By: Hiten Patel

The day has finally arrived! Departure Day . . .

I awoke pre-dawn, made some coffee, and opened the iPad to jot down a few thoughts before the last minute preparations began and the day got away from us.

This final week of preparations was focused on some larger and more time consuming projects — cleaning the boat inside and out, rigging the sails, servicing the winches, provisioning and preparing some meals beforehand — with the dotting of i’s and the crossing of t’s used to fill the gaps.

Similar to last week when we hosted Seldén Masts, this week we hosted Advanced Yacht Systems to discuss water makers/desalinators. It was a well-attended event where everyone was able to walk through the system, how it works and its use, and the repairs and maintenance requirements. There was a great interactive Q&A at the end where the users shared some pro tips and best practices which was very helpful to me.

We also took out the Tradewind sail which we received from North Sails in Week 1. We decided to rig it and unfurl it in the safety of our marina berth, and it’s a good thing we did because the sail got corkscrewed. So, what should have been a fairly simple exercise turned into an afternoon for the whole team. We ended up finding a parking lot where we were able to simulate the process we were going to follow on the boat, and properly furled the sail. We then brought it back to Welcome and rigged the sail in position to confirm everything was working as it should. Once happy, the sail went back into the bag and into the sail locker. The following day, the Gennaker, Yankee, and Staysail were rigged, as these are the sails we expect to use during our crossing.

Donna and Jay reviewed the winches and self-tailing positioning and decided to do a few tweaks to optimize their function. So, Donna busted out the winch service kit and got to giving them a good review, applying the proper amount of grease so they functioned perfectly. The winches on Welcome are very powerful and hold several tons of load on them when the sails are deployed. Hence, their proper function is critical not just for sailing, but also in keeping all aboard safe.

The final big project was provisioning. Melissa and I put together a meal plan with the team and modified based on feedback. And then we were off to the grocery stores, farmer’s markets and bakeries to get everything we would need for the crossing. It’s a fairly simple process, but quite time consuming especially when you are unfamiliar with what is stocked in each store and you’re unfamiliar with the roads and distances.

At this point, it might seem like all we did was work, but worry not, we had plenty of fun, too! We celebrated Donna’s birthday in her preferred low-key way, attended the Yacht Club cocktail hour (hosted by Andy Heppel of SY Carina) and dinner, and welcomed (pun very much intended) Al Valvano to the boat as our fifth and final member of the crew for the Atlantic crossing.

With the ARC+ boats on their way, this meant that the official start of the ARC events commenced this week. To commemorate this, they organized a Parade of Nations where crew from all of the represented countries gathered to carry their home country’s flag around the marina. With a Caribbean Marching Band leading the way, the vibe was very festive! We caught a few minutes of the Parade as they passed by the boat very close to the end of the route, so we were able to enjoy some of the music and dancing.

Later that night, Andy Heppel hosted a pre-dinner drinks event on the beautiful SV Carina. It was the first time many of the Oyster ARC/Oyster World Rally crews had met in person, so there was a lot of joy in the cockpit! Much gratitude to Andy and his team for kicking off a great evening of conversation and friendship!

Donna’s birthday rolled around on the same day that Al and his wife Traci arrived into town, so it was a great chance for all of us to go out and share a great meal and celebrate Donna a bit. On the recommendation of Carrie Philips at Oyster Yachts, Melissa organized a dinner for all of us at Berro Bistrot, a great plant-based restaurant that we all really enjoyed. To cap off our birthday celebration, Al and Traci kindly bought a chocolate mousse cake that, after a comedy of errors trying to light the candles, we all scarfed down.

I’ll close out this post by saying that we are excited about the journey ahead, and so glad that we’re making it together. We will try to post a bit as we cross; I have no idea what those posts may be — philosophical musings, unusual things we might see along the way, milestones and celebrations? Until the next post, we wish you all fair winds and following seas!