It's been one of those days. One of those try as you might you should never have gotten out of bed days. I have slipped, tripped, and fallen on deck and in the cabin. I managed to drop, let slip, or let slide food or drink. The sextant and I got a salt-water hosing while trying to get a noon sight. The wind is anywhere from 10 knots to 30 and, to top it all off, we make 6 knots through the water and something like 4 over the ground.

The wind, already frustrated by the swell, will go lighter tonight meaning we will be slower still provided I can keep wind in the sails. It seems unlikely given that the swell is not forecast to go down. I am not at all keen to be swallowed up by the high pressure ridge astern so it looks like I'll be up till all hours trying to eke something useful out of the breeze.

And it's cold. As in sub-50 Fahrenheit in the cabin cold and can't feel your fingers outside cold.

I went on deck looking for silver linings and got this. For a moment, all is forgotten. I grasp at it trying to cling on as I know that as soon as I step back inside, nothing will have changed. I still will have slipped, tripped, fallen, dropped, let slip, got doused, been slow, and gotten cold. The difference between then and this moment is that I am grateful. I am still kicking at the can albeit slowly and this day clumsily. I am still here.

And tomorrow, the forecast is for fair winds and following seas. Who am I to ask for more?