Final weekend? Starts here...

Catmojo
Matt
Sat 1 May 2021 03:47
29:07N 28:10W cog86 sog5 apparent wind 13 from 45degrees (so it's really more like 8 knots true wind in standing-still conditions)
Simon's not pleased that I didn't sit on the northbound tack for longer yesterday... but the VMG went negative after a couple of hours showing actually going backwards away from the waypoint which ooer just felt wrong. But still best get up there, and cog 80 will do it before end Monday ready for best launch into the final moonshot for Lanzarote from this Tuesday - when northerly winds increase and waft us to Lanzarote. Although it looks that the winds are more northerly, less northwesterly so that higher latitude launchpoint isn't so critical, Simon? Oh alright Whatever, I'll get oop to 30N.
Yeah. Moonshot - they sometimes use Lanzarote for other-planet film scenery backgrounds, moons and Mars etc ... because parts of it are aridly volcanic, and althou the main recent activity was over 300 years ago some of it looks like it was last week. Actually it seems that the word "moonshot" is used to describe an unlikely "hope and prayer" tactic? Not on Mojo of course - the moon landings were all perfectly practical and I watched them on TV - Dad woke us up middle of the night "this is important, better watch" so I'm using the "moonshot" word to describe the last little bit of the trip to the target.
Perhaps one or two satphone experts can help with this next bit? - question: is it yet possible to send a text to an iridium phone from the normal texting function of an ordinary (say) O2 phone? And if so how $much to send a text? I mean in the same way as you can put in + and then country code... will (say) a UK "O2" phone accept the +8816 and then allow a text to be sent to any to any iridium phone? I didn't think it was possible - that the only way to send a text from (say) UK or US is from iridiummessaging.com. But see the Thing is, a satphone-newbie friend has had messages on their phone that such texts are "not included in your standard tariff" which sounds like it IS possible, and they're gonna get billed for it. But meh, it can't be much, maybe a dollar or so per text, whatever?? Or what?? Any info gratefully received here. Hm so maybe in the future accidentally typing the wrong country code and Oho! - you just sent a text to Jupiter and that's gonna cost you $5,000 eeeek!