Two years of offshore sailing shifts your sense of what a 'short' passage is

Perspective changes with experience. Lauren reflects that calling something a two-day sail feels almost casual now, yet she clearly remembers how significant her first 24-hour sail and her first five-day passage felt at the time. After completing a full Pacific crossing and hitting the one-year mark of bluewater sailing, the pull to be back on the open ocean became stronger, not weaker. The deep blue offshore water produces a feeling that is distinct from anything else, different from the turquoise of an anchorage or the thrill of sailing close to a reef, and for sailors who have felt it, it tends to become a recurring need.