Day 35 – Penultimate
While it may be bumpy and blowy out here, it’s a blistering pace we’re setting, with a new record today of 165Nm in a 24-hour period, which takes the total log to 4000Nm. I’m going so fast in fact that by the time you read this, I’ll be almost finished. I hardly slept last night […]
Day 34 – Coral Sea
As I sit here and watch the waves roll by, cup of tea in hand (my coffee ran out weeks ago) the seas building and pressure increasing, I’m transported back to those first few days of this trip and my “baptism by fire”. So much has happened since then. To start with I’m much more […]
Day 33 – Game time
(written from a windy and bumpy Coral Sea) I awoke with the feeling of butterflies in my stomach. You know the ones you feel before a big game or before you’re about to start something challenging, big, or, dare I say, epic? These nerves, if used well, can be a great tool to ensure your […]
Day 32 – Final Prep
There are many “non-calendar” ways for knowing you’ve been at sea (and away from the internet) for a month. The length of your beard. The number on your daily food bag. Your morning video diary entry number. Or… the fact Spotify ever so kindly tells you to connect to the internet so it can verify […]
Day 31 – Fish on
I awoke feeling stronger and more energised than I had in days, thanks to my saviour, sleep. Sweet, restful, wonderful sleep. It’s almost as good as breathing. Price, according to my business school professors is a function of “value” and “scarcity”. For example, oxygen is immensely valuable but not scarce, hence its price is zero. […]
Day 30 – “Watch” fatigue
Because I’m navigating near land and have various islands and the risk of fishing boats and nets with no AIS nearby, I haven’t slept longer than 30 minute stretches the past 2 nights and am feeling the effects. When you’re on the open ocean, as long as the weather is OK, you can almost always […]
Day 29 – Helloooo PNG!
The breeze freshened after breakfast and by 9am was blowing a constant 20knts, you guessed it, exactly from where I wanted to go. A localised weather system it seems and certainly unexpected after the previous days calm airs. I reefed the sails and bore away and sailed towards my first Papua New Guinea islands. After […]
Day 28 – The Doldrums
I was warned about the doldrums. The tropical conversion zone where the wind goes to die. I don’t think anyone who spoke to me about the doldrums referred to them fondly, so I was surprised by how happy I was to be greeted by absolutely zero wind this morning. For me, the doldrums will give […]
Day 27 – A warm welcome from my Spirit Guide
The light this morning seemed different. Clearer. Full of colours. Dazzling, almost. It was a contrast of blues and yellows that I’d always imagined seeing in the Pacific, but which was missing the past few weeks when the predominant theme was a spectrum of grey. There were a few cotton ball-esque clouds on the horizon, […]
Day Twenty Six – Crossing the Equator
Today was a day I’d been looking forward to for some time. At some point, depending on wind speed, direction and my course I’d be crossing the equator. For those who have been following my journey the past few weeks, you’d know that just getting here was a challenge and that crossing into the Southern […]