Middle Sea Race – Finish!

We crossed the finish line Wednesday morning after 8 to be met on the dock by the amazing support team of Lindy wives. Through the night we worked the boat mile after mile – very windy, wet and rough, but we were in a three way race for the Class win. One of the boats turned back for shelter briefly and as he owed us time on handicap, put us definitely in second, with a Russian boat vying for the top spot. He couldn’t be picked up on our instruments so we had to rely on delayed information from the race to see how we were doing. At the finish he was 9 miles ahead of us, and as long as we finished within 2 hours, the win was ours. The last leg had us reaching with a big chute up in 30 knots and surfing waves – on the edge the whole way. A nerve-wracking drop of the chute was needed, and with all hands on deck now it was pulled off quickly and safely. One gybe took us into Valetta harbor, the finish and an emotional welcome from the girls. With over half the fleet retiring in the conditions it must have been a worrying time for them, but their men came home bruised, battered, very tired, and with a great result for the final Triple-Lindy race in the Swan 44. This boat has proven how good Swan yachts are in thousands of ocean miles – she’ll be missed by a crew who adore her. I’m sure we’ll develop the same relationship with the new Cookson 50, but she’s a lot to live up to.