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Atlantic Ocean – Antigua  - day 20

Position:   17 07 22 N   61 50 78 W

Date: arrivée vendredi 11 des 2009 a 7.15 (heure local) et reparti   le jour meme a 1800 pour aller a l’ancre

Date: Arrived Friday 11 dec 2009 at 7.15 am (local time)  and left same day at 6pm to go at anchor

On day 17 we had some gusts again the only strong one, pushed us for a few seconds to a speed of 12 knots and we were too late to reduce at night so it broke the ring of the “jib-boom” that is attached to the mast, so that the jib-boom fell and woke up everybody at 2.25 am but more noise than else really. We took the jib down and with the biggest misfortune the halyard went up the mast , we waited the following morning to go up the mast to take it down again in order to put the jib and the genoa as previously on the 2 forestay in butterfly with the “jib-booms”(see pics)

For the rest of the day we had a few more light ones with as only inconvenient the rain.

Fortunately the sunshine came to dry everything soon enough, and at least everything was cleaning before our arrival. For the last few days we had to steer again as the rolling became again too strong for the pilot to hold, steering in the middle of the ocean gives a strange feeling, you start thinking of this immensity of the ocean and us 4 on a small boat in the middle of it, nearly surfing on the waves (when you steer well) Amazing.

Around 8pm on day 19 we saw the light of the land in front of us. Arrival with the rising sun above St John’s harbor in Antigua. That’s it! The dream is done, we made it! and it was an experience we will never forget.