At watch changes, Karl and I lean over the navigation table where the 2 GPS sets cast a glow down over the log book and the map of the Pacific Ocean. In the log book every 2 hours we note where we are, how fast we are going and the wind. On the map Karl noon star sights marked in ink show us moving westward away from the Galapagos. We will have to turn the map over to see the Marquesas. The GPS displays each have a countdown in miles to Hiva Oa. At the end of my evening watch with the red light to protect our night vision lite we glanced up and we were halfway to Hiva Oa. That magic number of how far to go is equal to how far we have come. Time to celebrate �" in the morning.

Karl prepared bread overnight while I dug out the long awaited much discussed dinosaur cake. I always look for something special for the middle of a passage. This treasure was found in the back corner of a grocery store in San Cristóbal. The name, Mega Market, had convinced Karl this was where we could find everything, we needed for the next ten days. I joined the expedition mostly for the excuse to walk up the hill. We walked up the glossy steps and through the sliding doors into a spacious open room. The sliding door and large open space were deceptive. There was nothing more here than we had found in the tiny but jam-packed stores closer to the waterfront. Nothing except Dinosaur cupcake mix. With an adorable green dinosaur on the front it was perfect for the halfway celebration on our longest passage ever (2940 nautical miles). It claimed not to have any artificial ingredients so it must be good.

From deep corners of the boat I unearthed other treasures sour octopus shaped candy and gummy worm sharks. The baking began as we flew along at 6 knots towards Hiva Oa. Terrifyingly the mix turned quite green when I added the milk but there was no turning back now. Dinosaur flavor is unknown so chocolate frosting was must. As I carried the cake up the ladder to the cockpit for breakfast that cake was another, slightly imaginary map of the Pacific Ocean. The Marquesas islands on the left was occupied by the dinosaur carrying its sword surrounded by fruit covered trees and cozy dinosaur house. The ocean was filled with sharks and squid/octopus. A dotted halfway line of walnuts provided some nutrition for the meal. A Welcome sign in Spanish and an arrow point the way onward. A pink flamingo sat happily atop Galapagos on the right. Time to celebrate.

Halfway is a chance to hear from our friends and family who text to congratulate and touch base. I am grateful for that human connection. The sailing is glorious today as we take out the big sail Karl made and fly along at close to 8 knots for a while. It is active sailing but this is a sailing trip after all.

Started working on the UN primer on Polynesian Navigation. I will soon be able to compare the stars they have used for millennia with those I have captured with my iPhone. The oldest canoe they have found on the Marquesas is about 124 BC. The primer starts with a quote from a navigator from Tonga: “The compass may fail but the stars will not.”