure everything was put away, securing a few things, and undressing
the boat of our flags, and then all of a sudden it was time to go. Our berth in
the marina was dead opposite the larger yachts - many of them more than double
the length of Tin Man, collectively worth many tens of millions of pounds. A few
times we have met the owners of one - an absolutely beautiful Oyster yacht
called Babiana.
We let slip our lines after a ceremonial last step onto
land and back onto the boat - the last time we would be on solid ground for
around three weeks, and we made our way out of the marina in what can only be
described as the world's most expensive traffic jam, fog horns sounding all the
way, and after we passed the entrance of the marina lined with well wishers, we
were out on the water and the bay to wait for our time to cross the start line.
So many boats. So hectic. But, so exciting.
And then it was 13:00 and we were off. With very little
wind it was a rather calm start - we crawled forward at a few knots and headed
south - our first way point 2 days and 300 miles away.
This is where the adventure starts!
Jooj (Julian) is currently making some dinner which
smells incredible. He tells me it's Greek style chicken with oregano and lemon,
served with Tzatziki and Rice. Our first on passage dinner as a full crew -
cannot wait. He is definitely upping the food game for us on this trip.
Don't forget to download the YB Races App which will
give your our position at any time. ARC 2023
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