Double Moonly 🌑⛵️🌒 Longest Crossing Decompression

Ahoy from Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands!

I just stepped of the sailing ship Tecla after 52 days on board with 15 other humans. We crossed 6200 nautical miles, which is almost a quarter of the equator’s circumference, and by far the longest crossing I have done in my life.

It’s a strange feeling to be back on land and I’m excited for it. This year is shaping to be incredible and my creative soul is ready to wizard around at full capacity.

But first, a moment of reflection after fulfilling a dream that was with me since teenage years – crossing the Atlantic on a sailing ship. What a life!

In my excitement of coming back to land life I hopped on writing this moonly letter somehow expecting that I’ll be able to wrap up my thoughts into something sendable in one or two sittings. That turned out impossible. Being at the middle of a venn diagram of a sailor, facilitator, community organiser and documentation pro I defaulted into writing an in-depth reflection on the voyage and as I kept moving through all the notes it just turned out to be a complicated and important article. Something that I want to take time to write.

Meanwhile, I kept slowly opening all the different pieces of my land life and quickly realised that if I’m not mindful I’ll just get swamped with work while all I need is a decompression and a gentle kickstart of what’s going to be another amazing year.

It seems that today I’m finally leaving from the archipelago and that’s a great motivator to actually finish this letter – it feels like a natural end of a chapter, and a very long one.

So here we go.

The Falklands is a strange place. When I first walked around I felt like I’m transported into a dystopian sci-fi novel, where the global catastrophe (you pick) finally happened and only a few remote and isolated human settlements survived. There are barely any trees. The wind howls and howls. Everyone drives a 4x4 and there are shipping containers everywhere. People are trying to make a life in a very inhospitable land.

Even the wildlife looks ominous.

Perhaps that’s the defense mechanism from the cruise ship tourists who keep on swarming the town every few days instantly doubling the population of the archipelago for a few mad hours. The tourism bonanza keeps on spinning, then everyone falks off and the streets get quiet and empty again. It’s a strange vibe. Still - nature is nature, powerful and magickal. Once you leave the settlement the wild windswept treeless landscapes open up. The place definitely has character.

I’m happy I visited and I’m very happy to move on to the next chapter.

⛵️

So, how was the crossing?

Absurdly long. Socially challenging. Tiring. Full of beautiful spectacles of nature. We had lightning storms, torrential downpours, days of burning sun and everything in between. We were visited by albatrosses, whales, dophins, seals, and even grasshoppers (wtf!).

The sea is soo vast and soo full of life. It’s a feeling like no other to connect to the lineage of seafarers and experience first hand what does it take to cross an ocean.

The trip was far from a smooth ride and bliss. There were moments of that, yes, and there are some epic stories to tell, but the underlying flavour was that of strange social dynamics that I’m lucky not to be used to anymore. I feel so privileged to exist within the new culture, based on love, play and elevating each other to become our best selves together. It’s quite a cultural shock to step into a different reality and be stuck within it for a long time. It definitely helped me build more resilience and upgraded my wizarding capacity. For that I’m so grateful. In the end I am responsible for my own experience.

It was quite a feeling to find myself dancing and singing at the bow of the ship as the amount of miles to go dropped to a hundred or so. I am still here, smiling, the unextinguishable spirit. And it was so rewarding to bring a few of my social games into the group and catalyse depth and connection, even if for short periods. I know it didn’t go unnoticed and I could feel the difference it had made, even if subtle.

I’m leaving the ship with a huge amount of notes and ideas for how to create profound transformational journeys on sailing ships. I still believe they are the most amazing vehicle to explore the world and build beautiful relationships. I’m so happy that I actually get to do it with Cala Millor and my dear friends Piratas do Amor.

Life is oh so tasty.

I know that it’s gonna be a challenging year. I can already feel the amount of work that I am taking on. It will require new routines, radical focus, and elevating my own capacity to a completely new level. I’m so excited for it and I’m ready to grind. The flywheel is already spinning.

As I hosted a card session on New Years Eve a friend whispered to my ear that we’re exactly where we need to be. It is so true.

Was this the most amazing sailing trip of my life? Not really. Was it exactly the trip I needed – yes, definitely so.

As our captain likes to say – there are no problems, only solutions. I’m here to work out what will be the ones I deploy into the world in these coming months and looking forward to get you involved and play together.

Thank you for coming along for the journey. Your support and friendship means the world to me.

Sending love from the Falklands,
Michał

One step closer to becoming the Wizard of the Waters 💧.