Valerio and Lorenzo managed to get Milanto unloaded a day early in order to miss some nasty weather so Tuesday am she was safely moored inside the port of Viareggio ready for some spring cleaning and general overall.
Milanto has won the Swan Transatlantic Cup - 2nd year running !
Valerio , Herbert, Josef and Carla are to be congratulated on an incredible feat - they won the cup for the for the ARC Rally despite being only 4 on board . Many congratulations to the other 12 Swans who took part and especially to King's Legend, Bernice and Cheri. for their final placing in the Rally.
Looking forward to seeing everyone in Monaco at the prize-giving.
Above is the latest Swan Newsletter.
Now in Bequia
Another small gem of an island. Everyone up by 6am and eating eggs for breakfast. The skipper has 'disappeared' to buy croissant and baguette. The 'tough' plan is to be in Mustique for Christmas!
Over and out
here is herbert again, on board of MILANTO.
it's done - earlythis morning we arrived ,at 03:24 am local time to be precise . due to the genious navigation of Valerio we flew our spi till the cap of Pigeon Island, and crossed the line with white sails up on a perfect beating course . what a feeling!
berthed in the marina we awaited sunrise....... a moment to be a little emotional.....
Thank you all for following this blog and joining us on our journey.
It's been a great experience, more than great. in fact you should try for yourselves. The very best to you all
Herbert
ahoi
over and out
My thanks to Josef and Herbert who were delightful company all the way across as well as being highly skilled fishermen! And the whole trip was memorable due to the enthusiasm, energy and cheerfulness of our onboard Neapolitan, Carla. What a fantastic ARC. Thanks again guys! Vale
Milanto is now in Rodney Bay, St Lucia
What a day!
buongiorno after the morning routine of cleaning and maintenance of the various pumps and filters x the soft water sustems, coffees, teas and various breakfasts everyone lay down on the deck to enjoy the sun and the wind , which thank goodness is continuing meaning that we are travelling fast towards St Lucia f. The spinnaker is resting, reaching with white sails and jazz music, The Tropics are like that, we have lunch and eat supper , change the lures on our fishing rods but not a fish in sight. Well , not quite we lost one around 15kgs. yesterday -we tried to get it on board for over an hour but finally the hook broke and it slipped back into the sea. What a pity! So as I said everyone around me looks like they are at the beach. half asleep or staring into space. A real detox! Herbert tells me that he has not even got the energy or the will to read -his brain has totally switched off..It will be hard to go back to an onland routine after this , We are getting close to having only 600 nm. to go circa .Despite the lack of fish the Michelin 3star food continues chicken curry , lasagne with pesto , pork with mustard, freshly cooked bread with nuts and seeds , fresh salads ,with splash of red or white wine. No complaints there
It's not easy even writing ,surrounded by sun, clouds and the Oceann and how this effects us. The greatest experience is being part of this giant 'kitchen' where all the ingredients change continually, the smell, the colour and the shape. It will certainly influence our life later back on land.
9 HOURS LATER......a day of 2 parts!This afternoon turned into the 'kitchen' form hell! Squlla that hit you with bolts of water so you cannot relax for a second,Our Austrian friends desperately wanted to catch a fish but no luck all morimmo and by the afternoon they were demoralised and gave up. However the then remembered that they had a present to open -it being St Niklaas today so the day when many N.European children open a present or two . Inside were 4 gingerbread biscuits in the shape of the saint. ,so as a joke I pretended to receive a Skype call from St Niklaas requesting a fish.and promised in return to mend his sack and any toys that were broken! About one hour later, as the sun was going down looks what we pulled on board. I have never caught one like this before. oooh whaoo !So I went down on my knees, in front of the remaining gingerbread figure and gave thanks!
The best present!
Speed: 7.8 knots @ 252.56°
Position at: 06 Dec 2014 20:00 UTC
Lat/Lon: 16° 37.77 N, 051° 0.54 W
DTF: 596.2 NM
Distance (last 24hrs): 184 NM
9th in All Racing Division
39th in All boats
6th in Racing B