Stars

On the first night of the sail I went out and looked at the stars and was astounded by their beauty.  As I gazed into the sky I could see hundreds of stars, far more than I could ever count.  Some prominent and bright, others barely visible, faintly glimmering.  As I stood in wonder I couldn't help but be completely in awe of what I saw.  Here in front of me were stars that were millions of miles away from me, that encompassed an area beyond my comprehension, and furthermore what I was seeing was only a tiny proportion of the universe as my field of vision is so small and my ability to see faint light is so poor.   

How humbling that here is an expanse that is far too large for me to ever imagine with happenings that have consequences which reach much further than I could imagine, yet my small problems often seem huge to me.  I love the stars, they look beautiful, they shine out for miles around, and in the dark of the ocean, away from the light of land, you are able to see far more than I have ever seen before.

Over the last few days we were privileged to watch an incredible display. The Geminids meteor shower was happening and we had a brilliant view from our floating platform, particularly as we are just coming up to a new moon.  Since I was very young I have always dreamt of seeing a shooting star (which aren't actually stars but objects - normally fragments from a comet - which burn up as they fall into the earth's atmosphere).  As I lay up on deck 8 I looked up, bit by bit I spotted these streaks of light traversing the sky.  One can't but be in awe of such natural beauty.  It was an opportunity I am very thankful to have had and one that I will not forget.