Post festum.

In the philosophical mood this morning, having allowed the relaxed, “done it”, feeling to sink in:

So what have we learned?

The first question people ask is how did the solo North Sea crossing go. I say excellently. There are two “different” issues, (to use a word from the current vernacular), to otherwise solo sailing: 1. food and drink, and 2. sleep.

Food is dealt with by having made enough sandwiches before departure, having tour-dinners which only need pouring hot water into the bag, diverse biscuits, nuts and raisins, chocolate, fruit and energy-snacks. Enough to drink in bottles, thermoses and an electric kettle, instant soups, tea and coffee.

Sleep is learnable. The decider is enough and frequent short sleeps, starting long before one feels tired. My solution started by “learning” meditation many years ago. That 25 minute “timeout” developed into an ability to sleep for about the same period. Reliable wakeup alarms, in case the 25 minutes got stretched. They did. After three days and two nights from Lossiemouth in Scotland to Egersund in Norway, I felt a bit rough at the edges, partially having been in the same clothes for that long, but definitely not sleepy-stupid in any way.

Josin has performed admirably. A very sturdy and solid boat, taking everything in her stride. Reliable equipment. Having no worries in that area means a very great deal. An autopilot which works all the time and in all control circumstances. Enough battery capacity, (two LiFePo 100 aH managed everything). A few niggles remain, about ropes competing for the same space and too many ends without a parking place, and some mystery leaks which WILL be solved before next season. A few mods planned, primarily the cockpit canopy/spray hood, as it needs repairing anyway.

Me: I’m not too old and decrepit to both carry out and be able to enjoy the effort and sometimes stress of such a trip. My good health is a blessing! Balance excellent. Reaction time is still rapid. Adequate physical strength to cope. (Criterium for continued sailing is that I can still hoist the mainsail, without a winch!). None of this will last for ever of course, but any signals to the contrary will be heeded.

Visiting new countries and places is always an interesting experience. Why else does one travel? Doing it by boat maybe much slower than by road or rail or air, as it is distinctly non-competitive, but one does get a different perspective and life seems to be at a more relaxed and slower tempo. And harbour fees, if one wants to stay put for a day or more, are much cheaper than hotels, or even B&Bs. And there are always restaurants, and fishandchips. And anchorages are peaceful, very close to nature.

Do it again? Why not! Asked Margaret where next, and she half-seriously replied, “Ireland”. Ah, that needs thinking about. Probably too far to get there. And back. Or difficult to leave Josin there for a winter. Hire a boat there? No way! Josin for ever! But being able to spend more time up north in Norway, for example, by doing some longer, overnight stretches, rather than taking the month to get there, could well be a solution.

Life is good, and Alls Well.