We made it! We crossed the Pacific Ocean on the longest ocean leg of this world circumnavigation. We sailed 3279nm in 19 days and 22 hours. Yesterday we arrived in the small bay of Autona on Hiva Oa just after 11am. We crossed the finish line at the mouth of the bay leaving 3279 wild nautical miles of pacific ocean at our backs then dropped our sails for the first time in almost three weeks. The island is remote, windswept, lush and green, the mountains around the bay are so steep and rise up directly from the bay, it is breath takingly beautiful. There is a small village nestled at the foot of the mountains where it meets the ocean. It’s an ideal low key re-entry back to land life and not bustling by any stretch. There is a laid back vibe in the small village. The sort of place that you could easily just stay for a while.
I always feel very mixed about the end of a long ocean passage. The sailing has been really fun and I can’t imagine anything better than sailing all day all night for 20 days. I will miss the raw alivenss as we would fly through the darkness under the stars with a full moon rising behind us and later the hint of a moon behind in the night sky. I wish I could have shown you the shooting stars to many to mention and the wake of phosphorescence leaving a trail of light behind us as we sailed through the night and the sky filled with a million stars. Even when things were challenging I was never not loving this. It’s felt like nothing outside of us on this boat has really existed or felt real for the last few weeks. Paradoxically, it has gone too fast but at the same time it feels I have been away for a lifetime. Slowly my focus extends beyond the periphery of this boat and rest of my life comes back in to soft focus. My last watch in darkness was at 3am until 6am and I was greeted by my last pacific sunrise for now.
As my watch ended I could just start to make out the faint shadow of our island in the distance. Each mile as we got closer the wilderness and remoteness of these islands becomes apparent.
As we got closer I was certain that the wind was carrying a scent from the land and it was sweet and inviting even though for the past 3 weeks I have been fully at home on the sea. I never tire of the saltwater landscape, the wonderful sunrises, sunsets and clouds that are ever changing, the swells that are mesmerizing and the dawn on the pacific when it feels like the world is just waking up. In truth we have been up together all night long immersed in this incredible moment by moment changing and unfolding. It never looks or feels the same hour to hour or day to day.
Of course there is relief in having arrived safely back on terra firma. Although I swear every bit of land I stand on right now is moving. I am aware that the ocean doesn’t care who you are and crossing oceans can be a dangerous and unpredictable business. It was all about the sailing but it was so much more than just the sailing. Moment by moment on the journey with very few distractions I became reacquainted with something fundamental. An undeniable connection to everything around me. It was magical to find this place and to re awaken to this reality that we are never not connected or inter connected to all that is going on around us. Through all of this crossing, I have felt that I am the right person, in the right place doing the right thing and that feels pretty damn amazing!
We arrived in the small bay on a very remote wind swept island after spending 3 weeks crossing the pacific and guess who we drop anchor right next to? Pete!! He comes over for a catch up and I introduce him to the Kincsem crew. We share stories of our memorable sail from Halifax then down to Bermuda and the Caribbean. His boat looks like it’s been through the underworld or in oworld war 2 and he has put on a lot of miles since I sailed with him last year. What an amazing day and evening and a lovely end to this long trip to serendipitously find friends in far flung places, my people of the sea. This morning Pete left and pointed his boat in the direction of Australia. I have not doubt we will meet again in another far flung place.
At the end of a long ocean voyage my questions to my self are often the same, what did I learn? What’s next? Where and when is my next sailing fix coming?! I am already working on all of these things. My world is still rocking and I suspect it will be for a few days to come. We have 4 days in Hiva Oa to explore and slowly sink back into land life. The boat will continue on through French Polynesia for 7 weeks and then to Fiji. It will be a small torture to watch them set sail and to be stuck on land.
I want to say, thank you for your interest in the journey, for your questions, your kind words, your words of encouragement and support , your news and photographs from home. I am more grateful for this that I can put onto words.I am also grateful to my two wonderful fellow sailors on this crossing. We always had each others’ backs and it was a fun and easy in this trio.
Now on land when I close my eyes all I see is sunlight on the water and hear the sound of the water rushing past the hull.
I will send a final update before I leave the island and I have my land legs back on.
With a whole lotta love and gratitude.
