Spanish word of the day: Familia/Family
As an Uruguayan journalist Mario Benedetti wrote "Cinco minutos bastan para soñar toda una vida, así de relativo es el tiempo" (Five minutes are enough in order to dream for a lifetime, that is how relative time is) ... and that is what I saw when I watched the faces of my team arrive into port. I saw many five minutes that they will remember, relive and cherish for the rest of their lives.
I came from Switzerland to welcome the crew. As I am not due on until Leg 7, I feel a bit like a groupie! But there is no way I was going to miss seeing them arrive after their first leg. We have very quickly become, somewhat of an effective eclectic family. I use this word because you couldn't have put a more diverse group together, even if you tried; hugging being one of our most used words and we do the walk …
Uruguayans have welcomed us with open arms. The weather might be cold but their hearts are warm and we have felt it everywhere we go. The peaceful resort has been taken over by colourful and rowdy sailors and our wonderful supporters. I have enjoyed sitting in cafes and eavesdropping on locals discussing "the Clippers" and very surprised at how well informed everyone seems to be about our adventure. We have feasted on amazing food like the paella at the Punta del Este Yacht Club, the asados at Varizon, the cakes at Les delices, the waffles at L'Auberge and we have danced at Capi bar, which seems to have been already a Clipper Race crew base for years from the look at the murals on the walls. We have taken care of our tired bodies and unruly hair at Elba's beauty salon and we have visited Casa Pueblo, The Hand, the rugged coastlines and stood at the tip of Whale Point with our arms wide open and the wind in our hair.
I must mention The Canepa family who are our hosts in Punta del Este. Norberto, Gabi, Flo and Tito! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the dedication to the UNICEF team. You have translated, negotiated, arranged, shopped, taxi'd us, accompanied us and hopefully fell as "in love" with us as we have with you! Muchisimas gracias familia!
And speaking about family, the Clipper Race keeps solidifying. It was great to be here for the arrival of all the boats, as I have made friends in each and every team during training, on Facebook and throughout the events we have been having. I have had some of the biggest and longest hugs in my life here in Uruguay as the people that got off the boats, longing for connection after 35 days at sea! It is not only about sailing, and although everyone is in this to do well and possibly win, the human experiment is working. Very RAW in some moments, hilarious in others but one thing is for sure, none of us will ever be the same after this. There is almost a thin thread that unites us all in this epic adventure, whether we like it or not, as they say, we don't choose our family, it is given to us ...
