A 12 pound mahi mahi on it’s way to becoming the best lunch I’ve ever had.

Nine days.

That’s how long it took us to sail from St. George’s Harbour in Bermuda to Simpson Bay in St. Maarteen. Some highlights:

I beat a fish to death with a winch handle and ate it for lunch.

I swam in 15,000 ft of water in conditions so calm that at night I could see the reflection of individual stars in the ocean.

I got sea sick for only the second time in my life. (The first being
Montauk to Bermuda)

I sailed for four days with a light wind on our port quarter and hardly touched the tiller once.

I (finally) satisfied 30 years of curiosity and longing to find out “What
is it like out there?”

In total the trip from Montauk to St Maarten was 16 days at sea and 10 days waiting in Bermuda for weather. We sailed about 1800 nautical miles covering a point to point distance of about 1500 miles. I saw things I’ve never seen before, including things I hope to never see again (my mainsail triple reefed being one of them.)

I feel changed. I’m not sure exactly how, but I feel changed. It’s something about covering a great distance at five knots, but also about the vastness. Writing to our trip’s godfather, I said it was “magically mundane” and he seemed to think that was as good a description as he’s heard in all his voyages, but we both agreed it doesn’t do the experience justice.

What comes next, I don’t know. Some very nice people helped me make this trip by pre-ordering Brett and Melanie: Boi Meets Girl, so I’d guess I’d better get it finished up. I got it more or less finalized while waiting on weather in Bermuda. Now just a little polishing and it’ll be done. It is a *very* sweet story, real lump in my throat tear in your eye stuff, which is not something you hear about films that feature giant black strap-on dildos.

Anyway, I can check my e-mail once or twice a day, so I guess I am now officially back in contact. Many thanks to all who sent well-wish or kept us in your thoughts. It was much needed and much appreciated!

Swimming next to INTEMPERANCE on a calm day, in thousands of feet of water and hundreds of miles from the nearest land.

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