If you spend your waking hours looking carefully for things to appear – on the horizon or up in the sky, it can eventually have a bit of an impact on what you notice the rest of the time, or so it seems. Earlier today I was cleaning the head (toilet) on my side of the boat (starboard side). The boat is symmetrical down the centre line, so one head on each side. As I was cleaning the one on my side (I didn’t want to deal exclusively with other peoples’ s***, thinking some of my own might make this more acceptable), I looked at the mirror to see if it needed a clean, and I was shocked at what I saw.

Of course, it was my own reflection, usually a little shocking these days and one I had already seen earlier in the day when I was doing my morning ablutions. But, to my complete horror – my eyes were drawn to the newly acquired bushy hairs sticking out from my eyebrows – long, grayish, curly hairs. I know what you’re thinking – what a vain person I am. I think not. I think there are appropriate standards of grooming and ones that help push off the more obvious signs of aging (like stooping, limping, snorting, teeth sucking or coughing at inopportune moments). There isn’t anything wrong with taking care of one’s grooming carefully and for me anyway, that means not having facial hair where it may believe it has the right to be, but I don’t, and it’s my face. I will not accept squatters in my ears, nose and eyebrows – I don’t care how far from land I am.

When I get my hair cut, Anh, who’s been cutting my hair for about 15 years now – which is a long hair cut by any stretch of the imagination – always discreetly shaves / trims my eyebrows. I take care of the ears and nose personally. Now, trying to deal with follicular extrusions on a moving boat with a pair of bluntish nail scissors is irresponsible, and so for now it will be another one of the many things I am having to live with because of what I am doing, but compared to egg sandwiches – it’s right up there from a discomfort point if view. The end of any selfies from me until I hit the hotel in Cape Town (an untended benefit for most of you).

Pip pip