25 March 2010
There is a part of me that does not want this to end. Yesterday afternoon David and I lay on the foredeck, Voyageur's great wide wings giving us perfect shade from the blistering tropical sun. Looking upwards to the sky like a couple of kids lying in a field of corn, her mast swayed in rhythm to the ocean swell. It has been one of the most relaxing ocean passages David and I have ever had. We cannot remember reading so many books, enjoyed so many sundowners, eaten so many good dinners. Far from being tired we feel rested and refreshed. The Pacific has been extraordinarily benevolent towards us. We have had good quality sleep and plenty of it too, apart from a couple of days of insomnia for me at the start. We have not encountered any shipping although from previous experience that was not unexpected. We could have had stronger winds but as we edge more slowly south towards Australia I expect that to change. I do not think the Pacific has ever been more beautiful for us. Yes, it is a passage we are almost sorry to see at an end, but a day does not go by when you find yourself dreaming about landfall, that moment when after 18 days at sea and you have seen nothing but a flat unbroken horizon stretching away to infinity, and your first glimpse of land comes into view. That day has arrived for us today and I can hardly contain my excitement.
Susan Mackay