November 19, 2015 – The crew is complete! Yesterday morning Gerard and
Nicoline arrived in Las Palmas. Few days before Herman and Inge had already
welcomed Daan and Mariette. The four of them have been super busy with the
preparations for the crossing & the fun stuff that comes along with ARC. So
were they part of the ARC 2015 Opening Ceremony by carrying the Dutch flag in
the midst of all other 36 nationalities that are joining the ARC 2015. On
Monday they’ve rented a car to explore a bit more of the island and see the
views of Gran Canaria. Last Tuesday there was an inspection on the rigging on
board and Herman and Inge have joined several ARC seminars. Every evening there
is the ARC Sundowner where the Shiva crew and all others that will do the ARC
crossing (in total around 1250 people) can go for a drink and a chat which is
great for hearing each others stories and getting more and more excited to actually
sail away for Saint Lucia! What’s more, Inge and Mariette have been
provisioning the non-fresh food already. In other words, stuffing the boat and
filling all its empty cupboards and corners with pasta, rice, eggs, pepernoten,
olives, chocolates, chips, etc. etc. The last empty spaces will be filled this
Friday and Saturday with the fresh food. By the way, speaking about eggs,
finally it has been decided that we bring 90 eggs on board and Daan has been
numbering the eggs so that we can see which ones to eat first with respect to
the shelf life. Smart thinking! We have removed the packaging material of all
food and things for as much as possible so that we can minimize our share of
garbage during the crossing. But to safeguard ourselves from cockroaches and
other unwished animals and situations all is neatly packed in cover boxes. A
well-structured and thought-through system of food we have now on board!
The arrival of Gerard and Nicoline yesterday was perfectly timed so to
join as complete crew the ARC “ 80s Films” Costume Party. It felt as if we just
walked out of the Crocodile Dundee film set! We didn’t win the best costume
prize (perhaps because we were late!?) but of course that “didn’t kill the
fun”.
After a good night sleep we started the day today with several tasks: we
turned the boat so to lay out the anchor chain on the pontoon that enabled the
Shiva men to mark the chain after every 10 meters (handy when anchoring in the
Caribbean); we’ve marked the mainsail with tape to indicate where to put the
reefs; we’ve washed the main deck and all its accessories; hung out the
laundry; installed the Watt&Sea that will generate the electricity on
board; and Daan and co bought the last fishing gear – the fishing preparations
are REALLY getting serious…! And then it was time for us to join the life raft
practice in the pool. With life jackets on we experienced what it is like to
enter and exit a life raft and we got some good advices just in case we might
come into such a situation. We don’t expect it at all but it’s good to be
prepared for everything (that is what we will be) and it was also interesting
and fun.
It’s beautiful weather in Las Palmas (happy I just brought 1 pair of
jeans) and the atmosphere is great with so much people around that are all
getting prepared for an ocean crossing.
Only 2 more days and then we will be taking off!!!
So what is it that we expect & dream? The skipper’s dream is to make
a very beautiful and, if possible, quick crossing to Saint Lucia. The goal for
Herman is to do it in 16 days. But most important is that everyone makes it to
Saint Lucia safely and healthy and that the boat remains in good shape so that
Herman and Inge can continue sailing for another few months after having
arrived in Saint Lucia. So, safety first! Herman is also curious to get water
from the water-maker and has all faith that Gerard as our Chief Engineer can
repair it (anything) if needed. Furthermore with the wasabi, soya and ginger
already on board he expects Daan to catch tasty dorades and tuna fish. And
finally with daughter Mariette teaching him yoga and the view on the beautiful
ocean he expects to feel very Zen (which is so popular and much sought for
these days).
For Inge it’s a dream come true! In the 70s Herman and she found in a
book shop the book “in 4 jaar de wereld rond” (in 4 years around the world)
from Claes and Welmoed Honig and together they knew that’s what they wanted to
do! And now it has become reality and will the dream start… With an
enthusiastic crew we will be crossing the ocean and will enjoy many, new
sailing areas. From the Caribbean Islands to the Bahamas, then along the
American east coast to New York and perhaps even to Maine. Inge is very much
looking forward to this adventure and all new encounters.
Gerard is also very much looking forward to the adventure of crossing
the Atlantic Ocean. It’s great to use the Parasail together with the rest of
the crew and of course he’s a little bit proud to be the handyman, ahum Chief
Engineer on board. Hope it won’t be needed but if so we are in good hands!
Mariette is mostly looking forward to the yet unknown adventure of the
ocean with wind and water being the most important topics of the day. It could
even become a philosophical journey where it’s possible to reflect on the small
and big things and choices in life. But let’s first get into the habit of
living on a limited space with 6 people!
Daan expects to catch so much fish that he needs to stop fishing because
people get nauseous of it! And mostly he dreams of the phenomenal views at sea
like dolphins, flying fish, sunrises and sunsets, and night skies.
Myself, I’m super curious to experience what it is like to walk, sit,
sleep, live on a constantly moving vessel but also looking so much
forward to this. Over the last weeks, but mostly last night laying in my cabin,
I was already picturing it in my mind and feeling it slightly due to the little
sway that is around in the harbour. I expect to be very very happy and
enlightened, I will tell you in a few days if this expectation has come true
(or if it appears to be the opposite...!).
Next blog that we’ll post will be on Sunday or Monday when we’ve
actually taken off! From then on we aim to post every day an update on the ARC
log website. Don’t worry; they won’t be as long as this one! And please also
don’t worry if a blog comes 1 day later, I could be just very busy reading,
chilling, sleeping, cooking or just enjoying doing nothing …
