Day 30: πŸ“† A month at sea πŸ“†

/in /by
It seems like I was feeding the fish only yesterday, and it was my first night on the big ocean, heading more to Walvis Bay than South America.
So much has happened since then, yet it has already started to blur into a bunch of little snippets rather than 30 long days on my own at sea.

Trying to show a beautiful sunset but the camera did not get it.

I was told to stick to a routine out here because routine helps you take each day or minute one at a time.
My approach has not been as fixed a routine as suggested.
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The only regimented part of my day is dropping the kids off at the pool and the three scheduled check-in via satellite. All the rest just falls into place.
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I paddle when and for how long based on my mood or the conditions. I might do a 3hr session, and it feels like it’s over in a flash, and sometimes I can’t even get through the first hour. I know if I don’t get enough paddling in, I will be bobbing out here for longer than I really want. It’s a very powerful motivator.
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Later in the week, I should reach the halfway point and then the count DOWN will begin. πŸŽ‰
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My paddling seat has started to come apart again. It tore on the left side during attempt #1. I will attempt to repair the right side, but the whole frame must be dismantled. It’s quite a job, so I will see when the mood grabs me to sort it out. It’s still usable but will definitely be better when repaired.
I have had full cloud cover for a few days now. I hope it will clear up some time so I can do some star gazing. The moon πŸŒ’ is almost gone, which is the ideal time for it.
I spotted a satellite a couple of days ago, just after sunset. It lasted only a short while, but in that time, it had travelled almost half way across the sky. I wonder what speeds they travel at? πŸŒŸπŸ”­
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The sailing yacht Always Saturday that I chatted to the other day is at St Helena Island, and today my brother, Anton, sent me pictures from them. He got them from a solo sailer; they met while sailing down the coast of South Africa at the same time. She is also at St Helena Island and is friends with Always Saturday’s crew hence how Anton got hold of the pictures. Small world isn’t it?

Photo from Yacht Always Saturday showing their position relativeΒ toΒ mine.

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My music on Spotify stopped working, meaning I had to log in online so the app could check that I was still a paid subscriber. I did not have to be on for long for this. I went back to playing in offline mode for another 30 days. 🎡🎧
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My legs have definitely become weaker. I noticed for the first time last night that I am using my arms much more to pull myself into a standing position. I wonder how much weaker they will still get. I must check if there is a possibility of doing some squats without falling overboard. πŸ‹β€β™‚
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Coordinates: Latitude -19.966270Β°
Longitude -8.606630Β°