It is in a mixed state of exhaustion, surprise, disorientation & absolute euphoria that the crew of Me2Me post this final blog entry, from the penthouse suit of an apartment block on Copacabana beach front, Rio Janiero, Brazil. We made it.
EnviroDiesel Me2Me crossed (or crawled!) across the finish line just after midnight (GMT) on the 7th of February, after 23 days, 10 hours on the Atlantic ocean. This race is hard, right up until the closing moments. In fact, the final 48 hours of the race were perhaps some of the toughest of the race, fraught with heavy weather, frustratingly low winds & desperate mile counting!
Our last night on board was a strange one. Everyone had mixed feelings about their final Night Watches. In a way we were relieved & happy to know they were our last bights of broken sleep but once out there, it was a rather sad good-bye to the beautiful stars above & that feeling of pure solitude upon an inky black sea. As we got to within 300 miles of the Brazilian coast we entered the oil fields; the night was dotted with the eerie orange glow of Oil Rigs as far as the eye could see; dozens of them. These silent sentries felt alien & invasive, imposing on our friendship with only the stars above & rolling waves below as companions. A rather ironic feeling for a lonely sailor who thought all he'd been craving as civilisation. That night's sailing saw 25 knot winds for a good while, before dropping to calmer waters as we passed under the cover of Carbo Frio (Cape Cold).
The next day, our final at sea, was awakend with the cry of "Land ho!". From about 150 miles out we sailed happily within eye-sight of the coast, looming grey hills seen through the haze seemed a difficult sight to believe in. As we got right into the bay, shipping activity buzzing around us & buildings visible on the horizon, we began making contact with race organisers over the radio. Flying along at 6 - 7 knots, we filled them with excited estimates for our time of arrival. Silly us. We'd over looked the "Parking Lot". About 12 miles out, within sight of light houses, harbour walls, city lights & the famous statue of "Cristo Redentor" our wind just vanished and we sat. For fought desparately as the windex just spun donuts, changing sails, redistributing our weight & doing anything we could think of to get Me2Me moving. The sun was low & the prospect of another night on board, within sight of Rio, seemed very real. Eventually as if putting a humurous finish to a cruel joke, the evening breeze crept back to us & we inched over the line at 2.8 knots. The hooter sounded. The crew exploded. We'd finished the race.
To top things all off it was a matter of seconds before we heard the joyous voices of our support crew; family & friends who had flown all the way across to suffer the hours & even days waiting for us to arrive. These people have literally caught us as we collapsed off the boat, feeding us, cleaning us & returning the humanity to our lives. They are wonderful. In the final days, we were sailing to get to them.
So, before we wrap up this blog, a few closing remarks.
1) There are no mermaids in the Atlantic. We looked. There are lots of flying fish but assuming you are relying on a flying fish as your communicator to the mer-people, not happening. Sorry.
2) Beard growth is hazadous. We made landfall & found a mirror &, well, both us & the mirror are still recovering. It may improve your sailing but it does not improve your game. Fact.
BEARD STATUS: Murray - although growth was greater than expected (beyond bum-fluff), disqualification due to "ginger infringement". Quarantine officers still dealing with him. Alex - beard is a strong word. Decent length but we should have placed some rules of gluing yorkshire terriers to your upper lip. Mike - only one of the youngsters who may actually have testosterone in his body. The fluffy, auburn texture is very unfortunate but would make for sick lamb-chops.
Andre - most respectable! But far too short lived. It didn't even last 6 hours on shore. His wife gave a good exchange though; she provided zoo biscuits.
Saths - The silver back. Enough said. Respect.
See Below for the evidence. Feel free to comment on what you think & who has the most respectable facial growth!
3)Thanks guys. Thanks to all of you who joined us on our trip, from your desk-tops, couches, bedrooms & maybe even bathrooms (who knows where computers are these days!) . To know people were interested, to receive their comments & faithful support; it helped more than you know. Obragado! (thanks!)
Today we found out we finished 7th overall! Pretty decent considering - us! The impact was not what one thought it would be though. It was telling the stories last night around an incredible dinner on a flat, still surface to people who cared & desperately wanted to know. That is what made every inch of 3600 miles worth it. Hope you guys think so too! This is the crew from Me2Me signing off. Thanks guys. We hope to follow the adventures & antics of your lives on your blogs soon ;-)
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