Friday, December 3



Day 15,



All good shows must eventually come to an end. And so this morning, we discovered just how much of a mess six guys can make over the course of 1,000 or so miles in washing machine conditions. The sailing was fast, and so was the accumulation under the table and sailbags of assorted pieces of clothing, paper towels, and Doug's hats.

Nothing that a little elbow grease, Simple Green, and a few dish towels couldn't correct, however. Once our bags were packed and hauled up on deck, we removed sail bags and cushions, then scrubbed our little butts off. Particularly nice was the head (Peter jumped right into that one, as you can see in the photo) and the galley where the leaking bags of chili, goulash, stew, and what have you created quite a concoction under the wooden grate in the bottom of the fridge. By noon, things were gleaming and we were off for food and fuel. With the mega-yachts quickly filling the docks here in advance of next week's charter show, and supplies inexplicably unavailable at the Catamaran Marina (the government's turned off the water???), we instead motored around to English Harbour, and on the way enjoyed a last blue-water swim just off the Pillars of Hercules.

At the Slipway in English Harbour, Philip topped off the tanks while Bob, Peter and I checked out at customs and made our departure official. Then Peter and Ulf walked back to Falmouth, Pete to hunt down a last few items and Ulf to rent a car so he and Philip can explore tomorrow after dropping us at the airport.

So, now with the final curtain call set, we're off to shore in search of Roti Chicken and maybe just one or two last rum punches. It's been one hell of a fabulous run.

This post is made possible by Iridium and Global Marine Networks.