143. Writer’s Block or Not Enough Hours In The Day.

I’m very disappointed that the last blog post I uploaded myself to this site was a rather hurried Blog 141: Time and Tide Wait for No Man, published on 19 Mar as I, quite literally dashed for the hotel door for the start of Leg 6 across the North Pacific. I seem to recall I was disappointed then as well. I’m happier to report that ”disappointment” and the race from Philippines to Seattle did not turn out to be bedfellows (or should that be bunk mates?) but more of that in later blogs. Ruth kindly uploaded Blog 142: Life as a Walrus, posted on 6 Apr when I was in mid(ish) Pacific and I wrote the boats official blog on or around 12 Apr as we were approaching the International Date Line. I’ll upload that to these pages soon. But between 19 Mar in Subic Bay Philippines and today, 10 June in Bermuda, nothing by my own hand for which I apologise.

Was it writer’s block? Do I need international air travel to kick start my writing? Not sure. I have LOTS of ideas for blogs, many mentally drafted over the intervening weeks, never mind a few that actually describe the race and Pacific crossing itself. I have a ”Life as a Walrus” style draft describing the trials and tribulations of getting dressed (and undressed) at an angle of 45 degree in the dark which I hope is as amusing to write and read as I find it to recall. I also have an imaginary conversation between my bladder and my brain that I simply must get down on ”paper” even if only for my own sanity.

Oh yes, and I did go right around the world by plane and yacht between February and May (Manchester-Dubai-Philippines-Seattle-Paris-Manchester) which is probably worth a blog in itself (Around The World In 74 Days – take that Phileas Fogg!)

So what went wrong? Why the prolonged silence? Well I would kind of like it to have been writer’s block. Sort of fits in and it would be quite a dramatically ”artistic” thing to be able to claim. The truth, as it so often is, is mind-crushingly non-artistic and self indulgently boring. I always ran out of time. There was always something personal (family and friends) and professionally (paid and unpaid/voluntary) to do and before I knew it I was organising video supervised COVID LFT tests, two sets of forms/apps to fly through Toronto airport, Special ”Green” visas to get into Bermuda by plane and out by yacht, overnight accommodation at Heathrow, here and for New York. Oh and packing again, this time to cross the North Atlantic. Somewhere at the beginning of all this between Clipper Legs Ruth and I found time to catch (and recover from) COVID. The good news is that flying out here yesterday was “Operation Easy Peasy” when compared with “Operation What The %€£@!” getting to the Philippines (Blog 138: Forget planning early or planning twice, In the Nick of Time will do nicely, posted 23 Feb).

So I’m now in Bermuda ahead of the arrival of the yachts with some Team Coord stuff to do (that will be another blog – the TC stuff) and I’ll update about the Race in due course but its all getting very tight at the top of the leaderboard. I’ve been in e-mail contact with UNICEF since getting here and will meet the boat on arrival. That’s all for now.

For Diabetes UK and the National Autistic Society see:

https://justgiving.com/teams/keithsclipperadventure

For UNICEF UK see:

https://justgiving.com/KeithWinstanley-TeamUNICEF

Go on ….. Clipper is now in its penultimate month. Please take a look.