Well, we have finished. At about 1115 am on Tuesday morning we crossed the finishing line. The whole journey took about 23 days. The last two or three days were quite fast, but frustrating as ever. We did some more fishing, (hooked) but lost another fish.

Sleep depravation, and anti-social hours are by now the norm. Our arrival at Rodney Bay left us confused since the finish line was not clearly marked, and the entrance to the Marina barely visible.

Rum punch, a reception gathering and a small steel band await all finishers along with a photographer. Everybody is waving, boat horns blaring. Would I do it again? One day maybe, but as skipper of my own boat, wth a young agile and eager crew!

In the mean time I will be happy to use my own boat in the Mediterranean as often as time permits. Looking back over the last five weeks, I and my friends/crewmates have shared many new experiences, only some of which relate to sailing a boat. We have seen and surfed through inky black endless nights. We have seen moonlit nights of a million stars. We have seen phosphorescence in the night waters, and long rolling wave crests following our every move. We have seen dolphins, whales, Marlin, Dorade, Flying Fish and sharks. We have experienced frustration and elation, laughter and solitude, exhaustion, tolerance and friendship. I believe we have developed a mutual respect for our various abilities, and in this shared achievement, we have a certain camaraderie. We all now appreciate the power and vastness of the ocean.

I would like to thank you all for sharing this adventure with me.