Normally you don't spend much time preparing for going ashore. To get the fenders and ropes ready is just a few minutes work. But nothing is normal with our next landfall. After more than three weeks at the Atlantic Ocean we are rapidly approaching land again. We have only 215 nautical miles left now, that's nothing! We did a lot of preparations before we left Las Palmas, back then our arrival was impossible to imagine. The same goes for the first days at sea, the crossing seemed to stretch into eternity. That might explain why we now have to do some landfall preparations. Where exactly in the fore cabin are the fenders? Where are the finish instructions given to us the day before we left? We saw them on the first day at sea, but since then they have disappeared. Might there be any navigational hazards close to land? It feels strange to worry about water depth again. I have found and filled out the paper that is to be handed over to the customs, the passports are where they should be, in the grabbag and I think I know where my shoes are (though I haven't seen them since Las Palmas). After this long time at sea being under sail has become the norm. In our little world the wind comes from behind and our two headsails are constantly pulled out by spinnaker poles. Coming around Pigeon Island and approaching the finish line we will most likely be close hauled, we want to finish with the sails up, doing the whole ARC without using the engine for propulsion. Therefore we need to think about taking the poles down, getting the two headsails on the same side and hoisting the mainsail for the first time.

Today we are about to take our last shower. It will probably take up most of our day, feet need to be scrubbed, unwanted body hair removed and nails shortened. Although everything will roll around on the cockpit floor I am sure that the girls will do it smiling, they are so eager to get ashore, I am reluctantly starting to look forward to is as well. Maybe Cantare starts to feel the tension, maybe she wants to stay here at the Atlantic, something is definitely going on. Since we took the DuoGen up we are forced to run he engine everyday to generate power. This morning when Emelie was about to start the engine it only sounded normal for a few second before everything went quiet, the voltage was on a critical level so we badly needed to get the engine started. Now I was really glad that I have installed the whole electrical system myself and that I did it with problem searching in mind. Four screws to loosen, then the start panel is easy to take out and I can check the backside. The fuse was blown. I changed it and we tried to start again. The new fuse blew in just a few seconds. Hmm…what might be the problem then, probably a short circuit somewhere, but how was I to find it? Since everything looked all right at the back of the start panel I put in a slightly larger fuse and told Emelie to turn the key while I was down looking at the start engine. Ah sparks, I could see sparks around one of the connection screews. Turned out that the nut was a tiny bit loose. My dad has told me many times how important it is to secure the nuts tightly. Could the problem be that easy to solve? Yes it was! After tightening the nut and putting a right size fuse in place everything was back to normal. Today's shower was back on!

But Cantare wasn't finished with us for today, when we turned on the watermaker nothing much happened. It pumped alright but there wasn't any fresh water output. I could see some air in the hose going in to the pump, I decided to circulate the system for a while, like you do when you've put in a new filter. Luckily that solved the problem. Today seems to be the day when we have to pay for our lazy days. The wind is having a nasty last-days-at-the-Atlantic celebration, we now on and off have 50 knots of wind, forcing us to constantly reef and unreef the sails.   

We are now approaching land rather quickly, at the moment we have 310 Miles left to go and soon we will be able to smell land. Until then I will share with you some things I'm really looking forward to ashore:

• Being able to stand up still, sit down still or lay down still without having to hold on to something in order not to fall and get more bruises.
• Having dinner at a set table without having to hold everything. Nowadays we usually eat first and drink afterwards since we only got two hands available, one for holding the plate and one for eating.
• Speaking of food, I'm dying for fresh vegetables and fruits.
• Being able to take a bath whenever you feel like it, (and not only foot baths in our water filled cockpit). Yeah, I know, we are surrounded by water, but it's unfortunately not that easy stopping the boat and jump into the tempting water, and especially not now when we are racing against Zahara.
• Having more square meters to use than the climbing area of 7 square meters onboard. (our bath room included in the 7)
• Having lots of people around me and reunite with all friends that have already arrived in St Lucia! Emelie and Maria are great and I love them, but now we need to see other people and get new influences.
• Taking off my lifejacket and try to get rid of the funny tan it has caused. A kind of tan similar to the Swedish tan called "bonnabränna".
• Washed, fresh bedding without sweat and salt water moist.
• Not having to use earplugs while sleeping and not be bothered by the several disturbing noises onboard, of which Maria has told you before.
• Last, but certainly not least, cold beers!

The above mentioned are only samples, I'm sure there are more. However, despite the fact that I'm really looking forward to go ashore, the 21 days and nights we have been on the Atlantic Ocean so far have been just amazing. It feels more like we have been out for a week than the actual three weeks. Let us hope that the remaining few days will work out just as smooth as the recent have. Until we arrive in St Lucia we are practicing a little arrival song I've come up with by changing some lines in an old Swedish melody. Feel free to join us singing!

//: För vi har korsat Atlanten, för vi har korsat Atlanten, för vi har korsat Atlanten, fy fan vad vi är bra!

Fy fan vad vi är bra, fy fan vad vi är bra, för vi har korsat Atlanten, för vi har korsat Atlanten, för vi har korsat Atlaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanteeeeeen, fy fan vad vi är bra! ://

Tonight we are going to celebrate the last 48h increased speed with a glass of champagne in the sunset. I want to wish you all a very nice Lucia Weekend, and if you happened to be tired of all Christmas preparations, then take a break and have a look at hamnen.se and at the insurance company Europeiska's blog, where we have posted some updates! /Love, First Mate Sofia

After nearly 3 weeks at sea I'm finally starting to get a grip of it all. Some things, like how to handle the sails and how to adjust the monitor were I expecting to learn. I have also during these weeks learned some things I never expected, but almost just as important. Therefore I would like to share them with you.

¤ It is fully normal to mistake things for what they really are. Especially when you are at night watch, and a bit tired. A star can sometimes be mistaken for a lantern. The moon rising can look like a huge boat closing in on you , and a star falling can easily look like a flare.

¤ Using a headlight is not tacky. The headlight is a great invention and very practical. Sorry dad for all the times I have made fun of you. Next time you suggest a run in the forest late at night I will definitively wear a headlight.

¤ It is fully possible to do aerobics in tiny cockpit,. Even when it is high waves and 30 ⁰ C. You just need good music and a friend that is just as restless as you are.

¤ After just a few days you will get new and improved skills. Before I could not catch a ball with one hand even if I concentrated really hard. Now I can catch a falling egg at the same time as I balance a glass of hot water in my other hand. This while the boat rocks me back and forward.

¤ If you want to catch a fish, start doing something important. Like for example write down your position in the logbook or start to take in sail. If you want to be really sure to catch a fish, hang the hook a bit above the water and go to sleep. Don't ask me why, but they seem to like it that way.

We are now doing great speed and the sun is shining from a clear blue sky. We have managed to close in on Zahara and we are having champagne tonight. Our only problem the last 24 h is that we had to take up the DuoGen yesterday. This since it kept colliding with our Monitor, causing damage on the DuoGen. When we took up the DuoGen we discovered that Monitor's light wind vane was slightly damaged as well. We have therefore changed to the regular wind vane. After some adjustments it is now working just fine. /HUGS AND KISSES, Deckhand Emelie

Every time we have a watch change the person leaving tells the person going on how we are doing and if anything special has happened. Nowadays the question "have you seen any other boats?" seems to produce nothing more than laughs. I was sitting behind the wheel listening to music, looking at the horizon and thinking during my afternoon watch. Although I was constantly looking out I kind of stuck to the same piece of water and sky, therefore I told myself to have a 360 degrees horizon check every ten minutes or so. The sun had just hidden behind our headsails when I started to do a serious look around thinking this is hardly necessary since here aren't any boats, haha, but it should be done anyway. There it was, I had to look again, a "real" ship, with three masts and square sails, closing in on us from behind. Their sails looked black, I thought of pirates, but then the sun emerged from the cloud above them and shone on white sails, the moment was gone. Back to reality, pirates of today uses RIBs, I called the girls up so they could see the impressive ship. We discussed where it might be heading, I guessed Antigua. As it got closer we could see that it had four masts, the aft one without square sails. We heard something on VHF channel 16, but couldn't make out more than "….sea cloud, sea cloud do you copy?." We went through the ARC-participants list but found no boat named Seacloud. Seeing no other boats around, we figured it was the big ship who tried to contact us. Knowing the limits of our VHF antenna we didn't respond immediately, but waited for them to get even closer. Then they sent a new message over the VHF, this one was loud and clear, it was a woman speaking. We responded and agreed to change to channel 68. The woman asked us very politely about our name, origin and destination. We found out that the ship was named Seacloud, rang a bell in the back of my head, and that they were bound for St. John and then Antigua. The conversation ended with her telling us "you look absolutely beautiful, good luck with the competition and bon voyage." That was it, a short friendly meeting with a pirate ship on the Atlantic ocean, our day's most interesting event.

We are doing better speed now, maybe we will be in St. Lucia on the 15^th . But we have some problems with the DuoGen, it is colliding with Monitor, I have tried to fix it with results that lasts no longer than 24-hours. Today we might take it out of the water, then we will have to start the engine to generate power. Don't worry we will be fine anyway, might even make us a bit quicker with nothing dragging behind. Watch out Zahara, we will cool the champagne and celebrate if we overtake you! /The Captain