I’ve been really busy this week, so I’m going to do something I very rarely do, and recycle an old blog post – but somehow, this message from the third leg of the Pacific voyage feels much needed at the moment. As the lockdown tightens once again in the UK, and the US presidential election steps up into an even higher state of crazy, I thought we could all use a parcel of peace.
And just before we get to that, huge congrats to Lia Ditton and Tez Steinberg for their respective successful solo completions of the California-Hawaii route. After the sad deaths of Angela Madsen and Ruihan Yu earlier this year, it is wonderful to get some good news from the world of ocean rowing!
24th May 2010
Dictated by Roz at 9.36pm and transcribed by her mother Rita Savage
Position: -08.10850S, 152.09482E
My blog to you tonight is a little parcel of peace. But before you open it, find somewhere quiet. It doesn’t have to be quiet around you as long as it is quiet within you. Peace is very fragile, and you don’t want non-peace to get into the box. So no matter what you are doing, put your work aside for now and take three deep, calming breaths. OK now you are ready.
It’s a small box about three inches in each direction. It is a sky blue box with a deep blue ribbon. Go ahead and open it.
Inside you will find a little silver ribbon on a moonlit ocean. The boat is rocking gently, on water barely ruffled by the breeze, and it is pleasantly cool after the heat of the day. There is no sound apart from the slight gurgle of water and the flap of a bird’s wings as it makes its way across the quiet ocean. A few fluffy clouds are glowing like ghosts in the light of the half moon. You feel the sense of accomplishment in a kind of satisfying way; with skin glowing slightly as though from sitting in a chair in the sunshine. (words not at all clear at this point – difficult to transcribe) It is a scene of pure peaceful serenity, soothing and refreshing.
Keep it safe, close the box and retie the ribbon. Put it away and put it in a place where you can find it again any time that you need it, then you can take it out and relax in a moment of calm in this crazy world. This parcel of peace is my gift to you.
Other Stuff:
Another day of good progress today as you may gather from my general air of serenity. Hot, hard, sweaty work and not as calm a sea as yesterday but as my tiredness increases, I just cut the work into shorter shifts so that I manage to keep it going. There is a light wind from the north but it shouldn’t impact me too badly now that I am in a generally northwesterly current. I am about fifty miles from the nearest land, so that is a reasonable margin of safety.
As of tonight, 414 nautical miles to go.