Date: 08/12/2009 21:28:54
Latitude: 14.07
Longitude: -60.94
Daily Log Number 16, ARC 2009, Tuesday 8th December.
Position: Rodney Bay Marina!
We've arrived - 15 days and 4 hours after having left from Las Palmas, Gran Canaria. Our fastest run since sailing Northern Childs' first ARC in 2001, when we think we arrived just before last light. Each of the last nine years has fitted into the pattern of the earliest arrival on the Monday and the latest arrival on the Friday of this week. Arrival date obviously depends on the wind and the route sailed: this year we have been lucky and have been able to sail on the rhumb line, the shortest distance between Las Palmas and St Lucia and we have sailed a total of 2,764 miles.
On board the atmosphere is one of excitement, satisfaction of a job well done and a certain amount of disbelief that it is all over. Land and normal life are so very different to the routine we have had on board over the last 15 days, and it will take a certain amount of time before we return to normal. I am not sure whether the inevitable hangover will help or not....
Our run into the finish was very exciting - the wind came forward enough for us to set our reaching asymmetric spinnaker 15 miles out from the northern most point of St Lucia, and once the asymmetric was up and pulling we unrolled the big genoa and swapped him out for our smaller heavy weather jib. The last mile into the finish is upwind and it is normally a sound move to put up a small headsail - after the repair holding all the way across the Atlantic it might have been pushing the big sail a bit too much I feel! As we sailed closer and closer on to the north tip of the Island, it became apparent that we were part of a group of four yachts all heading in at the same time - A Beneteau 47.7, who owes us a huge amount of time on handicap in our class is right alongside us, also with a spinnaker up; great fun.
A big cheer for ourselves as we finally crossed the line, everyone safe and sound. Sails down and stowed away, motor on and in through the cut into the marina in a huge tropical downpour! Looking at drenched people as we enter I can see a whole range of emotions - pride, sadness, excitement as well as disbelief that it is raining! The mooring lines get passed ashore, the motor off, calm descends. For a second and then, mayhem! Rum punches are handed over by the ARC organisers and champagne opened by the crew - let the festivities commence!
I have put together these logs for you, the readers: I hope that you have enjoyed following our progress across the ocean and if you feel persuaded to try a little of what we have experienced then please come and join us in the future - more on
www.amjyachting.com Thanks to each and every crew member, you have made this ARC your own; let's hope we all sail together again sometime in the future. Thanks as always to home office support, my wife Magali; you have put together a great crew for us to enjoy this ARC, thank you for all your email support and for posting the logs.
That's it for now, we have a rendezvous scheduled with the crew on the beach at Spinnakers Bar for an afternoon involving sun, rum and fun! Julian, Northern Child. THE END