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June 23, 1999
Hawaii to Tarawa Voyage, Update #51
Day 51. Wednesday 23 June 1999 0312 GMT
Wind ESE 2. Heading 210M.
Latitude: 03deg 54.261N
Longitude: 178deg 50.270W
After more torrential rain last night I woke to a mirror-like ocean with barely enough wind to even wrinkle its nose. With good protection from the sun by a thick blanket of cloud I decided to take the morning off - the whole day if I felt like it - and involve myself with anything other than pedaling for a change. It's turned out to be the best thing I've chosen to do for a long time.
I didn't realize until I'd messed around on the guitar for a couple of hours, then shaved (face and head), done some filming with the video camera, pumped some fresh water and tried to mend the VHF radio, how much I needed to get away from the pedal seat and my self-imposed cast-iron routine. I remember writing earlier on in the voyage about the importance of creating variety in my schedule; taking breaks, mornings off etc, in order to keep from going stale. And that's exactly what I've allowed to happen.
Part of the problem lies in being solo. Before I set out from Kona I had visions of chopping and changing my schedule from one day to the next, being able to do exactly what I wanted, where I wanted, without having another body to navigate around. In fact the opposite has happened: because of there being no one else to take responsibility for the boat for even a few hours a day, the onus is always on me to keep the cranks turning in order to make miles good on the chart. This means I feel a certain decadence and associated guilt when my attention is focused on anything other than activities that directly contribute to forward progress. Activities like those I've spent this morning doing for example.
I'd forgotten one golden rule from the Atlantic crossing about being out here: perception of time is more important than adhering religiously to actual time. By this I mean a day can seem longer than a week depending on ones state of mind and level of contentment. In the same way, if I stick doggedly to my 'ergonomic' routine to the point - like it has - that it becomes a grind, then although it may take less ACTUAL time to get from where I am now to Tarawa, it will SEEM longer than if I take the odd morning or day off and so keep my spirits up at the expense of a few extra days. And at the end of the day, that for me is the underlying objective: gravitating towards a method of experiencing life, wherever I might be, as a seamless uninterrupted flow of consciousness without the man-made divisions of days, hours and minutes getting in the way.
Jason Lewis,
The Moksha motor
Posted on June 23, 1999 2:10 AM