I crossed the international date line about 0600 this morning so I am now sailing behind GMT. However, I am still working on GMT in everything I do on the boat, and as I don’t sleep normal nights, it doesn’t make that much difference to me. I was pretty close to crossing the date line on Christmas which would have meant two Christmas days! But I am happy to be ahead and also it doesn’t feel much like Christmas out here. I looked out for a Christmas tree, but there isn’t a lot to find down here in the Southern Ocean.
The team have told me they have hidden some Christmas surprises onboard, including something from my wife Kate, and son Oscar, which I will try to wait until tomorrow to open. Today is another day of DIY. Hydrogenerator problems still plague me, but I think we are getting closer and closer to getting to the root of it and hopefully finally fixing it with each hour I spend immersed in hydros.
The next few days look like good Southern Ocean conditions and it would have me arriving at Cape Horn about the second week of January, which would be great speed.
I also want to thank everyone for all the Christmas messages I have been getting through on facebook and twitter when I turn on my computer twice a day. Although it doesn’t feel like Christmas around me, it is great to get all that support especially at this time of year.
