Wild Spirit for the Win
On race day, 95 out of the initial 99 ARC+ entrants jockeyed for prime position on the start line at Las Palmas, Gran Canaria. After the morning Skipper’s briefing, five boats pulled out due to the worsening weather conditions. One had engine issues, the others were either sailing double-handed or had young children aboard. In two cases, both.
Ten seconds after the gun went off, Kevin had already pulled ahead. To the starboard, our challenger was running neck and neck along side us across the line. Behind us, against the cloudy horizon 93 sets of sails trailed in our wake. It was a thrilling start, but with 850 NM to go, it was anybody’s race. The sea kicked up three to four meter swells and wind gusts clocked between 37 and 40 knots from the North East. On deck, the adrenaline surged.
Kevin and I had strategized early about crew positions and shifts. With seven of experienced crew aboard for the first 580 NM leg from Las Palmas, Gran Canaria to Sao Vincente, Cabo Verde, we decided the best place for me was in the galley. It was far from an insult. Who better to dish up 21 meals a day plus snacks than someone who could be counted on to not get seasick below deck in a challenging seaway? My cast-iron stomach and imperturbable inner ear made me the perfect candidate to keep hot meals pumping out of the galley around the clock.
For the next four days and nights, the wind raged. The sea pitched and rolled. She didn’t let up and our crew didn’t let us down. We normally run three-hour shifts, but the conditions demanded shortening shifts to two-hours a go. The seaway was nothing short of rough, which made hand steering a sizeable job. Using the autopilot was out of the question.
As we neared Cabo Verde off the West Coast of Africa, the sea finally began to flatten out. The wind settled down to a reasonable 18-22 knots. After 5 days, 53 minutes and 56 seconds, Wild Spirit crossed the finish line second in our division, achieving a second place on the podium in Mindello.
Arriving as one of the early boats gave the crew a chance to stretch our legs, enjoy cultural activities, tour the island of Sao Vincente and re-provision for the next 2,000 NM leg to St. Lucia.
The morning after the prize giving ceremony in Mindello, I stepped off the boat with a wicked rum-punch hangover bound for Miami. While Kevin and crew were sailing to the Caribbean I would be luxuriating on a cruise ship with my mother in the Caribbean over the Thanksgiving holiday. When the cruise was over, I would meet Wild Spirit in time for their arrival in St. Lucia.
Leaving Kevin and the Wild Spirit crew wasn’t easy. We’d all gotten on so well. Sailing as part of a team on the the first leg had been both thrilling and rewarding. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d laughed so much. With the worst of the weather behind us, the crew felt fully prepared for the next leg. I had done my part to provision the boat and prepare several crew members who were also good cooks, I knew I could step off with a clear consciousness. Although I didn’t want to leave and I would have happily sailed the distance, family has always been my priority. Leaving the boat gave me the opportunity to share Thanksgiving with my mother, now a widow, and accompany her on her first Caribbean cruise.
Mother ocean is vast, but I’ve only got one mother.
Over the next 12 days, I followed the second leg closely on Yacht Tracker. Other boats chased the wind, but Kevin stuck to his strategy of running downwind with an asymmetrical spinnaker following the rhumb line straight to Rodney Bay, St. Lucia.
After kissing my mother good-bye in Miami, I flew to St. Lucia where I met Kevin and the crew on the dock, champagne and rum in hand as they pulled into Rodney Bay Marina a bit after 8 pm on December 3rd. Their time: 12 days, 11 hours and 39 minutes.
The combined time on handicap for the two legs of the ARC+ put Wild Spirit first overall in the cruising division. It was a huge win and a huge thrill for the whole Wild Spirit crew.