And I have sailed two thousand miles, and I will sail one thousand more....

09 12 S
126 00 W

I doubt sincerely that I will ever find myself in a more remote location in my lifetime. I've been remunerating over remoteness for the last few days (during the nights especially). At the halfway point, the remoteness seemed to hit a peak (which is probably statistically true, but likely mostly in my head).

The only thing that I know for certain is that there is one person awake for 1500 miles in any direction, and that person is me.

Four days later, I know that I am still as remote, but saying it with 1000 miles seems so much less so. I mean come on - its the difference of 4 million square miles and obviously less impact full.

I am sure that there were a 100 ships within this space and they were probably having a regatta just over the horizon. A continuous conga line of planes likely passed me by with tourists by the gross (although where they might be headed isn't really clear to me.... and they should really use lights in the future). Aside from these certainties, I am alone. It feels good.

In 18 days we have seen only 2 pairs of fishing ships (what they are fishing for out here is a little bit of a mystery - we are in 4000m of water with no banks or shoals, Japanese whaling boats is unfortunately the going theory). There really isn't much going on out here. The cockpit of the boat is well protected, but I do trick myself into thinking that the 1.5 inch nylon strap that tethers me to the boat is somehow all that is keeping me alive (although in some ways at night it is). A silent, 2 step walk to port is really all that it would take. Rescuing a man who went overboard at an unknown time during the night would be daunting and most likely not successful. This all adds to my feeling of remoteness.

We are finally making good time, but "good time" is a relative thing. It will likely take us 8 to 10 days to cover the remaining 1000 miles on this leg. You could easily cover that in 2 hours on a plane, a day in a car. If you could find a way to walk 24 hours a day it would likely take you only 15 of them. Day after day, lets say that we are pacing a reasonably serious bicyclist, traveling mostly downhill, who likes to sleep in.. and smokes.

3000 ocean miles is tough to put into perspective. I think its 3300 miles between Toronto and London. If there are 60 miles in a degree of latitude, then we are sailing the equivalent from the "49th Parallel" straight down to the equator. Even these attempts are marred by a number of 'ish's. The world as it turns out is an oblate spheroid and a nautical mile does not equal a nautical mile from a different latitude and a regular "mile" does not equal a nautical mile at all (but may). I am enjoying the fact that these rumors that I learned in grade school like the earth not being perfectly round and magnetic variation are actually affecting my day by day.

Lets just call it far'ish.

Last night I made dinner. A crude attempt at beef pot pie consisting of a motley crew of canned goods. Beef stew from Brazil, peas from god knows where - Panama?, milk from Columbia, an onion and garlic from the Galapagos. The Bisquick and mashed potato mix had English labels on them, so I don't really know where they came from - likely far. Washed down with wine from Chile, purchased in some random South American port. (The whole thing ended up sliding off the stove top and making a horrendous mess, as well as completely screwing up my nicely prepared layers of ingredients. It ended up good in the end though with some scraping and shlopping back into the pan). I smoked a duMaurier cigarette that was purchased in Trinidad as the sun set on the horizon and another day down. Walter and I talked a bit about life on other planets and I settled into my first night watch shift. Grabbed 5 hours of restless sleep and then watched the 5 to 8am sunrise.

This morning, scores of dolphins came to play for an hour or so. This was the first real wildlife that we have seen in some time and the little guys actually make me laugh out loud like an idiot. Good times.

Still thoroughly pleased that I am on this journey, although it has been a tough go at times. It is so easy to discern right and wrong out here and dispassionately look back on my choices and behaviors. Remove the complications, suck out the poison and the playing surface is perfectly flat and the rules of the game are childlike in their simplicity. Just have to bottle this clarity up and take it home with me.

All this being said, I would give my left nut for a steak and a cold beer. To swap some lies with someone who knew me when I was young.

5 weeks down, 19 more to go 'ish.

Hope everyone is good,
Michelle LeRoche (I have officially assumed my French Polynesian identity :)