Location: Underway to Barbados
First and foremost, HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANT! Today was spent singing endless renditions of Happy Birthday in honour of Grant’s 20th! We made sure to end grants special day with cake made by Nashota and I, it was very pretty and pink (perfect for a 20 year old mans birthday).
For my blog today, I thought I would put the focus on the soon-to-be closing of our final long passage rather than our day-to-day roles. I have had the privilege of documenting our last days before arrival to both St Helena and Fernando, which is why I can confidently say this time it is different.
This passage has brought something new for us, perhaps because we knew it would be our last, perhaps because we had the wind in our sails keeping us flying throughout the water, perhaps it was a nice break from the warm, or maybe just maybe we found a better version of ourselves this passage.
As the days counted down closer to Barbados, I expected to see a crew, myself included, excited for land and in anticipation of finishing the passage. Instead, we all spend every day appreciating this passage to the fullest. Some of us make sure to spend our time looking at the starry night sky, some wake up to raise the sails, even if it’s only up for an hour or so. Some of us have even been fighting over who gets to helm first at four in the morning. We come to watch, excited to enjoy our last days with people we’ve grown close to. We appreciate the silence, the peace. Many of us have had the privilege of enjoying funny chats and meaningful moments, without the plague of technology or service!
So, as we get ready to say goodbye to our final passage, we take with us some incredible lessons. I personally am taking with me an appreciation for the wind, and the privilege to have spent 4 hours every night sitting down where my only job was to look out to sea, make conversation, and helm. Perhaps that sounds odd; however, having days that thrive around enjoying peaceful moments and company is something that we do not always get to experience in our day-to-day lives, and I am sure that we will miss it when we return home.
Tonight I encourage all our readers to take a moment, look up and admire the stars that we the crew of vela have spent countless days navigating under, that we have woken up to, and gone to bed to! When you are looking up, know that there is a high chance that we are looking up at the same moment, thinking of you. We miss you all so dearly and will make sure to enjoy the end of this passage to the fullest. I leave you with a cheers, ADASTRA!
Lots of love,
Vittoria
P.S. Mummsie, in case you see this tomorrow, or I can’t properly text you on your birthday, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, I LOVE AND MISS YOU SO MUCH!!