Perseverance is an art form, the art of keeping going no matter what. The beauty of this race is that one must see it through to the conclusion. There is no get out of jail free card, no way of exiting early and stepping away, you are for better or for worse on the boat and travelling towards your destination. If you love it, sail and enjoy, if you're not enjoying it, the best thing to do is to sail as fast as possible to get to the end goal.
The sheer act of getting up every time your woken and slipping out of bed and a cosy ocean sleepwear sleeping bag, putting on the mid-layers and wet foulies required to go on deck. Finding the elusive wet gloves that haven't fully dried from the watch before and heading out into the cold air of the North Pacific. Each of these individual acts is a small win, each is the conclusion of two seconds of courage and mental will power.
Each day I get on deck and see the crew suited and booted, sailing the boat as best as they can, it gives me the chills. This crew isn't persevering, they are thriving. They aren't doing the bare minimum needed for a North Pacific crossing and they are doing it with a smile on their face. What more could a proud skipper want.
On Deck Music: Classical
On Deck Chat: Sail plan for the night (sensible)
On Deck Snack: Shortbread creams
Max and the thriving crew of Our Isles and Oceans