Simpatico Bermuda Race 2014 posted by Shindig

It may be bad luck to say we made it, plently can go wrong still. I'm sure the Coast Guard has some stat that like automobile accidents lost happen close to home. Makes sense especially since most of our travel is near home. Regardless, we are about to make landfall and everyone is beginning to pack and talk about what they'll do when we hit the dock. A shower and change of clothes is high on my list, this is the longest beard I've ever had. Then we'll being cleaning, the fridge is scarry, yesterday afernoon we decided it would be best if we only ate things that came out of a can or sealed plastic.

We are currently enjoying our first cup of coffee this week, the last attempted ended in the pot being tossed from the stove and splashing the galley and soggy grains. That was three days ago and coffee is still seeping out of the cabinets. Todays sucessful coffee taste great and we are glad for it.

I have to say that the return delivery was more trying and evertfull than the race. We got a real taste of what the gulf stream can be like in bad weather, we had rain so heavy we swore there were fish comming down, lightning dancing all around us, booms from thunder, a hiss than a bang from the waves rolling upon us. Tossed left tossed right, up, down this way and that all at once. Some of the waves were the size of houses and when on top the wind sreamed and then we'd accelerate into the trough and the boat would vibarte acceleratin, the helmsman being carefull to avoid burying the bow into the next wave. He we were tired, bruised, sleep deprived, exhaused, to have part of our keel, the centerboard, break away should have been unnerving but at the time we didn't mourn just glad it didn't damage the rudder or the propeller, I was asleep again within minutes, the boat never strayed from course. Leaks the boat didn't leak on the way down but comming back we had leaks, water was everywhere, everything was soggy, cooking was difficult, but we never got to the point that we resorted to the MRE (Meals Ready to Eat). But we did open the canned stew, I think all sailors carry this for just these conditions.

I realise now that I had failed to write about the rainbow we saw in the stream, it was the most defined, colorfull biggest rainbow I had ever seen and we sailed right through one end of it. Didn't find any gold, but it was a great experience, we didn't mind the rain that came with it as it was warm and we were salty and in need of a wash.

This year, sailors who did the race but not the return didn't get to sample all the beauty and excitement that mother nature had to offer.

Ship conditon: Shindig could be liken to an cat who's been in an alley fight and is making for home a little tattered a little weary but intact.

Here is an image of one of the rollers approaching us.

I'm in hope that some of the crew will share their experences here to.

Maybe more soon?