Arrival

The last few days in Punta del Este have been very exhausting. Firstly, our arrival kept dragging out. Two days before the arrival we had hoped to come in on Sunday morning. On Saturday it became clear that we would not arrive before Sunday lunchtime. Then the wind turned in the night to Sunday which meant that we would be beating upwind for the last couple of hours. This was another uncomfortable ride, given that the winds increased at the same time.

Along with the change in wind direction, there were multiple thunderstorms around us. At some point, we could see lightning in all directions around us. In these situations we disconnect our wind instruments routinely, so that in case we are hit by lightning, there is a smaller chance for our board electronics to get damaged. This spectacular display of nature was on one hand beautiful to watch. On the other hand we knew that we are out there without any shelter and the associated change in wind direction and speed would not really simplify our arrival.

After crossing the finish line late on Sunday evening, we docked in the marina of Punta del Este. We had a very nice welcome on the dock which was followed up with a reception and some food in the Yacht Club Punta del Este. And of course there were a few more drinks before all of us headed for their accommodation just after midnight.

Stay in Punta del Este

The following days were packed with work. Firstly, the boat needed to be cleaned after such a long passage. For this we basically took everything out and cleaned it before putting it back. Unfortunately, the weather was not really on our side. Between light rain showers the wind kept blowing waves over the breakwater to keep us wet.

In the following days we started varies repairs. Most of them were smaller fixes or simply improvements. The larger tasks were done by the maintenance team. Therefore, our bowsprit is screwed down again firmly, the navigation lights are getting power and the inverter supplies power again to our board systems.

And also the generator, which had refused to start up a couple of times during our passage, was checked. A corroded contact has been replaced and we now hope that it is working again reliably. But even if there are problems again we now know how to jumpstart it. Besides, I have taken care of our main engine. After the longer passage under engine the oil and coolant level were a bit low. I thus topped them up to make sure everything is in good order for the next stretch.

In parallel the repairs on our spinnakers were in full swing. Initially, we had to stick them back together with self-adhesive sail fabric. Only after that we could sew them back together. Today we could finish the last larger bits so that tomorrow we only have to hand-sew a few of the smaller patches.

Prize-Giving and more

On the way to prize-giving we were still convinced that we would only play a side act and applaud the other teams. We had given away our intermediate lead, been last and then caught up a bit. In the end we crossed the finish line as sixth out of the ten boats. And also the Ocean Sprint and the Scoring Gate had not yielded any points for this time. Thus our joy was even bigger when Lauren from our team was announced Charity Champion. With her hair donation she was able to raise more than 1000£ for Unicef. Congratulations Lauren, very well deserved!

In addition, we had been invited to an Asado by the mayor of Punta del Este. That is essentially a huge barbecue, which was hosted near the museum for contemporary art. With the delicious food we had some live music. Unfortunately, the sky was covered in clouds to that it was pretty cold. Nevertheless, it was a great event which offered plenty of possibilities to discuss with members of all the teams.

The Yacht Club Punta del Este organised further activities. I was taking part in a Dulce de Leche tasting. That is a speciality from South America, made from milk and sugar, which caramelises as the milk is heated. So far I was not aware there are different types. But even I as a newbie could quickly settle on a favourite sort. Then there were also alfajores and a dulce de leche creme so that everyone suffered a sugar shock after just about an hour.

At the following wine tasting we were served different wines from Uruguay. These are in general less well known. My wine knowledge is rather limited, but in order to change this I need to keep trying. And at least my preference for red over white wine has been confirmed.

On to Cape Town

Tomorrow we have to do the last preparations before starting again on Monday. Besides the last few tasks on the sails we have to stow all our provisions for the passage. These are the most important points for us. In addition, there will of course be another crew briefing with all the details to the course and the expected weather for the next few days. I currently looks like we might hook onto a high pressure system which might carry us on a downwind course towards South Africa.

It is sad having to say goodbye to some of the crew members here. After such a long time in close quarters one gets to know each other. What have been 19 more or less strangers in Portsmouth have become a team with strong bonds. On the other hand we get a few new people, which will certainly bring some new stories to the lengthy night watches.

It was also great to see the support during our time here. Many of the new crew members have helped right from the arrival. And also those which are leaving us have often stayed and helped until their departure. This has helped tremendously. Even more impressive is the support we received from family and friends of crew members. They supported us with all tasks which is simply wonderful.

With the next leg we will have another Atlantic crossing. This time from west to east. An exciting challenge and certainly much different to the last leg. And even if I don’t know what I have to expect I am looking forward to the experiences and the shared moments at sea. What I have learnt so far is that nobody knows what is coming next. And that makes it exciting and I hope that we will arrive in South Africa in two and a half weeks.