Today is the day!
We slipped our mooring lines at 8.30 am and motored to Europa
point, where a Naval gun ship with a photographer on board moved between all 18
rally yachts. A gun was fired from the headland at 10.00 am signalling the
start of the Blue Water Rally 2009! As we crossed the start line all the yachts
were hooting their horns, rally supporters stood up on Europa Point were
clapping and shouting, it was all very emotional, we were finally off! So, with
no wind forecast we motored away from Gibraltar. This is what all the planning
and preparation for the last year or so has been about. This is what has caused
so many restless nights and stress filled days. But now we are here, on our way
to Lanzarote and starting an adventure of a lifetime. Earlier in the week we had bought a new fishing line and reel and
within 30 minutes of crossing the start line we had a tuna on the line, it was
gutted ,filleted and despatched to the fridge for consumption that evening. A
message was relayed over the net later that day from Tony saying
“Congratulations on catching the first fish of the rally”! What a great start!
We
had a clear night and the sky was full of stars but no stargazing tonight. We
had to keep our eyes firmly on the horizon as the African coast was full of
fishing boats so we spent the rest of the night trying to avoid them. We had an
uncomfortable night with a confused sea which makes the boat roll from side to
side, something I’m sure we’ll just have to get used to! Confidentiality: This e-mail and its attachments are intended for the above named only and may be confidential. If they have come to you in error you must take no action based on them, nor must you copy or show them to anyone; please reply to this e-mail and highlight the error. Contracts and Agreements cannot be concluded with us nor service effected by email. _______________________________________________________________________ This e-mail has been scanned for all viruses by Star. The service is powered by MessageLabs. For more information on a proactive anti-virus service working around the clock, around the globe, visit: http://www.star.net.uk _______________________________________________________________________ |