The big day is finally here, we have been actively working towards our departure date for a year and we are excited and happy to be this close to the start. Today we just did small jobs on the boat, we have been provisioning food and stockpiling spare parts for the boat and the boat is low in the water with all the extra stores.
Although there are racers in the Atlantic Ralley for Cruisers (ARC), most of us have filled our boats as full as possible, so we are not going to set any speed records. Additionally, the forecast is for low winds, so we may be hanging out in this part of the Atlantic for a while. We don’t mind if the trip takes a few extra days, we have food and water and if the seas are calmer, that’s a good thing.
One of our first special meals will be to celebrate Thanksgiving next Thursday. As vegetarians we don’t do the traditional turkey anymore (and not on a boat on the sea); but I did find pumpkin ravioli which we will eat with a yummy butter-pecan-balsamic-brown sugar sauce; so we will be enjoying a very good meal.
Other milestones we hope to celebrate are the halfway point – that will be around 1400 miles – and also at some point we will put up some Christmas decorations to get into the holiday spirit. A select few Christmas decorations made their way onto the boat from home.
If you want to follow us in real time, you can go to the World Cruising Club’s website and choose the tracker for the ARC 2023 (copy and paste the link in your browser): https://www.worldcruising.com/arc/eventfleetviewer.aspx
Our time on Gran Canaria has been focused upon ARC preparations, and we have really enjoyed meeting crews from other boats. The seminars and information have been of high quality, if anyone reading this is considering participating in an ARC, we highly recommend it.
Otherwise we will be offline until we make landfall in Saint Lucia. Stay safe and fair winds!