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 […]
Day Five – Moonlight Cinema Mayhem
What a difference a day (and an ocean) makes! I watched the dawn emerge from the companionway at 6am through hazy eyes and a happy heart. I made it through the channel and was now in the mighty, majestic and magnificent Pacific Ocean. I was so tired though, I felt drunk. My balance wasn’t great, […]
Day Four – Mystery Barrels
The day started relatively benign. Winds of 15knts from 215deg with a true wind angle (TWA) of 120deg so plain sailing. I did my daily inspection and the boat was in order. The forecast was for strong winds from lunch time until the following morning, by which time I’d be in the Pacific where the […]
Day Three – Finding Companionship
Today’s blog won’t be too long as 6 of my 10 fingers are bandaged so it’s tough to type. My wounds from day 1 became infected after being wet and dirty for 36 hours so I was forced to pull out my medical kit and play doctor for an hour this afternoon. I’ve put BNP […]
Day Two – Surf’s up
The wind remained strong and steady overnight at 20knts, though thankfully no squalls so I was able to find some rest as the boat was now settled and, in a groove, however there was no sleeping. I was way too anxious for sleep to be a possibility. Ahyoka was introducing me to all her creaks […]
Day One – Baptism by Fire
I didn’t plan to set off in a storm. It just, well, happened. I’d been watching the weather all week and each day the forecast got a little bit stronger but from the right direction, the SW so all good. However, what I awoke to this morning was a low-pressure system that was blasting up […]
T minus 1
There’s something so satisfying working with your hands. Its task-based work with a clear start and endpoint and immediate feedback on whether you did it well or not. The sense of satisfaction one feels at the end of a day after working on the tools is nothing like working at a desk. Getting home and […]