Today was another slow and steady day. We had plenty of sun (enough to top off our batteries by 2pm) and the few clouds we saw were distant and fluffy. The wind was practically non-existent, but we ghosted along at 2-3 knots on what there was.
On the “exciting” side, it was Olive’ 4.5 birthday today. We had a big celebration where Olive called in her half birthday wish for a glass of soy milk. This had been a hot topic lately, not because we are short on soy milk (heavens no) but because we didn’t have much space in the fridge. We relented and Olive seemed delighted, though she never did finish that glass.
While she napped Ruby got to work making her presents. Amongst the gems were a custom coloring page, a hand bound (sewn) notebook, and a few loaner toys (it was only a 1/2 birthday after all). She managed all that creativity, and did some math work too.
Later, when everyone had awoken, and the gifts had been fully enjoyed, I put on some music and the boat livened right up. It’s strange that this hasn’t been a normal part of our passage making so far, but it certainly will be going forward.
It’s night time now and I am standing my first watch. Last night we saw the southern cross for the first time and I expect it to finish rising above the horizon any moment. Dolphin visits, reading, and stargazing are the highlights of these warm, low latitude nights. It doesn’t sound like much but it all makes me blissfully happy.
p.s. Here’s a funny little bit of Convivia culture. Something on the boat is ringing in the most beautiful way. It’s like a tiny glockenspiel and it only goes off occasionally. I bet we could find it if we wanted to, but the randomness of it and the moment of joy it brings when it rings are similar to the joy of the dolphin visits. “Oh there you are again, so nice to hear you.” So we have left it a mystery.