This one deserves a victory post. This was never part of the plan. It was the kind of problem that sneaks up on you when you think you’re in the clear. The kind that tests whether you really mean to see this through. For four months, l’ve been grinding, pushing through exhaustion, getting this boat ready for the crossing. I was beginning to see the light, convinced the hardest days were behind me. It felt like a victory lap. And then I discovered the hole in my deck left behind from my old windlass. Too big for the new one. In that moment, I knew I was screwed. That night, I stayed awake, convinced the universe was conspiring to keep me from crossing the Pacific in May. Truthfully, this entire journey has been an uphill battle. But I woke up the next morning with a fire in me that refused to go out. That fire was tested. This project took 12 days. 12-hour days of relentless persistence. Another step into a world I knew nothing about. I didn’t even know what raw fiberglass looked like...