Today at lunchtime we will have completed our first full week at sea. And the conditions now couldn’t be more different from when we started.

For the first time since we set sail on our beloved Akuna, we had to pull out the anti-slip mat for the dining table after losing a glass to the waves. It’s bumpy and rolly. A swell of about 3.5 m (according to the weather data—though it feels bigger at times) is rolling up from the Southern Ocean, while a proper wind wave from a steady 20–25 kn of wind is coming from a 50–60° different angle. The result is a rather unorganized ride.

I tried to make a video when things were a bit calmer… but unfortunately waves on video always look much more like ripples in a bathtub compared to the real thing.

Our three younger sailors, however, are real troopers. It’s impressive how well they handle these conditions and how high their morale is. They breeze through it all, doing their homeschooling and play sessions as if the boat was perfectly becalmed not trying to impersonate a mechanical bull. We played a few card games and watched the sometimes majestic waves roll by.

Naturally we also discussed our route options. Heading to the Marquesas would now mean a lovely downwind ride—basically like crossing the Atlantic again. Going to the Gambier Islands, however, means continuing on this wind angle for quite some time. That’s why about half the boats that originally plan to go there eventually look at the waves and say: “You know what… the Marquesas sound lovely.”

It’s also a bit stressful for the boat. Every now and then a wave slams against the hull with a bang that makes the whole boat shudder like it just remembered something embarrassing from 10 years ago.

But the boys are still firmly voting Team Gambier. They like the idea of going somewhere mysterious that most people have never even heard of.

To be honest… not that long ago I couldn’t have pointed to it on a map either—and that’s after visiting French Polynesia. Not my proudest geography moment.

So we’ll give it another day or two and see what the weather does. There’s also another factor: being further south, the Gambier Islands feel the influence of big Southern Ocean low-pressure systems more strongly. That can mean either no wind… or thunder. Neither option is particularly appealing, but that’s a problem for slightly-future-us.

For now we’re making good progress with 22–25 kn of wind, the main on the second reef, and the Genoa alternating between reefed and full.

With a bit of luck we’ll reach the halfway mark in about three days—which is psychologically a very satisfying moment.

Because once you’re halfway across the ocean… turning around starts to feel like an even worse idea.