Day 18: Transatlantic Passage and arrival in Barbados!

Bridgetown, Barbados---Land!  I switched places with Mark on our night watch at a few minutes till 5am. We did the normal transition of updating me on sails, wind and any ships and then he scampered down the hatch to go back to sleep. I looked behind us, checked the compass, then the GPS and turned around and let out a big gasp. Ahead of us were the lights of Barbados at a distance. What a sight for many a weary sailor I'm sure.

We motored the final miles and went straight to customs. Mark said goodbye and left the boat, anxious to be free I think. They had us tie up next to a tug boat, a little unusual but the docks there are made for cruise ships and are huge. It felt like waiting for the Captain took forever. Finally we left and went to the bay and anchored. Of course, nothing is that easy as we found the windlass not working and knew we had to make the one attempt hold.

I was so anxious to go ashore but The Captain needed to look into the Windlass so I fell fast asleep in the cabin. And so it went, when I woke up we were in a storm and the sun was setting. I would need to wait another day for my feet to touch the soil or land.

Video Diary Day 18: "Hi, this is Edee on Sailing Yacht Juno, this is day 18 and what you see behind me is Barbados. We are here. It's about 10:30 in the morning and it has taken us 18 days. It is December 16, 2010 and for me personally it's kind of bittersweet because this is a crossroads of my journey. And if you want to hear more about my story. Go to Changing Courses by Edee Dalke dot Blogspot dot com."