So, I was 15 miles from land the other day. I never saw Ducie Island but I wasn’t far from it. Apparently it’s uninhabited and teeming with Galapagos sharks. Not a place to spend your honeymoon. The idea of land seems very foreign to me. I haven’t seen any other ships in some time and not much marine life. It’s just me, the clouds, sky and water. Every day the same thing. Although at night the stars are incredible. I’ve been spending a lot of time working on the boat the last week or so. I thought I did everything but then I sat down and made a new list. On a boat there is always something that needs to be done. It’s a good way to spend a day of light winds. At the end of the day you feel good because you’ve been productive. I remember seeing a commercial right before I left advertising an anti-depressant you take on top of another anti-depressant (it might lead to suicidal thoughts). The idea that a pill will solve your problems is insanity. I took Prozac from 13 to 16. I just stopped taking it one day when I was 16 and didn’t feel any different. Back then they were feeding me all sorts of pills. Anyway my point is, productivity is the world’s greatest anti-depressant. If you feel like you’re doing something with your life, then you’re happy. It’s when you feel like you’re not going anywhere in life that depression takes over.
Today is the first time in 41 days that I had the wind and waves aft of the beam. Man is it nice to have some following seas again! I’ll have good northerly winds tomorrow followed by three more days of head winds, and then I should finally be done with these stupid southeasterly winds. The westerlies are coming. I’ve also set a couple new personal records, I was on the same tack for 21 days and I’ve been barefoot for 53 days strait. I did finally wash all my dirty socks from the Arctic, they were wicked. I’ve also been trying to improve my grammar, I don’t know if you guys can notice.
I’ve been thinking about the Americas a lot lately. Historically speaking it wasn’t that long ago that the Americas were considered Terra Incognita. If only I could go back in time and tell Ptolemy all the things I have seen and done. I would have to learn ancient Greek first. It’s interesting to think about how philosophical and technological advancements have moved in a westerly direction throughout history. Starting with one of the oldest cities we know of, Babylon. First through the Arab world (the Arabs invented the rudder and many other things) then to the Persians (who were much more advanced than the western world gives them credit for). The Greeks borrowed much of their understanding from these two cultures and also created entirely new ways of thinking (Athens was the first democracy). The Romans borrowed much of their understanding from the Greeks and built upon that foundation a great empire. Europe took a step backwards during the dark ages but that was only temporary. The Florentines, Genoese, Franks, Holy roman empire, Castilians, Portuguese, English all built upon the philosophical and technological legacy left by the Romans. Then moving west again across the Atlantic where a new form of democracy was born with a legislative, Judicial, and Executive branch, ultimately ending the power of the monarchy within the lands to the east. The original inhabitants of the Americas had the advanced cultures of the Maya, Aztec, Inca, ect, but they didn’t have the benefit of learning from the Arabs, Persians, Greeks and Romans. So when (Imperialist) Europeans finally arrived, the inhabitants of Terra Incognita were at a great disadvantage. Now this has absolutely nothing to do with sailing but has everything to do with where my mind is. Although my body is stuck on a boat in the middle of the ocean my mind travels through time and history trying to make sense of this planet we live in. Being lost in thought helps me keep my mind healthy.
FORTITUDINE VINCIMUS
