I'm writing now possibly my last blog, which on the one hand is sad, but on the other is good, because I didn't want my previous blog to be my last. There were far to many swear words and anger :)

After the fatiguing trip from Nuku Hiva to Fakarava, we have had two idyllic days of R & R. Seriously heavenly! The SouthEast corner of this Atoll is one of the most beautiful places that I have ever been to. With this and a new love in my life – the hammock, I feel recovered, relaxed and re-inspired to write for you.

Today, three of us decided to swim for the nearest desert island, a picture postcard in itself. A swim in calm warm waters is the perfect antidote for the fatigue I had. With my face mask and snorkel, I feel I can swim for miles, a steady even stroke, long deep breaths. With each stroke, I feel stronger and stronger. We swim in the middle of a crowd of friendly reef sharks that thankfully are only curious, then onto coral reefs that pop up from the white sandy seabed, each a giant bulbous outcrop of different greens. Each a home to all sorts of fish, then onto another coral – a new postcode for a whole new array of multi-coloured fish, darting in and out, protecting their own little piece of the reef.

After 20 minutes or so, we reach our goal and land on the jagged and sharp coral island. We explore together and find a huge array of shells and corals, all shapes and all sizes. I am only going to keep one of my finds, which is the complete shell of a clam. It's about five inches in length and perfectly formed, fragile yet immensely strong. I carry it now as part of my luggage and I hope that it will be a reminder for me when I get home. Photographs and videos are great, and they say a picture tells a thousand words, but a shell or a rock, something with texture, something organic says a thousand pictures to me. A picture has no weight, no texture or tactile stimulus to recall memories as well as my new shell. It will be part of my home and my life, similar to the giant rock I have in my sitting room. Every time I see it, I will pick it up or just touch it and recall the beach on which I found it.

During our massive journey, I have both intentionally and unintentionally pushed myself and found new limitations. Sudden bouts of inexplicable exhaustion brought about by marathon like passages, constant movement, lack of sleep and high temperatures have been difficult to cope with, however they have not been impossible to overcome. (There is a lot to be said for being bloody minded).

On this passage, my positive energy and outlook have been tested more than ever before. I realise that on numerous occasions I felt that I had lost them and thought that they would never come back. It has not gone, it never goes, I suppose it was just hiding. However much I searched, it could not be found. Not giving up the search and having faith that it would come back as well as time on board the boat with good people have all allowed it to come out and play a little more.

Now this might seem too much of a coincidence, but this really did happen. As I scribbled in my notebook, (starting to think about what I am going to do when I get home, my next step, my next pay slip?), the sound of Bob Marley started being played from a nearby hut. He was telling me not to worry about a thing, because every little thing is going to be OK.

Thanks Bob. I should take that as a sign!

A toast to three things:

To new pools in which to swim and new adventures to be had.

To my parents, who brought me up in the best way they could. It is their hard work, sacrifice and support that has given me the platform from which I have always been able to dive.

And to the proud people responsible for the success so far of Sailing Sclerosis and Oceans Of Hope.

For those reading this, please follow me on twitter @robwmunns. Please note that I lost my iPhone overboard and I have not posted since Galapagos. I will of course be playing catch up with my tweets, posting photos and video diaries when I get to Tahiti.

Report from Bosun Bertram:
Arrival to Tahiti! We are tied up in Marina Taina in Papeete for the first time in two months since Panama City. It's been a long haul, and we are proud of another great achievement. Right now we just want to wash down the boat and have her pretty again, before we take a well-earned day off to rest and explore the city. Tomorrow is our last day together, and we will have a nice crew dinner together in the evening.

Local time onboard is 12:30 and our current position is -17.5865° / -149.6161°