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The daylight seeped from the sky as Everest Horizontal neared the finish line in light winds caused by the blanket from by the land mass, but just as the boat got within meters of the finish the wind shadow lifted and Tim took off at 15 knots across Table Bay. The NSRI boat that greets all competitors struggled to keep up as the battle weary Open 50 shot off towards the far shore. Kent, unfazed by the sudden gust, took his time rolling in the headsail and waved at the crowds. This skipper has gone from inexperienced Great Lakes sailor, to Around Alone veteran and it has been a pleasure to witness the transformation.

Earlier in the day Tim sent a poignant email. "The last two days have been long ones," Tim wrote. "After running around and away from it, I finally had to deal with the South Atlantic High. In the grand scheme of things, it was fairly painless, though there was one six hour period where we went only 16 miles. The guys further north have had a much harder go of it, so I emerged fairly unscathed."

"As I send this, we have under 100 miles to go. I have been busy all day so I really have not had time to ponder the idea of stepping off this boat for the first time in over five weeks. It's amazing, but I have not laid eyes on another person in that long! And I have clocked over 8,200 miles of solo sailing. My dominant thoughts are ones of gratitude. Gratitude to all of you who, through labor, fincancial contributions, or in the case of our supporting sponsors, parts and equipment have made this possible. Gratitude to all of you who have been following this adventure and have written to me with your encouragement. Gratitude for this wonderful, fleet, willing boat. Gratitude to my family and friends who have done so much. And gratitude for this wonderful blue planet, whose oceans are so overwhelmingly beautiful. And BIG! Tim"