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Anyone who has spent time in the Caribbean, or would like to, has definitely got to be a little bit of a sun worshipper.  That never becomes more evident than when you are on a sailboat on the ocean.  You become so in tune with the weather, the daylight, and the darkness that every sunset or sunrise can completely capture your imagination and take your breath away at the same time.      John Taking in the Sunrise on Deck   Beautiful Sunrise Over Calm Water   Onboard 'Sophisticated Lady', we quickly adopted the ritual of toasting the sunset while at sea... it just became one of our favorite activities during the day.  It was the perfect time as everyone was awake and working around the boat doing something, so about a half hour before the sun hit the horizon we would all gather on deck and just slip into a trance of contentedness and appreciation of the fact that we have been blessed with such a fantastic passage, and that each glorious sunset had brought us one day closer to our tropical destination.     Toasting the Setting Sun   The past few days at sea have been absolutely fantastic... we finally found the trade winds as we slipped below 25*N Latitude and West of 67* Longitude.  We've been sailing our course almost non-stop, averaging a consistent 6-7 knots even in the light winds we've found this year.  Sliding Easterly near the start turned out to be a great move for us, we've been able to spend most of our time sailing while most of the fleet has been doing a tremendous amount of motoring and spent most of this week worrying about not having enough fuel to make it to the finish...  we should be arriving at the finish line later today and will reach our dock in Road Town, Tortola with almost half our fuel still onboard.      Pops says "Hi Austin" !!!!     End of a Day of Perfect Sailing!   We seem to be doing very well in the Rally, but the final results won't be told until after all the boats are in and the handicaps have been adjusted to their times.  We are fairly certain that we should place fairly well given the fact that the boats that finished well in advance of us had much higher engine hours to be added to their times.     Fresh Mahi Mahi on the Barbeque Tonight!!   We should be arriving at Village Cay Marina just in time for happy hour at the bar, then there is supposed to be a party at the pool for the Rally members, being hosted by Mount Gay Rum...  Sounds like a great way to spend our first Friday night in the islands!!   Cheers, Rick She said:   The last few days have been spent floating in an idyllic haze of perfect moments filled with sunshine, sapphire blue skies and gentle waters pushing us to our tropical destination.  The trade winds filled our sails with exactly what the captain ordered.  We have all thoroughly enjoyed lazing on the deck and lounging in the cool cockpit while the boat skimmed along, tuned perfectly to the winds.   As we watched the stunning sunsets and toasted each other, we realized how lucky we were to be experiencing this.  Its like climbing a mountain, parachuting out of a helicopter or landing on the moon.  So few people in the world will ever be able to look across the expanse of the vast Atlantic from the deck of their boat and see what we are seeing.  It is an experience and thrilling sense of peace and accomplishment that is impossible to describe.  You have to live it, to feel it, to sense it with all your body and soul to understand how precious it is. These moments of pure bliss and wonder at the beauty of this world are worth every rough wave, every harsh storm and violent wind.      Beautiful Sailing Days on the Open Ocean As we draw closer and closer to the islands we are all excited and pumped up till we are almost busting with energy.  But there is also a sense of loss, of leaving behind a magic time of bonding, of beauty and the deep blue ocean.  The finish line in between the islands called "The Dogs" is only a few minutes away and we are all grinning ear to ear and drinking in the site of luscious green islands surrounded by soft white sands.  My feet itch to feel that sand between my toes and to drink a cold island drink under a palm tree. Ashley stands staring at the land and sniffs the air with joy in her eyes.  She looks at me and I know she is saying "we are almost there, we are almost there !!! ".   We all feel like true explorers, like we have gone where none have gone before.  And I guess that is true.  No one has taken the exact trip we have.  Only this group of 3 men, 1 women, 1 dog and 1 parrot have ever been through what we have been through.  It belongs only to us and we will cherish it for life.     Time for Reflecting   Dwight & Terri Enjoying the Moment A few of our fellow sailors are waiting in Tortola to catch our lines and congratulate us.  It feels great to know they are there and to anticipate the smiles and warm welcomes.  We have all finished an adventure that has allowed us  to know a little more about ourselves and this globe we call home.  May we never forget the lessons and wonders we have seen.  And the beauty we have felt.   Cheers, Terri   And so we leave you with our last sunset at sea... and it was a beauty!!     Going...     Going...     Gone!     The Twilight Left Behind... Cheers, Rick & Terri 'Sophisticated Lady'   Previous               Log 67               Next