June 7 - ARC Crew dinner
07 June 2008 | Horta Marina, Faial, Azores
Jim Rapelje
Thursday, June 4, 2008; Today was spend completing the required repairs on the boat, finishing our sign on the Horta Breakwater and making a run to the grocery store to provision for the trip to Lagos, Portugal. All went well and was completed in time to join the ARC sponsored dinner party. A few notes here. Boat repairs; we now have a fully functional rudder linkage on the port hull, the prop on the starboard hull has been replaced. We are very proud to have left our mark in Horta, our sign will be visible for a long time here, marking our presence in this sailing mecca. I've dreamt of doing such a sign for years. Ever since I saw a photo of the 1000s of signs on these walls and understood the significance of this place in the world of ocean sailing it's been a goal, a need if you will. I thought it an impossible dream, just goes to show you, never give up on a dream. Provisioning; it's just amazing to watch John go through a grocery store, filling 3 large carts to overflowing and we eat well folks, thank you John.
After all the work was done we came back to the boat to prepare for the ARC sponsored dinner party. We joined the throng of happy sailors and arrived at the restaurant. The tables were all set with what looked like excellent fare. This would be a "hot rock" dinner. They give you nicely prepared shrimp, 2 types of fish, beef, oysters and squid, all cold. Then you are given a very hot piece of rock to cook your food on. Very much fun and very tasty. Wine was provided, as much as you wanted, NO...we were all good tonight. After an excellent, filling dinner with all my new best friends, what could be better, I retired outside. It was hot in the restaurant with a room full of hot rocks.
I sat on the steps, made out of lava rock like everything else around here, and began to enjoy the company. This is a major part of this experience for me, the people. We've been together now for over a month and friendship has matured among this ARC group. We're all involved in the same adventure, there's a strong camaraderie that's developed. I have friends from Germany, England, Norway, Sweden, Granada, Brazil, France, Spain and Portugal that I'll never forget. The international sailing community is made up of people from everywhere, with every level of financial backing, from every walk of life, each with a different story. Everyone needs to experience this, it changes your outlook on life. Your own world is just not the same after you've met so many different people from different worlds and their attitudes and values toward things. It's very good folks, puts things in perspective.
Sitting there on the steps I had some great conversations, met more people, outside the ARC group, some local, one from South Africa. We talked about why we were here, how we got here, can we get more wine, what will you do when this trip's over, how's your boat, anything damaged, just everything and anything. As the night wore on conversations got to wives and girlfriends, are they ok with what we're doing, oh she'll join you in Lagos, where to then and on and on.