I am free! Wonderfully, gloriously, amazingly free!
They always say that the last hundred metres are the worst for any athlete, who may have run an entire marathon, and can see the finishing line shining in the distance like a beacon of hope, yet still experiences the most agonising final moments before the race is truly over.
I felt like that runner last night during the last few turbulent hours on an unfriendly ocean. I began to personify the boat and the sea in my mind, and each time we rocked this way, or that, or I was pushed off balance by a rogue swell, I began to take it personally. Each impact was a personal affront, each cupboard that swung open was doing it just to spite me; sneering at me with each slam, and flinging wayward cooking utensils my way in mockery.
I stayed awake all night, waiting for the dawn; the final dawn.
The sun always rises, in the end. This you can be sure of at a time when nothing else is certain.
We are moored at another marina in Mexico, (Bahia De Navidad) and this is my last stop. I am enthusiastically abandoning ship in the next few hours, with every intention of heading straight for the nearest beach front hotel. The idea of sleeping in a large cool room tonight, on a big soft bed, for as many hours as I desire, is painting a huge smile across my face.
For now, I wrap myself in a warm blanket and welcome the dawn.
