Land-ho!

We made it!  On December 5th, 2025 our transatlantic voyage came to an end as Arcadia and her four passengers sailed into Jolly Harbor, Antigua. We promptly broke out some Portuguese beers to toast ourselves then and set about discovering if our sea legs would transition back to land. A few days of chores, a boat haul-out, and a couple flights were the only things that stood between us and home.  

Some voyage stats:

• nautical miles traveled – 3700
• duration – 31 days (27 at sea plus 4 in Madeira
• max wind speed – 44 knots (about 50 mph)
• max boat speed – 13.2 knots
• fish caught – 2 (because we stopped after landing second a 50 pound mahi mahi that provided a freezer full of filets)
• max wave height – 13 feet (for several days)
• books read, podcasts heard, and crosswords completed – too many to count
• most unusual animal encounter – a tie between a butterfly 700 miles from land that hovered near the helm station but never landed and the hundreds of flying fish we saw along the way
• best strategy for spicing up the routine – spices; literally. All four people aboard made a big effort to produce tasty meals for one-another. Mark’s fish dinners were incredible and Anthony kept us with a steady supply of baked bread.
• Other boats seen – 3 (and only one of these occurred while I was on watch), otherwise we were 50+ miles from the nearest boat for the entire journey
• Broken things – 2 (a shackle and a door hinge) both minor and very easily fixed which is far better than most boats fare.

All in all, it was a very successful trip. Our sailing skills are at a new level and our understanding of the boat is much deeper. I can say that there is a feeling of aliveness and an immediacy that comes from this kind of submission to nature. We are proud to have had such a unique and boundary pushing experience. Now our focus is entirely on getting home to friends and family to celebrate the holidays.