[p]pjr4728
[s]
pos: 22 01.733n 031 24.992w
sp: 5.7
h: 265m
w: 12-16 ENE, CC 2/8 SS 1.5m ENE
d: 19/12/19 12.00 GMT+0000
Hard to believe that a whole year has passed since we arrived in Nai Harn, Thailand to enjoy a great Christmas, with Wendy, Willy, Jasper and Storm, the NZ crew of Intrigue. A few miles have passed under the keel since then, but Time marches on still too quickly, of course.

Early this morning the skipper and Mili shared a ?hi-5?, in muted celebration (Sue was sleeping), as we passed our half-way mark for this passage. More muted too perhaps, by the fact that we were only sailing along at stately 2.5kn at the time, due to the very light winds! We were still a little disappointed not to be greeted by a marching band and fireworks. Indeed, the only sounds that greeted this auspicious mark were the lapping of the mellow sea against the hull and the occasional snap of a flogging sail.
Sailing downwind in light airs (as I write now, we have 1-5kn apparent!) arguably presents more challenges than making progress in a good breeze on any other point of sail. Can the sails be trimmed any better to increase speed and reduce flogging? Is it better to head a little to port (left) to get the wind more on the beam, at the cost of reduced westerly progress? Will heading more right require gybing the Main or swapping the side of the poled-out Genoa foresail? VMG (velocity made good), towards our ultimate destination is also not the sole arbiter, as it might be on a more local cruise, as the bigger picture requires intermediate goals for routing? which can change with each forecast and our relative faith in those. Decisions, decisions?and always something to think about and maybe tweak?
2.5 days ago we made a strategic decision to head even further S(W), as several longer term forecasts had predicted several days of around 25kn at New Year on our intended, more northerly route ? and our experience was this could, in reality, more likely mean 35kn. A diversion to the SW of around 250nm would avoid this, albeit at the cost of increased distance and time, given the lighter winds we would now actually be seeking. So turn SW we did. Naturally 24 hours later, the forecast changed again?evaporating, or at least reducing, the potential dangers of the northerly route?but by this time we decided to remain committed to our more southerly alternative.
When it?s as calm as this, the sea seems such a benign environment. Being 650nm from the nearest land against the prevailing wind and 1200-1400nm from anything else does still play on the mind a little, but really we are probably safer than sailing in sight of the NZ shore.
As the last vestiges of cellphone reception disappeared over the horizon with the Canaries behind us I do recall seeing a comment from someone on Mili?s FB page, to the effect of ?You?re so brave doing this?, which did set me to wondering later that night to ?What actually defines ?brave???. (The sea was also getting up a fair bit at the time, to the point that I was feeling anything but brave and fearless, lol!)
I?d always thought that being ?brave? required a (selfless?) act in the face of (extreme?) risk, hence the citations for bravery, in battle etc. And if this definition was in any way close, then an inherently selfish act, like us bobbing around the world in a plastic boat, couldn?t possibly fit into the category of ?brave?, regardless of whether it may, on occasion, require some situations that may potentially bear some risk (be it real or perceived), to be overcome?. And although it may be a happy by-product of acting (also) in the interests of others, can self-preservation really qualify as being ?brave??
At this point I was kicking myself that, despite having plenty of reading matter on board, both paper and digital, amongst it all we have failed to have the foresight to include a dictionary to settle the matter, at least ?officially?! Regretfully there is also a lack of decent whisky (indeed any whisky), which I have always found to assist deeper philosophy, even if the answers (and often the questions) are not always remembered the following morning.
Feelings of (relative) security are certainly increased by having a couple of crew members on board (even if one IS a dog!). The men and women that do this alone are really the ones with the large cojones, as the perceived vulnerability must be increased by far, far more than a factor or two or three. But really, (and as I have probably mentioned in ramblings before) with advances in equipment and technology, such as the ubiquity of GPS navigation, availability and relatively ease of obtaining regular weather forecasts, etc., etc., even for these intrepid travellers, there really is far less risk to this ocean trundling than there may once have been (setting aside the increased risk if racing, at the higher speeds possible now of course!)
I was also contemplating this again a few nights ago (as you do on night duties!), as I watched (what I presumed to be) the International Space Station track its way brightly and steadily across the sky, thinking the men and women that head up there must indeed be blessed (or cursed?) with really big ones too. But I also wondered (in wonder), what the hell drives them?
Regretfully, despite the increased opportunity out here, I?m still no closer to finding an answer to this, to the definition of brave, to the meaning of life or indeed to much else. Even I (and I?m sure you) have realised that I am rambling, even more than usual!
Whatever the textbook definition, I think that if I have come to any conclusion, it is that trundling around the world in a plastic boat is not inherently brave, or bold, or fearless (unless maybe you?re bonkers). Neither is traversing the Sahara on a pogo stick (these days likely accompanied by a film crew) or any of a myriad of ?adventures? us humans might set out on. Arguably it is the folks living a life (which to them at times may seem mundane) in straightened circumstances, those providing for the welfare of others, those battling to overcome social, physical and mental challenges, those navigating uncharted waters in new business venture or relationships, who really exhibit much more ?bravery? than us privileged few?
OK, I?d better stop before the First Officer breaks out the handcuffs!

Happy Christmas to everyone!!! Whether with family, friends or alone, I really hope you are able to count on some blessings.
TTFN, P

PS Last few daily runs (noon-noon in nm)
9: 123.9
10: 130.2
11: 121.6
12: 95.7 :-(
(Total 1,420nm, at overall av speed so far of 4.9kn. DTF approx 1,320nm)

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