Day Fifteen – Bouy oh Bouy!
You know those days when nothing seems to go right? When you’re frustrating and can’t seem to make any progress? When if something is going to go wrong it will? Well… today was one of those days. It reached its nadir just before midnight when I had perhaps the most terrifying experience of the trip […]
Day Fourteen – Party Time
The first rule of sailing (unlike fight club) is safety. Alcohol is seriously frowned upon at sea for all the right reasons. I simply can’t imagine how terrifying it would be to be dealing with a squall related gear failure with anything but a clear head. With this in mind, I didn’t bring any beer […]
Day Thirteen – Farewell Droopy Drawers (and my youth)
I used to be able to read for hours without interruption when I was younger, getting lost in the world my mind was now a part of, often staying up all night if the story had me in its grasp. Lord of the Rings had this affect on me as a teenager, as did James […]
Day Twelve – Shifty shifts
It’s just after sunrise, and while the wind had died down from the previous night’s blow, the seas were still very messy and Ahyoka was getting thrown around the place. At least I could sail into the wind, gain height and head due east, I tell myself. Tired from the squalls, I really need to […]
Day Eleven – The Squall All-nighter
I’m wedged in my bunk. One foot against the wall, pushing my back into the cushion so my position is secure while the boat is thrown 3m through the vertical plane down each wave every 5 seconds and yaws 2-3m on the horizontal plane. Her approach to the oncoming swell is approximately 45 degrees but […]
Day Ten – Time
After a night of fitful sleep, I dozily put my head through the companionway to view the day’s conditions. The first thing I saw when I did was a rainbow directly off Ahyoka’s stern. Two in fact. It was of those rare double rainbows. The second one there just to make sure you’ve seen the […]
Day Nine – Transitions
The South Westerly Monsoon winds have carried me much father into the Pacific than expected and certainly more than is forecast for this time of year. It’s been pretty much perfect sailing conditions for days now, either reaching or running with the wind and Ahyoka gliding through the water. Everything comes to an end though, […]
Day Eight – Breathing. Just breathing.
I’ve heard people say little happens in a day, not much in a week but what can happen in a year is remarkable. While at most times I’d agree, I think it also depends on the day. On the surface, not much happened today, but at an inner level, I can feel seismic shifts underway. […]
Day Seven – Lazy Dayz
Everyone needs a rest day. Today was mine. I’ve been operating on 3-4 hours sleep for almost a week now and as I looked at the cloud formations that greeted the morning, I could see it would be much more stable than previous days. The clouds were light and sparse with no sign of building […]
Day Six – Squall Alley
I definitely had 3 squalls today. It may have been 4, but I’m not too sure whether the one at 2am was a dream or not. A week ago, if someone had woken me up in the middle of the night I would have been disoriented, annoyed and wouldn’t have been able to get back […]