Every journey reaches its conclusion and so has mine. Now that I’m back in Croatia and the dust has settled, I take a moment to reflect on the valuable lessons I’ve learned. Let me highlight some important points:
Crew Management:
Often overlooked, crew management is crucial for a successful journey. As the captain, your responsibility extends to both the boat and the crew. It’s vital to assume a leadership role, maintaining morale and keeping everyone motivated, efficient, and productive while minimizing mistakes. Our watch schedule, with 2 hours of work followed by 6 hours off, generally worked well. However, there were moments when delayed sleep led to exhaustion the next day. Finding a balance is key.
Enormous comfort comes from the smallest human contact and having someone close to share these adventures with. Do not underestimate it, but avoid overdoing it. Discover peace in silence and savor it.
Food Provisioning:
To keep things fresh for the long haul, it is important to master food storage tricks and cleverly manage supplies. Take the opportunity to experiment with cooking and have fun in this extraordinary environment. Even baking a cake or bread in rough seas and trying new food combinations is possible. As we came from different cultural backgrounds, each of us added a touch of our homeland to the cooking. Keeping morale high is crucial, and good food plays a significant role. Don’t forget to make the most of fishing opportunities, but always be mindful not to waste food.
Keep It Simple:
Happiness requires very little. The sacrifice of living in a small space is the price sailors pay for the freedom they cherish. While our freedom may be limited, we can still adapt and find happiness through our resilience. I find solace in the beauty of the immediate natural world—the ballet of jumping flying fishes, unforgettable sunsets and sunrises, and the bioluminescence that lights up the night. Nature is finding respite from our reduced activity, and people are noticing and sharing in that joy. Show gratitude!
Unexpected Situations:
At sea, unpredictable and uncontrollable factors abound. In our case, we lost almost full tanks of water right at the beginning of our longest passage, with everything leaking straight into the sea. And what did we do? We focused on gathering rainwater and managed. Acceptance is key. Something will break, or an unexpected squall will hit. Not everything is within our control. Challenging situations often fuel personal growth. Attitude, focus, and calmness are crucial. Accept your smallness; nature rules. Adapt with simple solutions. Live.
Conclusion:
This year, I’ve spent more days at sea than on solid ground by the coast. Would I repeat it? Yes, definitely, but perhaps not in exactly the same way. I look forward to new adventures and continuous learning. Never stop learning! Be a true sailor—driven by the sea, salt, and fish. Become one with nature. Awaken the Montessier in you! Cherish every peaceful morning and find solace in dark nights without a trace of light. These moments are special. Respect them! Don’t let anyone stand between you and your dreams; manifest them simply, and they will come to you.