Thomas WinkWorking nomad
As some of you might know, I'm a working nomad. I live and work on my yacht, as I sail around to exotic destinations. It's a lifestyle. I'm also a Dev.
The latest adventure
This is an account of my latest voyage from Cartagena (Colombia) to The Azores, at the start of the Caribbean hurricane season, and how I managed to work while sailing on the ocean. The voyage had a length of 3727 nautical miles, and it took me four weeks non-stop sailing to complete. During this time I finished (amongst other things) work on my latest side-project, of which I will tell you more at the end of this article.
The tech that makes it possible
My boat is fitted with a Starlink unit, which enables me to connect to high speed internet, from anywhere in the world. To power this (and navigation equipment) I have a couple of solar panels, and a wind generator. I store the renewable energy in a small battery bank.
The why
After fleeing the corruption in Panama, of which I will say no more here, I found myself in Cartagena, Colombia. I am a sailor, a free man. Imagine not being able to sail anywhere without asking permission first. That's not what it's all about, this whole sailing business.
I became restless, and my options for a new destination for the hurricane season (when you can't really move because of safety) where not many. I racked my brain for a solution, poring over maps and weather charts. "Think out of the box, young man", I said to myself.
"What if I sail back to Europe?" "is that even possible?"
With renewed vigour I consulted my charts, and found a way. I had to sail due North to cross the Caribbean sea, a good 750 nautical mile journey. (that's about a week sailing, non-stop). This would have to be done ASAP though, as the hurricane season was well under way. After crossing the Caribbean sea, I would have to sail another 800 miles North to Bermuda before turning East to Europe (another 2000 miles). (this is due to prevailing winds and currents)
That is when I started provisioning the boat, storing enough food to last me for at least two months. For I decided to make it a non-stop solo voyage. A new challenge.
The weather window
A weather window, in sailing, is when weather forecasts are optimal for starting a voyage. I found one about a week after deciding to go on with this journey. The only thing that could stop me would have been a forecasted hurricane in my path. I initiated the checkout procedure with the local authorities.
Departure day
On 26th of June, I finally set sail. It was a rush to get myself, provisioning, and the boat ready for this long trip. As Julia (my boat) coasted out of Boca Chica Bay, and into the Caribbean Sea, I looked back at the imposing skyline of Cartagena. A swell picked up my boat, lifting my spirits as stress and anxiety fell away. Underway again, let the adventure begin, with a grin!
Hurricane Beryl
Not one day into the voyage, I received quite a few messages from worried sailor friends. About a possible hurricane forming, just East of the windward islands. I had seen this report, and it mentioned a 40% chance of developing into a tropical depression. As it was still quite far off, I decided to continue on sailing, and keep a keen eye on the weather reports. If it developed into a hurricane, it would be on my path towards Cuba and Haiti though, where I planned to pass into the Bahamas.
Three days later Hurricane Beryl completely destroyed the island of Cariacou. A category 4 hurricane. Category 5 (the highest) is also called "the finger of God". According to my navigation I would be able to pass in front of this monster, but it was going to be tight. For the next 3 days and night, I pushed myself and the boat to the extreme. As I tacked upwind in a 35 knot headwind past Cuba, Beryl raged half a day from me to the South, before hitting Jamaica with it's violent madness. Without exaggerating, I had escaped likely demise.
The Atlantic crossing
On the 8th day of this voyage, I was utterly spent, and had not found any time to do work. Well, I replied to some emails, but that was all I could do. Finally in safer waters, I trimmed the sails and slept. As for sleeping, this voyage was a solo trip, and for safety reasons I only slept for 30 minutes at a time.
Power-napping, checking navigation, the horizon, and the sails, alternating with opening my laptop to do some work, I got into the rhythm of the voyage up North to Bermuda, I became more productive. Getting into Teams meetings, phone calls, email and programming. My items-list for an MVP slowly becoming shorter, as the miles passed by under Julia's keel.
Imagine feeling entirely content and well rested after power-napping the night away. Waking up to the glorious sunset that only a seascape can provide. Having that first cup of coffee while dolphins visit for a quick play-date (such joyous animals!). The waves felt good now. No queezyness, no pain, no fatigue. The weather was fair, no more storms, and the temperature dropped from a balmy 37 degrees C to about 28 around the latitude of Bermuda. It was time to head East, towards Europe.
As the days turned into weeks, perception of time was lost. the fair weather gave me a lot of time to think. About life, about work. It's all the same anyway. Or at least, that's how it felt at the time.
Flow
Achieving a state of flow can be difficult. But for me at sea, in my element, without distractions, it was just natural to get into. Energising my day, motivating me to work on the MVP list, to wake up every 30 minutes. Surviving in the last true wilderness. Slowly but surely everything came together. I was a happy nomad.
The project, to the point
Now what does this story have to do with DEV/side-projects? There are so many parallels. Actually getting started on a project. Staying motivated. The self-discipline needed to open that laptop, and get work done. The sleepless nights. Forks in the road. Flow state. The fear of failure. Taking a step back every now and then, thinking out of the box. problem solving. Both a journey, with ups and downs, and a beginning and an end.
And last, but not least: the satisfaction of achievement. The bigger the challenge, the greater the reward. Imagine my state of euphoria, making landfall at the beautiful Azores after more than four weeks alone at sea. And finishing my project of course ;-)
So without further ado, here is that thing I worked on with so much love during this adventure. My latest side project.
-TLDR;
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