Day 465: Marigot Bay to Rodney Bay, St Lucia – 16/04/11

With more visitors arriving this morning, I rush around the boat trying to clear up a little.  Thankfully the guided tour can take place in the port hull where Bev, Moe and Stuart have been staying so I don’t have to worry about our side and just sling everything down there.

Photo:  Getting a hug from Maggie before we start off

Mike and Moe tie all the courtesy flags together in the order we have visited them and string them up with our rather pathetic signal flags so it looks a bit better for the parade.  The visitors arrive bringing gifts of Amarula, Baileys, Veuve Cliquot champagne (from Kirpal and Katy for when we cross the finish line), chocolate and biscuits as well as a lovely bottle of pure Iranian saffron from Rafat, Moe’s mum.  They are shown around the boat and settle themselves down ready for the off.

We have been give a strict order of sail and we are to pull out behind Destiny, our sister ship, who is liberally decorated with balloons (most of which fly off during the sail). 

Photo:  Destiny bedecked with balloons leaves ahead of us

Photo:  Bev and Moe

Once out into the Caribbean Sea once more, we hang around until all the boats are out and then start our Parade of Sail.  Heading up the west coast of St Lucia, the boats start to put up their mainsails and motorsail to the capital, Castries, before turning into the bay to motor around it in a huge circle.  There are two huge cruise ships in but they seem to have disgorged their passengers out on day trips around the island as no one is there to watch our little parade.  However, flyers had been put out to the yachting community regarding the end of our little adventure and lots of them greet us in small yachts and power boats waving and blowing horns and generally making as much noise as we are.  Bev and I dance on the deck as we pass the boats whooping with glee – I hope we make a good spectacle.

  Photo:  Dancing and making a noise on the deck

We have two horns on board and make good use of them.  Then we discover that Kirpal can do an alarming loud whistle so he does them – frequently!

Coming out of Castries we continue northwards for a few more miles to Rodney Bay.  Moe cracks open the champagne and Voyageur start the musical ball rolling by playing Scottish music over the VHF with the other boats following suit.  “We are the champions”, “Rocking all over the world” are just a couple of the renderings.  Kirpal searches for “Ferry across the Mersey” as being a fitting tribute to a Liverpool registered boat but fails to find it on his iPod and we run out of time to play anything as the finish line approaches.

Then “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong comes on, a song which brings, with each hearing, strong emotional feelings for my late father.  What would he have thought of his little girl sailing around the world?  For the first time, the enormity of what we have done really hits home and I weep for just a little while but the finish line is approaching so I tuck the emotions away, dry the tears and a few moments later we cheer and hoot our way over across.

  Photos:  World ARC – done!

Photo:  The boats enter Rodney Bay Marina one by one

The entrance into the marina is narrow and we file in one by one, like a line of little ducks and get tied up almost in the order we enter then immediately head over to the Boardwalk Bar for a welcome in drink.  My bright coral dress is recognised by quite a few local sailors who were out there in their own boats to welcome us and they come and hug me for giving them something to watch – they had nicknamed us as the ‘dancing boat’.  There are a lot of tears and hugs over the next few hours.  I think the pictures say it all.

  Photos:  Well done everyone!

Unfortunately, all that afternoon sun provides me with something that I have avoided on the whole trip – red skin and ridiculously obvious strap marks.  By late afternoon I am glowing uncomfortably with my own central heating system.  Add this to the stifling heat outside and the old menopausal flushing going on inside as well, I look like a burnt zebra.  Very appealing.  Having had no lunch, a couple of beers followed by a few rum punches necessitates an afternoon sleep for Mike and he disappears back to the boat.  When it’s time to get ready to go out for the evening, he is less than ready so I go over to Lady Lisa but decline a rum punch.  Lisa has been busy during the day preparing some canapés which she hands out to everyone.  I go back to the boat and Mike still isn’t ready although he is now in the shower which is progress of sorts.  Ten minutes later he is still putting in his contact lenses.  Ten minutes later he is looking for his watch.  By this time everyone has piled into the taxis and gone to the hotel for the final prizegiving.  Half an hour late, I drag him off the boat to join Eline and Oisin who have been holding a taxi for us.

There are a lot of people from the tourist board at the function joining us for dinner and we happen to sit near two very nice members of their staff, along with Jutta, Jochem, Eline and Oisin.  The food is buffet style, very good and lots of it.  The wine flows and, oh joy, it is Sauvignon Blanc and not Chardonnay!  Mike is on water and only just staying awake.

After dinner is the prizegiving.  Each boat is presented with an engraved plaque, certificates, a bottle of rum and a ‘mystery present’, a lovely book full of photos of the countries we have visited and of us and our boats.  It is a lovely record of our adventure. 

  Photos:  Paul and Suzanna present the prizes

Paul finds something unique and personal to say about all of us.  He talks about my frank, no holds barred blog and the fact that I always leap off the boat for hugs and kisses wherever I hit land.  Jutta and Jochem present Paul and Suzanna with presents for all their help then Bev and Bob sing “The Southern Cross” by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, which is poignant for all of us.

Got out of town on a boat Goin' to Southern islands.
Sailing a reach
Before a followin' sea.
She was makin' for the trades
On the outside,
And the downhill run
To Papeete.
Off the wind on this heading
Lie the Marquesas.

When you see the Southern Cross
For the first time
You understand now
Why you came this way

It’s a fitting end to the formalities.

Photo:  Bev and Bob singing “The Southern Cross”

Of course, it’s not the end of the evening.  Mike heads back to the marina on the first taxi available, by now with a splitting headache and I stay on for a while longer, eventually coming back with the others to find that the bar is closing at the marina.  However, not to be thwarted they buy enough beer and rum punch to last a good few rounds.  I have one drink before tiredness claims me and try to sneak off without anyone noticing.  Of course I don’t manage it and they all take the piss out of me for being such a wuss!  I don’t care.  I’m shattered.

Our position is:  14 deg 04 min N, 60 deg 32 min W

Distance so far:  24704 nautical miles