We are good to go
Touch of Grey's web diary
Sat 19 Nov 2016 08:32
It has been full on since we arrived in Santa Cruz de Tenerife just over a week ago. The to do list has been whittled down, slowly but surely, and there’s nothing of significance now left to do. Just as well as there’s less than 3 hours to go before the start of the rally, 11am here in the Canaries and back in the UK. Linda has drawn up a fantastic menu and provisioned accordingly, with the exception of fresh fish. That’s down to me and Ted to catch, with tinned sardines as backup. Many of the main meals have been pre-prepared and are now in the new freezer. The watermaker we installed recently is making water in sufficient quantities to meet all of our needs including a daily shower - quite a luxury on an ocean passage apparently. And as backup and because the desalinated water is fairly tasteless, we have one hundred litres of bottled water and long arms from carrying it to the boat. The hydro-generator, also recently installed, is working well and producing more than enough electricity to drive the watermaker, the freezer and all of the other power hungry equipment on the boat. The rigging has been inspected and the sails “beefed up” where they will rub against the rigging. We have enough diesel for five days of motoring but plan only to use that for emergencies. And finally, we have a willing and able crew.  The crew of Touch of Grey receiving their participation plaque at the send off ceremony at the Royal Yacht Club of Tenerife. The gentleman to the right of us is Jimmy Cornell, sailor, author and journalist and the founding father of transatlantic rallies for cruising boats. The first rally he organised was the ARC in 1986. This year’s ARC, now run by the World Cruising Club, with almost 300 boats, sets off from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria one day after we set off. It was busy enough in Santa Cruz with just 30 boats; difficult to imagine what Las Palmas must have been like.  Marina Santa Cruz from the top of Touch of Grey’s mast (taken during the rigging inspection)  The hydrogenerator - this lowers into the water while under way and the rotating propeller results in electricity from the generator at the other end. |