Race 12 - Day 16
Crew Diary - New York, USA to Derry-Londonderry, Northern Ireland
06 July

A Birthday to remember

We haven't always been very good at "birthdays" on the boat, with some wonky cakes appearing minutes before the start of the new day, but after our original "chief morale" officer left I picked up the baton. As we've gone around the world we've got better at making a fuss, which in truth has become as much about the crew as the birthday boy/ girl. We've had days of games, ridiculous gifts (a mini kite, an air guitar), birthday meals (smoked salmon, roast lamb...steak night) and increasingly elaborate birthday banners.

My mum emailed me and asked if I was going to have to bake my own cake. I did wonder...and had heavily hinted where the spare cards were along with the birthday decorations. My hints landed on deaf ears.

However, after ten months of ups and downs between our crew, today felt like a wonderful day where the Tigers and Dragons (the watches I've spent the most time with) rallied together to create a really special moment. I woke up this morning to lovely smiles and heartfelt birthday greetings. Overnight Jimmy and Sarah (Tigers) battled with the oven to make a cake against a backdrop of depleting gas supplies- the bottle ran out and we are now eking out the last from our other bottles.

Sophie had designed a banner that Jimmy beautiful drew up on sail cloth, with my name coming out of the sea made up of sea creatures including a shark (I saw my first one this week in UK waters) and the Loch Ness monster (we are near Scotland after all). There was also a wonderful picture of Qingdao complete with the kite up and me at the helm in my dry suit with my hair flowing resplendent behind me (they kindly chose to leave out my helmet).

Phoenix Watch also joined in, with Jane kindly presented me with a can of sprite (soft drinks are a commodity after all).

My birthday has been spent sail repairing with Sophie and Helen. Given it's my birthday (in case anyone had forgotten), I got away with watching French films on my phone whist operating the sewing machine foot (they were very tolerant.) After lunch a "vanity curtain" appeared in the galley, followed by lots of giggling and a question of where I stashed all the "morale officer" cake decorations. I will never know what truly happened behind that curtain, but all I can say is that Carl and Vitaly let their creative genius out. The cake was stunning, with M&Ms, peanut butter cups, nutella, strawberry twisters, walnuts, sugar sprinkles and dried sweet potato magicked together to make the best cake I've ever been given.

Those crew who were off watch and in bed (Mat, Andy, Sarah and Jimmy) made a welcome appearance, as the crew sang Happy Birthday...and even provided a stripper in the form of a nearly naked crew member. I blew out my candles and made a wish...I'll tell them what it was tomorrow...but I think it has come true.

And what a better way to finish a birthday than having two whales swimming alongside the boat for the afternoon.

I have no doubt that there are many crews who started this year more friendly and cohesive than we did. However today I felt the happiness and contentment of the crew, who after ten months at sea have learnt to not only get along, but to build and share joyful moments together. Thank you Qingdao crew for making it such a special day. All I need to do now is to find someone to give me a shot of whiskey to go with that sprite.

Caroline