We have 850 miles to go. That means we made another 140 miles of progress towards our destination. We sailed all day and still have the code zero out after diner for a while at least. Last night we took it down at about 10:00PM when Jerri was randomly up while off watch. We then put the jibs out wing on wing and it got pretty slow and required a lot of course corrections to keep the sails from flogging. In the morning we sped up with a broad reach heading more north and then we had a little wind shift so the rest of the day we were kind of slow and sailed with the code zero and foraward jib wing on wing on a more southernly route. If we don’t get a better average miles of progress we’ll add another day to our passage. Not a big deal with 6 days to go but when there is another day to go and we could have already been in a safe quite anchor, well you get it.
What’s it like to spend so much time at sea crossing an ocean with two people in a small boat? No ones asked that question but I thought it would be a good topic to capture some of the thoughts that have been going though my head the last several days. First of all, today I am well rested and have more mental energy than I’ve had in a few days. I think it’s simply that I caught up on some sleep deprivation and feel more clear headed.
Jerri and I only have a few hours to talk every day but we have a lot of hours to think and ponder. All that time alone while being captive to the crossing allows expansive thought. For me it’s kind fo like being “in flow” while daydreaming. I’ve always struggled daydreaming in that I jump from snipet to snipet and as a result rarely advance my thinking on any topic unless I have some structure. Preferably, I need to collaborate with others in order to get my mental juices flowing but somehow during this passage it’s a little different.
Perhaps it has something to do with the background noise of sailing and being responsible for the ship while daydreaming. The perfect combination of being in the present while also being free to dream. Topics that I tend to cover are past work. What should I do with the rest of my life. What do I value and what/who am I thankful for. I’ve been lucky to always have a plan for the future and to stay focused on that. While at Rally, besides my professional goals, I also always has a personal goal of sailing around the world once I was finished. I’m now at that crossroads of what’s next personally and professionally. While I do have a clearly articulated plan, I’m rethinking aspects of it trying to understand what I really value.
In summary, being on a long slow crossing is what I would expect from a monastic retreat or ashram without the formal structure or purpose. Of course, if there was more drama the crossing would be very different but the “milk run” is pretty tame so far.