On Saturday August 2nd at 05.57 European Summer Time, we passed with Pas de Deux again the pier heads of IJmuiden. That completed our tour around the Atlantic, anti clockwise over the Northern latitudes. The next day we sailed together with the boats of our families and friends, that had come to IJmuiden to welcome us, to our home port of the Royal Netherlands Yacht Club, KNZ&RV, in Muiden. Underway, at the Central Station in Amsterdam and after the locks “Oranjesluizen”, when we were back on the fresh water of the IJsselmeer, more boats joined the welcoming fleet. One of the highlights of the day was the Cornish Pilot Gig “Majestic”, with the KNZ&RV rowing team of the “Royal Forces”, meeting us under sails. They demonstrated that a gig does not only goes fast under oars, but also under sail. 
They realised a speed of 13.4 knots! At 16.05 hrs we made a “happy landing”, accompanied by all the boats with our families and friends, on the terrace of our trusted “Pampus Bar” of our Yacht Club. At that moment we made the motto on homepage of the Pas de Deux website, come true. “We countered the sadness of leaving with the excitement of our arrival” The Pas de Deux is back in the Netherlands after 13½ months (June 17th 2007 – August 3rd 2008).
Arjen Duyve joined Pas de Deux in Reykjavik and stayed on board until Halifax in Nova Scotia. 
Robert´s son, Matthew, came on board in the Azores and sailed home with us to the Netherlands. We will never forget many impressions and experiences that we had on the coasts that we visited during our route from The Netherlands to Orkney, Shetland, FarOer, Iceland, Greenland, Labrador, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, de intracoastal waterway (ICW) on the East coast of the USA, incl. New York City, thereafter to Cuba, Bahamas, Turks & Caicos islands, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Spanish -, American – and British Virgin Islands, Lesser Antilles, Bermuda, Azores, Isles of Scilly, Cornwall, Devon, Belgium and back to the Netherlands. We made many new friends and we are grateful for that. Our story can de read, and many photo´s can be seen on www.pddeux.nl. We have done it. We are glad, happy and proud.
Michiel Poulie en Robert Lingl
posted @ woensdag 6 augustus 2008 22:22