Day 16 - was one of those good sailing days.   The winds were strong enough behind us to keep us moving in the right direction, at a good speed, with only a small effort to keep the boat on track.  The seas were moderate which kept our bodies in continuous motion to counter the waves.  Some local showers but nothing major.

Day 17 - We Arrived December 11th, 2013 09:58

Wednesday morning those who were not on night watch, woke up to the site of St Lucia Mountains on the horizon.  LAND IN SITE!!!  

After 17 days at sea, it was very nice to know that we would soon be on solid ground again.  Of course it will take us another day to stop our feet from rocking back and forth.  We spent a good hour posing for photos and Michael our professional photographer, took many pictures of us all.  We were soon met by another boat... well a little Dingy, with another professional photographer, who had a camera bigger than his head, taking pictures of our arrival.  

We then crossed the finish line at 09:58, 30th to cross the line out of the 237 boats who joined the crossing.  Many are still at sea.  Only a handful more arrived yesterday.  We did exceptionally well and so did the boat.  At one point with winds on our tail, and the main sail reefed on number 2, Tage saw the speed peek to 21 knots.  She consistently held between 11-14 knots through the night and this helped us climb from position 38 to 30th for the crossing line.  

We were greeted by the Locals with Bananas, Pineapples, Coconuts, Apple and of course, a fine bottle of Jamaican Rum.  Everyone was very happy to see land and some were more quick than others to jump off to take a much needed walk.  

We immediately started cleaning and organizing the boat.  A few of our crew went out to scout the land.  Arriving early meant a few of them could rebook tickets home.  

We spent much time speaking with locals and other racers.  We exchanged a number of experiences, stories and as the Danes say "søforklaringer".  (This is the Danish word for giving stories and explanations of what happened at sea, that no one could ever verify, confirm or deny... in other words, questionable but incontestable stories.)

The Arc+ 2013 were giving prizes the same evening.  This is the group of boats that left a week before us, but had a different route which included Cape Verde.  Those of the Arc2013 who were already in port, were invited to join their cocktail party to share their prize giving.  After some good food, we experienced a Live band of Tin Drum Musicians.  The music was great and inspired many to dance.  And of course, more stories and more "søforklaringer" as the rum based cocktails they served, took its affect.

By the way, the Caribbean locals are everything you imagine from watching movies.  Friendly, funny, relaxed, 'cool' and wanting to have a good time.  Yah Man!!!  Have a good time tonight, Man!!!

Captain Jan Poul Klee and his crew thank you for "sailing" with us.  We hope you enjoyed it as we did.  We had a marvelous ride.  We landed Safely and in good time, fulfilled with wonderful experiences.  

A word from the Skipper... "Repairs are underway, Christmas is coming and the rest of the children and their boyfriends/girlsfriends start arriving tomorrow.  I am very excited and glad for what we have accomplished. I thank my crew, each had their own gifting which served to make a good and successful team."

CLOSING DOWN ARC 2013

JAN Poul Klee, Susy Lehnert, Marie Klee, John Grech, Tage Lantz,  Michael Nobel, and Philipp Skafte-Holm

 

THANK YOU! TAK!