My last post ended on days 6-7 at sea. We hit the trades on day 8 and things got spicy quickly. The winds picked up to a very consistent 14-20 knots and the seas built accordingly. The crew kept talking about “Easting” which I’ve learned translates to beating upwind in sizable seas with 2-3 meter swell and chop, the boat healed at 15 degrees or more, making life generally difficult, Mom might say “miserable”. It was difficult to sleep though we were exhausted because of the constant roar of the water and the boat occasionally bashing into a large wave. The crew was tired, and a bit queasy at times, Mom was sick for about 12 hours, but everyone got through it without losing any lunch, so to speak. Kenny stepped up and made dinner when Mom couldn’t and really everyone dug deep and pitched in to get us through the last few more challenging days at sea. Which reminds me, Mike made dinner earlier in the trip and the crew got to try Minnesota Hot Dish for a hearty dinner. It was a first for most of us and welcomed after a long day of passage-making. Mom’s happy anytime she doesn’t have to cook!

On we charged through the trades, the boat cut through the waves like a freight train! We were flying, hitting 10kts of boat speed regularly. Dad described sailing at night in those conditions like flying Santa’s Sleigh through the night in pitch darkness. I also heard it likened to riding a rocket ship through space. You can see nothing and are forced to rely solely on your instruments.

But alas, as the sun rose 10 days after leaving Hampton, VA we saw our first glimpse of lights on land! The sunrise was amazing as Antigua slowly came into focus. As we approached the island we were flanked by fellow Dawgs Sweet Caroline and For Pete’s Sake. We pulled into English Harbor and the crew tensed for what was Dad’s first time to med-moor Two Captains. The dock staff at Nelson’s Dockyard was top-notch and guided Dad over the radio through a very tricky mooring procedure in a very difficult location. By 8:30am, we were safely docked. I could smell the grass and the trees and was anxious to pee on dry land, but had to wait just a little longer while first Dad cleared all our crew through customs. Then the Antiguian Chief Veterinary Officer came directly to our boat to approve my entry onto the island. Thank goodness it was only paperwork and no more shots!

The crew got off the boat and celebrated with lunch and a round of Painkillers. Everyone was exhausted and Mom was beside herself with joy when Dad agreed to have the boat professionally cleaned inside and out. We have to give a big shout-out to Cookie’s crew who washed the topsides and polished the stainless making Two Captains look like new again, Maude’s Laundry (cell: 268-728-3115) who came and took 10 days of very yucky laundry off to clean and returned it perfectly washed and folded, and then Camille and Rochelle (cell: 268-721-8618) who cleaned the interior top to bottom. Let me tell you, cleaning a boat after 2000 miles of travel is a dirty job, even when the crew does their best to maintain it along the way.

Mom and Dad got a hotel room for a couple of nights at Admiral’s Inn and we were all so thankful for a bed that didn’t rock, a shower you could let run and not worry about rationing water, and air conditioning that didn’t require a noisy generator running in the background.

We are celebrating our arrival with our Salty Dawg compatriots, taking lovely day hikes, checking out some nearby beaches, and generally decompressing! More to come next week!