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Hi Mom,

I just dropped anchor in Nassau, where you will be flying in two weeks thanks to our hero of logistics, brother Wayne. You will love it.

I had a good but very-hard trip, 4 hours sleep in 40, dozens of sail changes and hundreds of adjustments, reefs, and ass-puckering gnarly passes with big breaking waves. But The Gypsy Soul also sailed aquamarine waters that matched the sky, with less than 3 feet under her keel for hours upon hours, making 7-8 knots on a beam reach (the perfect point of sail). It was one of the weirdest horizons I have ever seen, two equally bright blues of near the same hue 360 degrees surrounding the Gypsy Soul... like she was cracking along through the sky, leaving me feeling the total master of my destination, like I could sail to the stars with the trim of sail and a turn of the helm. Twice I stocked the fridge with nice big Mahi Mahi, the excitement of screaming line and leaping fish all part of the ware and tear, cleaning the fish and scrubbing the cockpit of carnage in 10 foot seas and 20 knots of wind (feel my pain? HA!). It is hard to describe the simplistic purity, the serenity of no other human involvement convoluting an endeavor. It's sinking in more as I approach home, every hour underway now involves reflections of circumnavigating, and thoughts toward the future.

I arrived stoked and exhausted, started to clean the boat with stereo blasting, drank 4 beers and ate till I almost puked, than passed out for 12 hours.

Good morning MOM!!

Love you, Ben

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