So many sea miles from Nanaimo, BC, to the capital of the Kingdom of Tonga—and now I’m just one leg away from New Zealand.
When I think back to Mexico, it felt like such a big feat. French Polynesia felt even bigger. And now, somehow, I’m here, just a few days away from making landfall in New Zealand.
I’m still trying to wrap my head around what I’ve actually done. All those miles, all those places, all the days and nights at sea… it’s hard to take it all in.
I wish I had the words to describe what this feels like, but I don’t. Maybe one day I will.
For now, I’m just sitting with it, feeling incredibly grateful, and looking back at the miles behind me with a sense of wonder. I never imagined I’d come this far.
Even though sailing my boat from country to country, island to island, is the main focus here, there is so much more I could share. In writing, I’ve touched on the people I’ve met, the cultures I’ve experienced, the events I’ve faced, the challenges I’ve overcome, and the knowledge I’ve gained. What I haven’t shared, or perhaps haven’t yet found the words for, is the personal growth I’ve felt along the way—the things I’ve worked through, the things I’ve let go of, and the things I’ve left behind in each bay where my anchor touched the sand.
Even now, the journey is still teaching me. Every day, I discover something new about myself, and every day there is something I quietly promise myself I won’t do again. Perhaps one day I’ll have the time, and the courage, to give those lessons the details they deserve, in writing. For now, they remain part of the wake behind me—stories, mistakes, fears, and small victories.
And maybe that is what this journey has really been about: not simply sailing far enough to see the world, checking off countries, but going far enough to meet the person I am becoming.
Sailaway Sarantium 
I love these personal insights and observations that you are sharing with us, about how you and your life have evolved during this journey. They give so much more meaning to these chapters of each country and each island, that you stop at along the way. When you were in Mexico, waiting for the whisker pole to arrive, and you were interviewed by Paul T for his podcast, I remember exactly what you said about how you felt – your curiosity, your confidence that you were ready for this, a very real sense of this being The Big Adventure, and your concerns about those ‘Big If’s’ too. And then you and Andrew launched off, and it all came together as you had planned. Now, as I follow along on your journey, it feels as if I am witnessing the exponential growth of someone who has been set free from everything that may have limited them in the past, and now they are free to truly follow their heart … and that is a beautiful thing to behold. (And a jealous thing too, but I can’t do anything about that! 😆) Wishing you all the very best for your 1000+NM passage to NZ, I hear that route can be a fun ride. Fair winds VindVoman ☺️⛵️ 🙏🏻
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