POSITION : 36°08'.0 N and 05°21'.0 W
DAY / TIME : 19.04.2013 , 08:45 UTC
MOOD : UTTER RELIEF
we are back in Europe, back in Gibraltar.
We arrived here this morning ,
Friday 19.04.2013, at 05:15 UTC.
What a tremendously exciting sight when you approach the straits from the west and you see both continents, Europe and Africa, divided just by a small channel of water, at its narrowest just 12nm apart, ahead of you.
Many associate the view with .... well , never mind.
Did anybody ever count the number of ships and seafarers having passed through ?
And do you remember the film " The Boat " ( "Das Boot" ) ?
Anyway, we didn't see any of what I just described, as it was late last night and pitch dark.
Why do we always arrive at the port of destination at night ?
Always !
The straits of Gibraltar have a history like no other ! Whilst passing through I put some loud music on. This time something for the mind and soul : "Amazing Grace" , performed by Andrea Bocelli and the British Philharmonic Orchestra. I am sure you will find it on You Tube. Now close your eyes, and see what I see : The Strait of Gibraltar coming closer and closer ( in lights along the coast ) after so many days of travel. We all had tears in our eyes . Except the Skipper, of course, Skipper never have tears in their eyes, unless for joy of course ! It was quite a journey. It took us 23 days and 10 hours for the direct crossing from Sint Marteen, with winds up to 10 BF, with and against us, with waves up to 5m or a sea as flat as an ironing board with no wind at all. And our strategy worked ! |
It is hard to describe the relief to be back in a safe place, to describe the strain on the boat and the crew during this adventure, but I can ensure you that nobody suffered.
Just the opposite.
The new crew did extremely well,
we had a lot of fun as I will try to point out in the forthcoming stories, and it was a pleasure having had them on board.
No complaints, everybody worked hard and voluntarily, supported each other.
May be the number of female on board made the difference ?
Gosh, I love women !
I mean whilst sailing , of course !
SLEEP LIKE A BABY !
Then I will continue with the adventures during our crossing.
Just give me some hours, only....some....brh. chr....
Hope you will be on standby.
Yours, a very much relieved
Master Mike !