We had to wait 8 days before we really got some good winds coming our way (up to 5 bft) ! We had one day that we progressed by 210 Nm and 3 days in a row 190 n miles (Nautical Miles). That was really great. We were like flying ! Although sometimes at night it was litterally rock & roll in bed ......with some bruises the next watch as a result. And it was certainly a bit of a challenge when preparing food !
We had also company of about 20 dolphins who gave us their private show, although it didn't last long enough to take a picture.
The GPS showed a much nicer ETA : around 2nd of January. Given the fact that I had booked a return flight on the 4 of Jan, I was really happy about this. We celebrated St Sylvester's evening with tapas and the last botlle of champaing and emptied the last of any alcoholic beverage on board. We still had water and some Vittel with a raspberry taste for kids (yuk) !
On New Years day, we had the second catch of fish. This time it wasn't a tuna. We don't really know what kind of fish we caught but it had beautiful turquoise colour with yellow polka dots. The meat tasted really nice too. We also got our first bit of rain. It was great. We could take a shower just like that ! My joy didn't lasted long since I had to have a wet bottom.
And then we got nearer to our destiny. On the 2nd of Jan, we could tell that we were getting near Martinique since we got some signal on the cellular phones and the blackberry. And then out of the rain we saw the Isle of Martinique. Then finally we saw the waypoint to which we had been sailing the last 2000 miles and finally we got to Le Marin, a marina about 40 km from Fort de France, the capital. It was nice to get to a port ! But I really had a fit when the harbourmaster told me that the offices were closed and that we would not have access to the showers before the Sunday morning (ggrrrrrrrrr). Tom was kind enough to find a practical solution: we borrowed the hose from a neighbour yacht and had our shower on the pontoon. After that we went for drinks and dinner. Strangely enough no landsickness at all !
Only the day after we got there it dawned that I had done my very first Transatlantic crossing. It was a lifetime experience and I would start antoher one tomorrow. I will never forget the spectacular sunsets, nor the stars and milky way that makes you realize how small we are in this vast universe, nor the mysterious sun rise that occurs ever day again. I was under the spell of the rising moon that was full on the 31st of December and the immense vastness of the ocean with it's marvelous creatures. That is something that we should preserve at all costs for our children and grandchildren and the generations to come!
On Sunday we said goodbye to Betty and Guido who were heading for Club Med to rest a couple of days and travel around. On Monday we rented a car and went to Fort de France before heading for the airport and back to Europe where it was freezing.
I envy Dirk and his son Tom who will continue the oddyssea up to the isles north .... I wish them good winds and nice encounters. My special thanks for Tom, who was such a great company. I wish I was there to celebrate his 30th Birthday later in January but I will have one on his health.
This concludes the report of the transatlantic crossing. I am glad that I will be able to tell this to my little grandson and I hope that he will catch the sailing bug as well.
