12:02.74N 061:44.92W The Completion of the Last Long Passage
Irene IV - World Adventure
Louis Goor
Thu 9 Mar 2023 16:32
The Completion of the Last Long Passage
At 10:27, on Sunday 5th March we arrived in Port Louis marina, St. George’s, Grenada. The arrival marked the end of our final long passage in the Oyster World Rally. There was a great sense of achievement onboard Irene IV. For Louis and I this was the auspicious moment where our outbound and return tracks crossed and we became circumnavigators. We had visited Grenada on our way out over a year ago. We hope that we have lived, learned, and remembered a lot since then.
As we departed Isle du Salut in French Guyana a few days before we were treated to a pornographic farewell display by a couple of copulating giant turtles! On the last night before our arrival in Grenada, a loud banging on the hull startled the crew into action. The keel was entangled with knotted fishing net, a life ring, a few buoys, numerous bits of rope and twine, 3 pieces of bamboo strapped together, hooks and shackles, and a black plastic sack full of very smelly dead fish all knitted together in a horrible mess. Rob stopped the boat, turned around to ease the drag as the boys, Giles, Louis, and George, hauled the whole jumble aboard, disposed of the fish, and left the rest there to be dealt with in daylight. Never a dull moment, as is often said!
Seabird had passed us the night before, always a hard pill for Rob to swallow! We were now on a reach, with wind on the beam, the perfect situation for the speedy Seabird. With our shenanigans during the night, we lost a further few hours, so our arrival was delayed. Lunch was reserved at the marina restaurant for 14:00, after a celebratory glass of champagne aboard Irene IV. We were reunited with our friends from Irish Blessing, who have rejoined the rally, after a few months’ hiatus. Seabird, Irish Blessing, and Irene IV crews were entertained by Lucy, who had written a beautiful song for Louis and me to honor our circumnavigation. Thank you so much Lucy, we love you!
An extract from Oceanic Society’s February Newsletter:
With all the headlines about the amazing abilities of ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence chatbot acquired by Microsoft, we decided to give it a whirl for ourselves. We asked ChatGPT to write a sea shanty about Oceanic Society, and the result was good enough to share:
(Verse 1) Come gather 'round me hearties, and hear a tale so fine 'Bout the Oceanic Society, and their mission so divine They're America's first nonprofit, for ocean conservation And they've been around since '69, to save our world's foundation
(Chorus) So hoist the mainsail high, and let the wind be true For the Oceanic Society, will lead us through and through They'll take us 'round the world, to connect us to the sea And teach us how to save it, for generations yet to be
(Verse 2) They take us on expeditions, to explore and connect From Baja to Belize, our love for the sea will intersect In every corner of the globe, their passion will take us there From whales to dolphins, we'll protect them with care (Chorus)
(Verse 3) Their programs inspire, with social science at their helm Conservation starts with us, and this message they do whelm They welcome the new generation, and show them what's at stake With the ocean's future in their hands, their voices will awake (Chorus)
(Outro) So if you love the ocean, and want to make a change Join the Oceanic Society, and help to rearrange Our world for the better, and keep the ocean free For all who come after us, and every living entity. |