Race 1 - Day 21
Crew Diary - Race 1 Day 21: Liverpool to Punta del Este
10 September

Yes or No, that is the question

Here I am again, sitting at the “Galley” at 45 degrees angle, after 15 days from my first blog, writing in English being Argentinian, with my inseparable dictionary and the handwritten draft of this as usual.

Today is a challenge for me once again, because I prefer expressing something deep or some important concept I've learned from the departure in Liverpool. In my last blog, I attempted to transmit different feelings, emotions and thoughts, under the title: ‘How life change in a blink’. Today is a little bit different, because is more and more important for me, to understand the importance of our “personal time” within thousands of other things, duties, jobs, roles, real expressions of the “team work”, “cooperation” and other concepts well known for each member of the crew. Living in a boat of 20 meters length, approximately 50 square meters, you receive lots of requirements during your on or off watch.

How to keep any personal quality time, which is very important in order to maintain your social and psychological health and the high performance that is mandatory for the daily sailing obligations on board.

So...Yes or No, that is the question

How I've done. I'll share with you two simple concepts called basics declarations (you can read more about that in “Ontology of the Language – Rafael Echeverria” translated in different languages). Yes and No (Si y No in Spanish) - if you use both in a balance, your reality follows them and things happen.

Working as a team is a temptation to let your individualism apart, and your personal time too. It is possible to be a team player saying “Yes” which is a powerful declaration for accept, participate, follow orders, help others and to be available. The question is...to be available at any time?...

That's why exist other important declaration called “No”, which is used in its polite way to say, this is my space, my free hour, my little home in the boat, and I need my time (and please understand me). As you can see it is absolutely possible to be part of a team and to be part of yourself at the same time.

I wrote in my past blog “There is not room in this boat for the word “I”. “We” replaces it, and day after day is more and more evident how gratifying it is to be part of.

But the line is very diaphanous and thin - I need my personal time because I've received letters from my family, I need to relax myself, hearing my music, reading something that let me escape from my obligations at least for a moment, and disconnect my mind and my body from the boat.

I found some little “secret” spaces to escape... the sail locker (where the sails are allocated), or a corner near the galley under a fan (a real piece of luxury), wearing my headphones and that's it !!, A very simple way to be transported at my “own space”

The balance Yes / No gives me the opportunity to be part of a great team and look after my little inner space, very important these days.

See you guys, my watch is now finishing and a letter from my lovely fiancée Diana is waiting for me...what do you recommend me to do? Sorry but “No” hahahahahaha.

Lucas Canga - Proud member of a CV24 Team Greenings.