Tic Tac has arrived!
Hello from an elated team Tic Tac.
We are still basking in the reflected glory of Liz’s magnificent Atlantic crossing.
I’m sure all of you will now have heard; Liz broke the current Race Record for a female solo by an incredible 15 days. She was also more than 24 hours faster than the female pairs World Record, just outstanding.
The final 150 miles were some of the roughest conditions on the row. 36 hours before her arrival, we had severe squalls and howling wind. I barely slept, I was so worried about what Liz must be experiencing out there. I checked my emails at 2 am and read the following;
“Just capsized, I’m ok. Tic Tac is ok as far as I can see, have lost some electronics.
A bit scared, but sitting tight “
This was serious, a capsize is a full 360 degree roll. Rannoch boats are designed to self right, but in the meantime Liz, along with everything else loose in the cabin will have been thrown on the ceiling.
Later Liz told me she was asleep when it happened and woke up with everything upside down. The stuff of nightmares! Tic Tac went almost all the way back up, but sat on a bit of a tilt with the sea water sloshing on the deck holding one side under the waves. This meant she had to push open the hatch onto the waterlogged deck, climb out of the cabin, crawl up the high side and lean out as far as she could, to help get the boat upright. She did this in 25 knots of thick wind with 30 knot gusts in a 4.5 metre swell, in the dark, the courage that would have taken is phenomenal.
Thankfully, after this terrifying awakening, Liz managed to steer through the squalls without further setbacks.
It was then her final full day, followed by her final night, she didn’t sleep for the last 24 hours of the race, her focus was on one thing, getting into English Harbour. That alone was causing anxiety, the entrance is challenging enough for sailing and motorboats as the winds are predominantly pushing West right past the entrance, or towards Guadeloupe, the French island to the South. The boats come around a huge cliff face and are immediately confronted with partly submerged rocks through a narrow passage to the finish line, the final test to complete.
It was incredibly emotional, and a colossal sense of relief to see little Tic Tac rounding the headland bouncing her way safely over the waves towards us. Jamie, Micky, Georgia, Neil (a friend of mine from UK) and I had gone out to Berkeley's Fort, we were joined by Pawel and his daughter, who had flown in especially from Poland as a surprise the day before. The fort is a great vantage point and has the tremendous advantage of Liz being able to hear and see us waving, cheering and clapping as she soared across the line, 44 days, 4 hours and 47 minutes after setting off on the 13th December from La Gomera.
It was a moment we will never forget.
What a remarkable achievement, she showed such tenacity, resilience, skill and strength of character. I, for one, am totally in awe, if you'll excuse the pun!
I think we can all agree Liz is one of a kind.
Fair winds and following seas.
Louise