Research Fodder February 18, 2012

In the end, his writings during the voyage – poems, quotations, real and false log entries, and random thoughts – amounted to more than 25,000 words. The log books include an attempt to construct a philosophical reinterpretation of the human condition that would provide an escape from his impossible situation. The number 243 shows up several times in these writings: he originally planned to finish the trip in 243 days, recorded a false distance of 243 nautical miles (450 km) in one day’s sailing (which if valid would have been a record day’s run for the race), and may have ended his life on the 243rd day (1 July) of his voyage.