Going up the mast is one of the most dangerous things you can do as a solo sailor.

I was so thankful that my parents trusted me enough and had enough faith in my abilities to let me follow my passion and try to do something great, even if I might fail.

In that moment it dawned on me that everything has to line up perfectly for something to turn out this awful.

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

I will never forget the feeling of walking into my home, a place that while drifting helpless in the middle of the Indian Ocean I wondered if I would ever see again.

All the ingenuity, all the high-tech gear, all the jury-rigging sometimes the sea would rip it all away until there was only you, the Creator, and His mercy.

I am twelve thousand miles wiser, twelve thousand miles more resilient, and I have twelve thousand miles more faith in God.