The last 24 hours have been spent in the red shade of our spinnaker, which we managed to hoist first thing in the morning. With the wind never climbing above 12 knots, we’re still making slow progress—but it’s quiet, comfortable sailing.

Comfortable to the point of almost being… boring. But as Mark and I were saying today, it’s funny how sitting on the roof of Akuna, staring out across the endless ocean, can make you feel both completely free and luxuriously bored at the same time. And somehow, we genuinely see that boredom as a luxury.

We’re still settling into our sleeping routines, so the motivation to do much—even something as simple as baking one more batch of cookies—is fairly low. The kids are completely absorbed in their own little world of play, so thankfully we don’t have to put on our entertainer hats either.

Instead, we’re also trying to resist the urge to start organising everything. With only a few weeks left until we reach Australia, there are naturally things that need to be set in motion… or perhaps not just yet. Finding the balance between preparing for the end of this magical chapter while staying fully present for the adventures that still lie ahead is probably the hardest part.

Speaking of the present, though: not a single fish has even sniffed our lines yet! No bioluminescence at night, and no whales either. The last time we sailed these waters, a huge fin whale kept us company for more than 24 hours, swimming right alongside Maloo. This time, it’s just an endless expanse of deep blue stretching to the horizon, where the sky rises in colours that look as though they’ve been painted by hand.