Home. Safe and Sound

Now that the Ile de Grace has been moved to her permanent mooring, cleaned, and emptied of her crew and their belongings, I can begin to think about this voyage with a bit of perspective, although it will take more time to fully absorb the significance of making a transatlantic passage.

We sailed a total of 4,360 nautical miles in 32 days, while spending 10 days at various ports. This map from google earth shows our route, thanks to Jon's plotting our positions.  We were tested by the seas, the weather and the boat herself--and I think we met all challenges successfully.

I want to thank Jon for making our dream to purchase the Ile de Grace a reality; for putting me on the passage that he himself has longed to take; for his constant support during this voyage; and for taking care of everything and everyone while I was gone.  I am looking forward to the next sailing adventure being with you.

Thank you Captain Larry.  Thank you for your calmness during challenges; for your patience and your rhymes; for your care and feeding of us crew; for Sunday music; and for getting us home safely.  You are a great sea captain.  I cannot begin to count the things you've taught me that will serve Jon and I in our own circumnavigation plans.  You became a friend on this trip and I will never forget you. 

Thank you Dominique.  Thank you for sharing those six hour watches with me at the beginning; for convincing me that big ships really do follow the rules of the road; for your theory of true to compass calculations; and for your insights into the measurement of time.  I will never forget them.  Best of luck as you become a skipper in your own right.  Reliance is lucky to have you on their team.

And thank you Alex.  You are a very good sailor and I always appreciated your enthusiasm to sail the boat to her best performance; to resolve our various technical problems whenever they arose; and to have fun at sea with chess and other games.  I wish I could read in bumpy seas like you can and I wish you all the best in your future sailing adventures.

Jon and I have 18 months to customize and fully outfit the Ile de Grace before we begin our circumnavigation in January 2010.  We have a lot to do and will make a few postings, but for now I'll conclude this first chapter in our journey.

Jennifer