The anticipation of the end...

We are now within legit striking distance of the end of leg 3.

By the time we round into the marina, we will have covered (to be confirmed) about 6000 nm over approximately 37-38 days.

To put that into perspective we travelled Toronto to the North Pole three times or New York to Dubai. It’s almost impossible to replicate this trip. Crossing the Atlantic to the Mediterranean or Panama to the Pacific atolls will not touch this trip in time or distance.

The third leg was the longest. Almost 2000nm

And as you get near to the end.

Something interesting happens.

Anticipation.

The anticipation is palpable—the anticipation for the end, the anticipation for what’s next.

When we anticipate something, we have a human habit of getting fidgety, looking, measuring, and calculating—and maybe not enjoying it enough. Last night, I decided not to write this post but rather to enjoy the last night's watch I will have in a while.

Just take in the magnitude of the journey—the pending accomplishment.

I also reflected on one key item I have learned on this trip: You need to let the game come to you and react. For a long time, I have believed in letting the game come to me, but this trip has honed that skill to a new level.

Working with imperfect, fluid, real-time information about the future and trying to combine it into a plan is a skill—one you have to develop.

Out here, no one else can make the decisions. You can not wait it out and see what happens.

We are now in a pretty active shipping channel. Last night on watch my brother and I sparred about the best way to create space on a passing tanker. There was no “right” answer because the landscape was shifting. We needed to make the best call we could and actively monitor it.

Sometimes, we look to make firm plans as a way to comfort ourselves, but what we do is create a static environment in which we fall into a rut.

As we round the corner in the next 16 hours, I am relishing the anticipation of the next leg. And the unknown. And adventure REIMAGINED ahead.

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Onward, as we are not done with this leg yet! There will be more content to come!