Land ho’!Land ho’!

Land ho’!
First on the radar and then during the night there was light…
LAND! We are closing in on the Rio Plata and Chris said he is developing
land-phobia. Chris sailed with the Tecla from Sydney to Auckland, then joined
the Europa for the Cape Horn rounding and is now back with us on our way to
Argentina. After so many days at sea a certain feeling takes hold of you when
thinking of land and big cities. It is like a slight crushing feeling, a strange
sort of worry pops up every now and then when you realize you are only 2 days
away from landfall. We have been on land on the Falklands, but there are no busy
roads in Stanley, no herds of people waiting for a traffic light, in fact I do
not think I even saw a traffic light on the island.. Only a few more days with
water and then for most on board it is back into reality, a plane flight home,
or a few more weeks of traveling in Argentina.

The sun was amazing
today. There were few who were not yet in shorts, even with a chilly breeze, a
few small tops have been spotted as well. But the breeze that was there for a
few hours was straight on the nose and left us completely during the afternoon
watch. We let the mizzen down to stop the flapping, then the fore sails… then
we caught a bit of wind again, set the sails again and during the night watch we
dropped them again. Now they are back up with a sea breeze that is helping us
battle the current. The engine has not been off.

The mood on board is
good. The sun gives everybody energy and the prospect of hot nights and New Year
in the sun is making those who are staying in the warmth very happy. No
complaining about the heat, not after so many days and, especially, nights of
cold.