Day 54, Year 6 Windbird Back in the Atlantic!!!
Date: Friday, December 17, 2010
Weather: Sunny and Cool, AM No Wind, PM Winds SE 15-20
Latitude: 34 55.320 S
Longitude: 019 41.870 E
Miles Traveled: 138.5
Miles to Go: 80
Location: Passage from Mossel Bay to Simon’s Town, Day 2
What a beautiful, glorious day. The sun is shining, after hours of motoring the winds are now allowing us to sail gently along, and the temperature is a little warmer today, up from 54 degrees F this time yesterday to a balmy 64 degrees F. Love that sunshine. And in addition to the beautiful weather, it was a BIG day for us. We have re-entered the Atlantic Ocean after traveling 26,000 miles in the Pacific and Indian Oceans in 1,274 days. When Windbird pulled quietly out of her slip just before dawn on Tuesday morning, October 18, 2005, we knew we had quite an adventure before us-the Caribbean, the Panama Canal, the Galapagos, the exotic islands of the South Pacific, New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, southern India, the Maldives, Chagos, Madagascar, South Africa. We have seen and experienced so much, but as sailors one of the milestones was the day we motored out of the Mira Flores Lock in the Panama Canal and entered the Pacific Ocean. That day was Thursday, February 16, 2006 at exactly 2:00 pm. At that moment our circumnavigation became real to us. There was no turning back. This afternoon at 2:00 pm (interesting coincidence) we passed another milestone. Windbird sailed around Cape Agulhas, wing ‘n wing, with fair winds and following seas, back into the Atlantic Ocean. Now the fact that we are headed home has become a reality. We still have more than 8,000 nautical miles to go, but we ARE in the Atlantic Ocean. Windbird (and the cooperating weather) has just given us our Christmas present for this year by getting us around Cape Agulhas safely. Tomorrow, if all things continue to go as planned, we will pull into the False Bay Yacht Club in Simon’s Town and celebrate our arrival. Then the serious planning for the trip across the Atlantic and back to Quisset Harbor on Cape Cod will begin. But for now we are just going to enjoy the rest of this beautiful day in the Atlantic Ocean.
Congratulations, Handleys, on making it safely around the cape and back to the Atlantic! I always love to hear of your adventures and milestones, and this is indeed a big one!
Seems like just the other day I was dreamily reading your near perfect cruising blog and counting down the days until our ship comes in –our plans were for this to happen in about 10 years. Anyway, congratulations on reaching the Atlantic Ocean again and continue entertaining us with your wonderful travels.
On a side note, “if” you detour to the east coast of Florida (not in your logical plans), but if you do … I would love to have experience salts such as you step onto out ‘new’ old boat (well, new to us). In fact, the timing of my comment is such that the ink hasn’t dried on the papers — the closing and title transfer happened a few hours ago.
Again it has been a great inspiration to ready your blog and follow your travels … and make this final ocean crossing a safe one.
Well done Windbird (Judy and Mark). I remember the day you two left Shipyard and have followed your adventures online. It is funny I would think to myself today that I am where I had expected to be in my vessel also. It is nice to arrive at our intended goals in life. Also ….”if” you detour the east coast of Florida I should be still in Stuart, Fl unless I take a vacation in the Bahamas. Fair winds my friends……