Race 14 - Day 1
Crew Diary - THE FINALE: Den Helder, Netherlands, to London, UK
29 July
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I sit here preparing in my mind what to write in my last blog and I am overwhelmed. There are so many things to say about this journey it is hard to know where to start but as I have mentioned before, for me, it is so much more than the sailing... it's the people.
At the prizegiving in Den Helder, the actions of the crew members from the rest of the fleet epitomised this journey for me. PSP Logistics crew were standing at the back of the crowd (maybe just habit) waiting to be called up on stage.
We loudly applauded Da Nang – Viet Nam as they collected their third place pennant and then unfamiliar territory... PSP Logistics was announced as second place getters.
There was an enormous cheer, the loudest so far at a prizegiving and before our
eyes, crew members from Derry~Londonderry~Doire
created an arch for us to go through on our way to the stage. They were quickly
joined by LMAX Exchange crew members
and various other crew. This sentiment was just so special it brought tears to
my eyes.
They had recognised what an achievement this was for us and were more than
willing to celebrate with us despite the fact it had cost them crucial points
on the leaderboard. This really sums up the calibre of the people on this race.
We have been so lucky to have some amazing people on board PSP Logistics and to get to know them so well. This also extends to
their friends and family, who start off as a name, a like or a comment on a Facebook
page but as we get to meet them at stopovers they become an integral part of
this PSP Logistics family and the
support we all need to keep us going.
We have had a lot of different characters and personalities on board and to say
everyone gets along 100% of the time would be a blatant lie! Of course there
are going to be personalities you clash with but it's more about learning to
deal with those personalities that helps you grow as a person and let's face
it, the world would be a pretty boring place if we were all the same!
Now, as we are halfway through the final race, my thoughts are wandering to the
finish and what an amazing day Saturday will be. All the pomp and ceremony we
usually refer to as Clipper-faffing will be finally warranted as we come to
realise and celebrate what we have achieved. To have crossed an ocean as a
legger or completed the full circumnavigation - the sense of achievement is
something we can all be proud of and to have achieved it together as part of a
team is even more special.
So to all previous crew, all our supporters and all the crew on board currently - thank you for sharing this amazing adventure. This is not the end of our journey, merely the beginning of many more adventures.
Written by Nicola Edwards