1823 nm, 15 days, one Ocean
July 27, 2024 “First night of the crossing, first sunset back at sea - and hit by a big squall right away. I’ve never seen the ocean in such a magical, beautiful setting. One of these small moments, where nature is so present and so much magic is set free. A moment where everything seems so loud and immediate, but at the same time, the whole world shuts down and everything is at peace.”
July 29, 2024 “I remember so vividly how I always thought crossing an ocean would be something I wouldn’t dare to put on my bucket list. I knew nothing about sailing, so it seemed unrealistic, too big, too scary. Too dangerous to do myself. And now I’m sitting here on my night watch. The moon is up, the stars are bright. Waves glistening with bioluminescence. I’m watching shooting stars, munching on some chips, listening and singing along to country love songs. Carried on by the wind and the waves, grateful for life, grateful for the chances I get. I really hope I’ll never forget these nights, where every shooting star put a big smile on my face, feeling so small in this big big world.”
August 3, 2024 “We were able to talk to our families today, halfway through our fifteen day crossing from Cocos Keeling to the Maldives (originally Chagos, but paradise island can hardly replace a rudder right?). I am so lucky to have such an amazing family at home, always cheering me on. My girls spent my early night shift with me, everyone filled with love from their loved ones, talking about life, the experiences we were already given and what’s to come for each of us in the near future. I love these girls. It’s so good to be surrounded by likeminded people who always pull you up and push you beyond your limits. Life is beautiful. And there is so much out there waiting for me - maybe my own boat, maybe the love of my life, maybe a new home in Australia. Everything can happen and that’s just great. I am free.”
August 4, 2024 “Stillness. No wind in our sails. No movement. Just us in the middle of the ocean. Blue all around, nothing but blue. We have officially reached the doldrums. Nothing could’ve stopped us from jumping in the water. Finally. To be fully surrounded and submerged by the deep blue water was such a freeing feeling. To feel something different, to be in a slightly different environment, after so many days at sea. Floating on the surface of the open ocean. Looking down into 15,000 miles of blue, watching sunbeams make their way to the depths of the ocean. What an experience.”
August 7, 2024 “Today the wind shifted, now coming directly from the front. In order to use it, we needed to change our sails into a close haul, which was very different from what we’d been doing. It was so much fun because this meant I could feel every little change in wind speed and direction, it actually felt like we were sailing! During my shift I was so busy observing the wind and trimming the sails, I forgot about everything around me. This showed me, that I really am growing to love sailing, and that it really is something I want to continue doing.”
August 8, 2024 “During my night watch a huge storm hit us and I was conquering it all by myself. I’m so proud! What an insane experience. To be standing out there in the middle of the night, in the middle of the storm, all by yourself and managing this challenge, sailing our boat through it.”
August 10, 2024 “Soo… we made it! 1,823 nautical miles and 15 days later we arrived in the Maldives! The amount of things that broke underway is beyond long, but we had a great time despite or maybe because of all those challenges. I wouldn’t want to change a thing about these past two weeks at sea. It feels very weird to enter civilization again. Unlike my crewmates, I would much prefer staying in our little bubble. Here in Malé there’s so much traffic, hustle and bustle, very intimidating right now. I can’t wait to get everything fixed and get back out on the ocean again.”
