Neither here nor quite there...

DAY 9 - 3rd December 2007

Position: 19º 46' N 39º 42' W
Bearing: 255º
Distance to go: 1274 Nm

We spent the 06.00 to 12.00 watch waiting for the wind to drop, and drop it did. Julian had made the decision to head South as we approached the low ahead so we were expecting the decrease in wind. What we can't predict is how much it will drop and whether we can just touch the edge of the low.

During the night we passed the halfway point. A small milestone for the boat, but a huge one for all the crew as it marks the longest distance most of us have sailed before. As you can expect, the conversation during the day was based around guessing our arrival time, with Dave organising the sweepstake. If we have got the slight detour right, there is a possibility that Northern Child may make its fastest crossing yet.

With the decrease in wind came some lovely sunshine and out came the ipods. Its not surprising that modern technology is creeping into all aspects of sailing including downtime. What is also great is the ability to receive emails, not cheap, but it's such a boost to hear from family and know they are following our progress.

Tonight we had a mini celebration after passing the midway point. A couple of bottles of champagne and some beer complimented some party food rustled up by Susie. No party games but a real sense of sharing amongst everybody on the crew.

It's at this point that you start to think about your arrival, but we mustn't forget that the memories will be made by the laughter, friendship and even the hard times during the trip. Stepping ashore will be easy, saying goodbye to an adventure will be more difficult.


You can track the progress of Northern Child, which is updated every hour, on their web site at: northernchild.com