Monday, 9 June 2014

Homeward bound

This is not the end, but it is the beginning of the end, ... of my fantastic adventure! Four days in New York allowed me enough time to see some of the sights, get ready for the next race and do some corporate sailing.

On my first day there I had the whole day off from boat duties. My cousin Priscilla and her boyfriend Lloyd had come over to  see me, so we decided that it was the best day for sightseeing. We first went to have a look at 'Ground zero', then a trip all the way to the top of the Empire State building for some great views, after that a picnic in Central Park and a look round the famous Guggenheim Gallery where there was an Italian Futurists art exhibition. We also called in at Time's Square which was packed with people! We managed to do as much sightseeing as possible but still there is so much more of New York I would like to see... next time!

The following day I had a corporate sailing day with; Matt, Kate, Ben, Farmer and Jax, we took 15 guests out and taught them the basics of sailing Mission Performance. They were all incredibly enthusiastic helping out, so that made our day much easier and fun. Our last full day was spent prepping the boat for the next race and our last ocean crossing... The North Atlantic. With all jobs done (and thankfully no damage to sails) we set sail on the Saturday. Another 'Le Mans' start and this time we were one of the first to get our sails up.

Over the past 24 hours we have been surrounded by other Clipper yachts as we all gybe and head in the general direction of Ireland. Soon we will be watching out for Icebergs and we are expecting some strong winds on this crossing so hopefully we can do well. On my watch it's Kate as watch leader, with me as assistant, then we have Richard, Carl, Jax, Paddy, Stephen and Jack (our new crewmember) and on the other watch; Derek as watch leader, Orla as assistant, Claire, Ben, Chris (Farmer), Jon, David (leg 1 and 8) and Katherine (1, 4 and 8). So far we are doing just great and we even got into first place for awhile! I'm hoping we can keep up with this and have a fast crossing to Derry-Londonderry to be there for the 21st of June and a week of parties that are 'Legenderry'!

At the top of The Empire State Building
Central Park
The Guggenheim

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for the crew update, it helps an ardent follower of Mission Performance. Sounds like NY was a busy time. I hear “ground zero” is an experience. I guess Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim was something a budding art historian couldn’t miss. Good luck “homeward bound”.

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