JesseMartin.Net
5th January 1999
ABOUT a week ago I rounded the South West Cape of New Zealand where I had the first view of land in a while. I met with a crayfishing boat seven miles offshore where I threw off three bags of rubbish and some film, but didn't get off the boat. It was quite exciting speaking to the fishermen with their NZ accents, but when it came time for them to leave I felt a bit down.
There wasn't much wind so I went down below and started to make dinner as I made up my mind to focus on the next part of the trip.
Conditions remain quite calm and I have seen a few seals playing around behind the boat.
It is amazing how finely tuned your senses get after only a month away from land. I was sitting in the cockpit enjoying the sun the other day when I got a whiff of a strange smell.
I stood up and there floating along about eight metres from the boat was a log of a tree. Luckily we didn't hit it because it would have made some considerable damage, but I was stoked that I could smell it.
On New Year's Eve I was trying to call my mates, but they were out having a good time so I celebrated by making myself pancakes.
I counted down and at exactly midnight I let out a whoo hoo and took a swig of water and a bite of a pancake. I sat there chewing as everything was so quiet except for the groaning of the boat.
I sat and thought about how much had happened in the last year, and it amazed me what things had had been done and how I had changed.
It got me excited to think how much is possible to achieve and what this next year would bring, and so I went to bed dreaming of the future. That is how my new year started.