Day 5
Where the hell are you?
About halfway between Panama and the Galapagos Islands.
How is it going? The good news is Ressie is running perfectly, and I am enjoying it. The bad news is there is not much wind – I am now in the doldrums – and probably have 4 or 5 more days of motor sailing ahead, which is a bit dreary…
What do you do all day?
Try to figure out smart arse answers to the question: “What do you do all day”. Not getting very far with that, though.
Ok, but what do you do all day?
Ok, you got me. Exactly what you’d imagine: sail, sleep, eat, fix, etc. etc. For the first few days I ran around the boat fixing anything that would move, but now I am slowing down. I do have some routines, for example with exercise. I’ve got some cardio videos, some for abs, some for stretching and others for yoga, so I am doing a couple each day. Hopefully I’ll have worked off the last 6 weeks’ excesses by the time I get to the Marquesas. I also have audiobooks, which I am playing through the speaker system. I love them. I’ve just finished an audio play called ‘Have a Nice Day’ performed by Billy Crystal, Annette Bening and Kevin Kline. Brilliant. On the eating side, the boat is stacked to the gills with food, but I am finding my appetite is really simple. Cup would be amazed how I am chomping my way through her muesli and all the fresh fruit and veges. I’m just not that hungry.
And what about nights?
Well, don’t tell anyone, but I mostly have been sleeping. I have a bed set up in the wheelhouse, so I respond quickly to AIS alarms and other noises, and the wind is so light, not much is going on right now. I actually need to change my sleep patterns before I get to the Galapagos and into the trade winds. Other boats have reported fishing fleets (presumed to be Chinese, with a mother ‘factory ship’) that don’t use AIS. Most crews are doing checks every 30 minutes, at least until they are further into the Pacific. That is really hard for me, and I’ve not achieved it yet.
What has surprised you most?
Lots of things.
The biggest challenge – especially when the sailing is easy – is to spend so much time alone. Normally I can’t sit still – I need to be doing things or distracting myself with videos, books etc. But for 25 days?
I realise I need to change my relationship with time. Actually, it is a huge luxury to not be busy. How many people get to do this? And today (day 5) I think I am finally relaxing into it a bit. It does remind me of a 6-day silent retreat I attended. To just sit in nature is such a difficult practice to sustain. And of course, when you stay present, things come up, as they do in any meditation. I’ll be interested to see how I survive over time, but for now, at least, I am enjoying being out here.
I feel I am having a very different experience being here on my own.
Another observation is how pristine it is out here. The water is bluer than blue, and there is no crap to soil the water maker filters. There is no soot to cover the boat. Nothing. It must have been a very clean planet before certain ape descendants started doing stuff.
Anything else?
Well, I’ve been adopted by a Spanish boat called ‘Gota de Rocio’, a 46’ mono with 6 people on it. Janice and I met them in Panama, and they insisted that we do daily radio calls. I think they are wondering if I am going to be ok. Anyway, each call is hilarious – all in broken Spanglish, as they tell me about what they are drinking (bloody marys) and catching (tuna). They invited me over for ‘Spanish fish’ last night. The practical constraint that we are 100 nm apart didn’t seem to phase them.
There is also the beautiful Astrid and hubby Hans, our Dutch friends on Zwerver. They are 1,000 miles ahead, but I will probably catch them up. In the meantime, they pepper me with gorgeous emails, saying they ‘have my front’, so I need to ‘have their back’. Astrid is convinced we will somehow be able to meet mid-Pacific and somehow have a drink together. Apparently, they spend their time designing their new home, and they are missing Mike and Prue!
What do you wish for now?
Actually, I want to do some real sailing, so, wind, and plenty of it. I would actually enjoy a storm.
Did I just say that? Hmmm – early signs of going loco….