I agree that, it was certainly a time to reflect and gather ones thoughts together. Maybe put them in some semblance of order and completeness. But, if you want the answer to the meaning of life - forget it... the thoughts from this trip are unlikely to be able to help you.

The sailing has been all about 'meeting the challenge', on the basis of 'no pain, no gain', a bit of a man's thing, you understand. Nevertheless, the 'second half' did provide us with the missing ingredients, which were lacking in the first half. These were necessary, nay welcome, to make the voyage all that it is cracked up to be. The winds finally came with a vengence, and a variety; as we had been promised in all of our pre-trip reading. It started with a force 7 / 8, when we had no alternative but to go onto half hour watches, whilst cat napping on the cockpit floor. Just because the autohelm struggled, we could not. Then we found ourselves in the middle of the most spectacular electric storm, and wishing we were somewhere else, all at the same time. Eventually, the trade winds did arrive, and gave us the 150 miles a day we needed. Even then - and nearly in spitting distance of landfall - there was a sting in the tail. Three or four violent rain storms / squalls, served as a reminder of, who's boss out here.

There will be many things that I will take with me from this journey but I guess that the camaraderie will steal a march, above all others. The forces of nature come a close second, with sheer beauty everywhere you look. You cannot help but be in awe of the power of the sea. From mountainous walls of water, which threaten to engulf you, one moment, to a sheet of glass, as far as the eye can see, the next. Whilst I never for one moment felt alone, the solitude was all around, for everyone to see and feel. We didn't see another ship for nearly a week, nor the vapour trails of an aeroplane, for the entire three weeks. I will also remember the food (cuisine would have been more apt), beer o'clock, rationing, stocktaking, sleep deprivation, the metronomic timing of meals and watches, wet underwear every day, clean underwear every three days, the unrelenting heat, a shower once a week, and much, much more.

But the answer to the meaning of life... most certainly not. Each time I managed to think through the life changing consequences of what we had done, and what I intended to do next, there was something missing. Was it my border collie, Zeb? Possibly. Was it my daughters, Ellen and Lynsey? Quite probably. Was it my grandchildren, Skye, Jay and Lily-Ann? Almost certainly. Or was it my wife, Gail? Without a shadow of a doubt. It is clear to me now, that you cannot find the answers or take these decisions, on your own or in isolation. Without the support and encouragement of those close to you, you will be operating in a vacuum, and destined to fail.

All that said, I would recommend that you treat the innermost thoughts of this author with a large helping of caution. After all, I still cannot figure out why I have only seen flying fish landing in the water, and never taking off!