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Forgot to mention in my last update that I am back on my HK mobile number. You can also see my latest pics on picasa (http://picasaweb.google.com/lindylou73).
Well, I'm feeling a bit odd at the moment - excited and, not exactly scared, but certainly very apprehensive! We set off tomorrow (Sunday) at 12.40pm. You can track our position, progress and updates on the following website http://www.worldcruising.com/arc/index.aspx - we are on boat Lancelot and in the IRC Racing Division or you can also check out our blog at www.lancelot407.com
The final few of the crew arrived yesterday so all 8 are here and raring to go. Everyone seems very nice although the jury is still out on 1 or 2 - haven't been able to suss them out yet! We're a mixture of true sailing professionals, experienced crew and complete novices so it should be good. Lancelot completed the race last year in 15 days and 9 hours which was the fastest recorded time for a Beneteau 40.7. This year, our skipper Jacko reckons it will be roughly 17 days but we'll know more tomorrow as we set off and know the current weather and conditions. Our boat is 40 feet long (not that big really!) and we have to hotbunk to sleep while the other half of the crew are on watch - throughout the night - not sure how I will settle into that routine but I suppose there must come a point when you just do! As always, earplugs and eye mask at the ready!
So, this week has been a combination of chilling out at my hotel pool, taking an open-top tourist bus to see the old town, having briefings about the trip and, frankly, getting pissed! I had all of these sensible grand plans of going to the gym, swimming every day and attending all of the seminars and skills workshops about the race but my head hasn't really been up to it.
Anyway, I arrived in Las Palmas in Gran Canaria last Monday night and very soon met my first fellow ARC'ers, Spiller and Will. We shared a cab into the city where I embarrassingly had no cash (there were no ATMs in the airport) and Spiller very kindly ended up giving me 50 Euros as I promised to try and find him over the next few days to pay back my debt! I was honestly very doubtful that would happen but funnily enough, although there are over 1,000 people here, you do bump into everyone and I've met everyone who was on my sea survival course back in the UK last week, people I bumped into in the supermarket (doing the biggest and most bizarre shop I've ever experienced and spending most of the time talking to other sailors asking where certain staple foods were!) and spent most evenings bringing my crew and Spiller's crew together for copious amounts of alcohol.
Wednesday night ended up being a big one! It was a fancy dress party (we didn't dress up) with free canapés etc. We bumped into the boys again who seemed to replenish drinks far too quickly and I was trying to drink like for like. Also met 2 lovely guys, James and Robert who are crewing on a super yacht - a 62 foot catamaran owned by a very young millionaire! I finally made a move close to 2am and felt decidedly awful on Thursday morning but I had arranged to meet Paul (fellow Lancelot crew) so we could go and have a look on the super yacht. It's not often you're allowed aboard them and, as the owner was showing up at 11am with 5 mates, we had to get on early to give the boys time to polish away our finger prints. Bloody hell. It was obscene. It's bigger and flashier than a lot of people's homes and really was just stunning. Not as expensive as you would think at around GBP1.4 million - stunning!
Given that I don't have 1.4 million to spare(or at all really!), I bought myself an early Xmas present yesterday - the new ipod nano. Of course, I'm not a mac user so am finding the touch screen thingy a bit weird - well I suppose I've got 2 weeks of doing little else to get it figured out!
Anyway, we have just had our last supper so to speak and I have my instructions to collect 8 double sausage mcmuffins on my way to the boat tomorrow morning!
So… Jacko, Mick, Prue, Paul, Debs, Rob and Lia -looking forward to this great adventure with you all and......roll on St Lucia and a hot shower!!
Aaaaarrrrrr, me hearties!!!!
- comments
Carolyne Phillips Hi Linda, Sounds like you're having a lot of fun and are excited about your trip which starts today! All the very best! Sailing the seas is far from where I am at present, as I slipped a disc and have been in hospital the past week - hopefully out tomorrow! Will keep updated on your travels over the coming week. All the best Carolyne