The swells were amazing! As big as three-story apartment buildings!

I wanted to break the record, of course, and become the youngest person to sail around the world solo and unassisted.

But none of that kept me from picturing what a tsunami might look like if it did rise up and roar toward my little boat like some watery blue version of the Great Wall of China.

The open ocean often takes you past your physical limits and when it does, sailing becomes a mental game.

The things that happen on the sea take you beyond yourself, beyond human capability.

Being at sea is like watching the whole world in high-definition.

I had begun to think that dreams are meant to be no more than dreams and that in reality dreams don't come true. Then my brother (Zac) left on his trip. It was amazing to see all the support that he got from around the world and to see how everyone worked together to help make his dream reality. Watching him do this really made me believe that I could too.