We slowed the boat down this morning, turned on the generator, and ran the watermaker. The seas had calmed down considerably, and we couldn’t wait another day for a shower. We kept our slower pace through the afternoon, delaying our arrival so we’d drop anchor during daylight tomorrow. After pushing for speed this entire trip, it seems odd to dial it back, but I’d feel robbed if, after 27 days at sea, our first glimpse of land was in the dark.

I spent most of the day in the bean bag chair, listening to music and staring at the empty horizon. I read a paper a few years ago about the health benefits associated with “horizon gazing.” When you look at something specific, your eyes rotate inwards to focus on it and blur out the background, often eliciting a hormonal stress response (typically in the form of increased epinephrine, adrenaline, and/or cortisol). In contrast, when you look at the horizon, you broaden your visual field, shutting off that stress response. This idea goes back to our ancestral hunter-gatherer days when humans constantly scanned the horizon for threats. Essentially, when your peripheral vision expands and no threat is detected to focus on, your brain understands that you are safe and produces a calming effect. Maybe that’s why I’m so relaxed out here. 

We sailed all day using our main and jib, keeping our speed around 5.5-6.5kn. We both took showers this afternoon, washing away the sweat and sunscreen we’d collected while conserving water. It feels so good to be clean again. We watched our last sunset of the trip and spotted a sliver of moon off our port side. 

We should reach Hiva Oa in the morning.