fuzzy-brained

Day 10 (12 36 N 117 57 W)
Day 11 (11 46 N 119 44 W)
The last several days and nights have been a blur. Not much change in the sea conditions: variable winds 15-20 knots from NNE and confused seas 2 meters. The "variable" part seemed to happen always at night time. Sleep deprivation sucks. During the last five or six days, I think I recall periods of lucidity totals about 3 or 4 hours per 24 hour period. Those are the precious hours that I am able to write, read a book (without falling asleep), or decide to do cook something while engaging in some acrobatics in the galley.
I wish I was not so fuzzy-brained, so I can experience this with a bit more clarity. You see, every time I go outside to look around 360 degrees, I still think to myself, are we really here? Wow! This is so amazing. The evening of our departure from La Cruz was memorable. "This is it!" My heart filled something very hard to describe and I hope I will never forget that feeling. There was a time when we thought this passage was not going to happen. Now Io seems so happy. She was built skookum for this very purpose! She seems to be taking a lot of abuse, but holding up well.
I think we are both getting a little more rest today. Or the excessive fatigue just dulled the associated fear. Or I know I have no choice but to trust our boat's strength. Simple surrender. Winds have shifted to come from the north. Despite the sloshing and occasional tossing, we seem to be moving better. We are logging 1136nm, almost half way to the Marquesas!
As I had done at first, some might wonder, how can you be at sea for a full month? I am learning that, just like other things in life, it gets broken down to smaller parts, smaller projects, and smaller goals. A 3,000nm passage gets broken down into: 1) how to get into and make use of the NE trade winds from North America to a predictable area to enter the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), 2) with good weather report and luck, how to get through the ITCZ and cross the equator, and 3) how to use the SE trade winds to get to your destination. Land ho! With this in mind, we are working on (1) right now. One small goal at a time, even if it takes weeks!

hyo-jung