Across the Pacific - Day 3

Jackamy
Paul & Derry Harper
Sat 27 Mar 2010 09:00
03:57.941S 094:58.607W

Saturday 27th March

Today is my 50th Birthday!!!!!!!

I was on the 3am to 6am watch and the day started with a lovely sunrise. We had great conditions, a sunny sky, calm sea, good winds and we were sailing between 7 and 8 knots. I had a lovely morning opening presents in between tears. And I had a few versions of happy birthday sang to me over the radio from Fai Tira, Blue Magic, Camomile and Miss Tippy which was also lovely. I've been very lucky and I'd like to thank friends from home for managing to get such nice presents to me, and I'd like to thank new friends on the rally for spoiling me. My birthday cards are hung around the saloon and I had a lovely cake and candles from the Miss Tippys. I even managed to speak to my twin brother Paul and mum and dad on the iridium phone which was nice. Paul cooked me breakfast and dinner but unfortunately I wasn't relieved from my watches!

We're still heading south west trying to find the trade winds but so far there is no sign. One minute we have wind and the next we don't, there's nothing too reliable at the minute so we'll keep on heading south west until we find some reliable winds and then we'll turn right and get on the rhumb line straight to the Marquesas.

Paul Blower - you'll be pleased to know we're still having our morning tactical meetings. We have however gone up in the world in terms of the technology we're using. There's no more of those charts and pins, we now use the chart plotter! Paul has discovered that he can use symbols for each boat and plot waypoints every morning after the roll call. He can then pick them up and move them the next morning! It's all good fun and of course it is not a race!