We have done it! We have finally crossed the finish line at 02:17am local time, however the finish line was not crossed easily, the wind died down and the tide turned against us, the final five miles took three hours. The skipper however was not deterred and after much sail tweaking and several tacks we crossed the finish line with a cheer loud enough to wake the sleeping watches.
During the final three hours a large pod of dolphins swam along our bow, and later another pod escorted us into port.
Mooring proved much easier the clearing through customs, something that dragged on until at around 05:30am we finally got to sleep.
We woke to a late breakfast and then proceeded to clean Rona II from top to bottom. We hoisted flags and bunting to fit into the atmosphere of the Tall Ships race.
To conclude a week of hot and tiring sailing the crew finally got to shower, a very welcome luxury.
The whole crew are delighted to be first in class, after such a hard race (however this position is yet to be verified).
We are now looking forward to exploring Charleston.
Ed Bennett (crew)
