On the 31st January at 12:20 local time, we arrived in Port Louis Marina, Grenada! A total journey of 20 days and 20 hours; 3256 nautical miles according to our log. It is hard to describe the mixture of elation, relief, exhaustion, and the adrenaline buzz that kept us awake and smiling as we downed rum punches on the pontoon and cheered, hugged and chatted with the other rally sailors who had already arrived. In short, it was a great feeling! Over the next week we, too, would stand on the dock and cheer as the remaining participants arrived.
25 boats had signed up to the rally. In the end, for assorted reasons, 22 boats started the rally on the 6th of January in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria after three boats had to withdraw. Many boats ran into difficulties – engine problems, instrument failures, broken autopilots, damaged sails and rigging, water maker problems, even hull leaks. We were not immune, with a broken attachment on our spinnaker pole early in the voyage, and a broken cutlery drawer that happened when we hit a particularly big wave and the drawer flew open. Fortunately, our problems were trivial, and easily fixed. Of the other boats, one pulled out after the first leg to Mindelo, and two more had to delay their departure: one, So What, a catamaran sailed by an English couple (Stan and Julie) has now arrived, over a week late, whilst the last boat, SY Fanny, skippered by Ola, has only just left and is not expected to arrive for nearly a fortnight yet.
Oliver, the co-organiser of the rally with Carlota, has told us that this year the rally encountered rougher conditions than in any of the previous eight years that the rally has been run. One of the boats – Manami II, a Beneteau 47 – had a professional skipper on board who also confirmed that this was his worst crossing (of at least 20 he has done before!). The tradewinds were stronger than usual and for much of the trip we also encountered waves of over 3 metres height that appeared to tower above us. So I think it is a credit to all of us that we have arrived safely. For our part, we have been delighted with Merryn. She proved herself more than up to the conditions and sailed beautifully with a simple set-up of poled-out headsails.
We have had a fantastic welcome in Grenada, with a mixture of official events organised by the Vikings rally, and informal get-togethers for meals, drinks and chats. It has taken over a week just to fully unwind after the crossing and catch up on sleep. We may even have downed the occasional rum punch! I have tried to get a picture of the crew of each and every boat, many of whom have become good friends. We hope to sail with them and meet again many times as we cruise around the Caribbean.
From now on we will start to disperse. Some of the keener sailors have already set off, heading north in conditions that are still a bit too lively for our liking! At the other end of the spectrum, there are a few boats that plan to remain in Grenada for a long while yet. For some it is a matter of relaxing, others are waiting for crew and friends to join them, one or two have outstanding repairs to do, and there are even some contemplating selling their boats! Our plans are to see a bit more of the island – a short trip South to some of the sheltered bays, then a trip up the Western coast taking in some sights before we venture to other Caribbean islands. Enjoy the two videos posted below: the first is a short slideshow of the rally sailors, the second is our vlog of the crossing itself…