Lat: 12 00.177′ S

Long: 21 53.936′ W

After a couple of days of things not quite going our way, a day arrived for celebration. Not only did we reach the halfway mark of the St Helene-Recife passage, but the Pura Vida hosted her first mid-Ocean birthday celebration!

Upon waking to his dawn watch shift, Dallas was surprised by balloons in the salon and a colourful "HAPPY BIRTHDAY DALLAS" banner. When making the banner, Lauren had used the back of what she thought was an old chart, having seen the continent of Africa featured, and feeling confident that that region had now been left behind. Only afterwards did she notice the chart also featured the rest of the Atlantic plus South America… our destination. Nevertheless, the chart is still useable and is now uniquely enhanced with bits of coloured marker from the reverse reading "SALLAD YADHTRIB YPPAH".

As per usual, resident chef Lauren outdid herself with both a scrumptious birthday lunch and dinner, but now birthday boy and guest chef Dallas also got into the mix and produced a yummy garlic and olive bread, which is disappearing almost as fast as the delicious lures he has been making (the local fishies have munched 2 of his lure creations right off in almost as many days!)

Best bread yet!

Later in the afternoon, "890 miles to go" marked the passage halfway stage and added to the day’s celebratory mood.

On the sailing front, although the winds have lightened somewhat, at least they are once again consistent and after the previous couple of overcast and squally days, we are also once more enjoying soaking up some of that glorious south Atlantic sunshine during the day and some heavenly star-gazing at night.