It’s official! We are both geographically and in distance over the half way mark. At least our ‘best case’ scenario says so! If winds turn of storms hit and para anchor needs to be deployed, this could change entirely. Based on our average SOG (Speed Over Ground) and COG (Course Over Ground) since leaving Cape Town on the 7th of February, we hope to reach Rio in 32 days time! ‘Hope’, a big bold word but one I cherish for without it what is the point of fighting in the face of disillusionment and daily negative curve-balls? We all have those but not all of us have real hope, real faith and belief that we can truly change our destiny or indeed, that of the Earth.

So, how do Wayne and I reach that end-point called Rio? Firstly, Rio is not the end point but only the beginning of a long journey of change, for me, hopefully you, and the planet.

Secondly, as with running the Great Wall of China or racing to the South Pole, I do things in bite-sized pieces. What begins with simply rowing for 2hrs, becomes a day, and then a day and a night is celebrated as I say out loud, “you did it today. Now only tomorrow do it again. Yes!”

And the day becomes the week, and at the beginning of every Wednesday morning (because we started rowing on a Tuesday), I celebrate the week. And now, finally, I celebrate over a month and over half way.

Each day there is pain, physical pain. Each day there is mental stress, and the fatigue of little or sometimes no sleep, brings with it occasional doubt, as thoughts, no longer controlled, drift in and out like the clouds and rain squalls. But that is when I find a dedication to pull me through. “Today I am doing this for Benjamin and his future”, I say out loud. Benjamin is my only child, a young man of 28 years and my greatest gift who does me proud.

You see, when we find a purpose beyond our pain or ego, we can go so much further, do so much more.

In the cabin writing my blog and we can see another storm is coming in!