Sometime today we will be crossing the halfway point. We always celebrate with a magnum of Champaign and some party favors. We also initiate any new members of the crew into the Transpac club. Jim was initiated last year. He did a very poor hula wearing a grass skirt and coconut bra. This year we will just toast King Neptune for a safe passage. It looks like we are all in our lanes for the gybe mark. Unfortunately the Race Committee is having a difficult time reporting our positions, so we are not sure where we stand - only you guys know. There will be lots of place changes in the last 600 miles as we gybe back and forth through squall country.

A major improvement to this year's race were butt cushions. Cushions are a luxury on a race boat and much too heavy to carry to Hawaii. The last few Hawaii trips the cushions were left at home, and by day 7 you were really feeling the pain. This year Jim surprised us with two small light weight cushions that are a crew favorite. Things still hurt though, just not as bad.

We are starting to get pretty punchy and humor is going into the gutter. We often discuss school and how Jim loved chemistry and Jenn hated it, and how Jenn loved Shakespere, and Jim hated it. Then we would try to name the elements in the Periodic Table in order. Thanks to Tony we made it to 25.

Today as the first day we took showers, after six days of sweat and sun it was welcome. Unfortunately we left our regular solar shower at home, so we bought one at big five before we left, - not nearly as good. We hang the bag from the spinnaker pole and then flash our crew members while quoting one of our favorite Seinfeld episodes. Cheers, Capt Rod

We are in full downwind mode right now. We have Viva to the north and Callisto/ Psyche to the south. We are all separated by a few hours, so it is a drag race at this point. Tomorrow will be a special day since we will be half way!

It is really sad to hear that the Santa Cruz 70 OEX sank this morning. They must of hit something, all our greatest fears, but all are ok. Our boat is doing great, except for the rest of the chili behind the stove. I need to get some more motivation to scrape that off at some point.

We have been eating really well on this trip. Most sailors lose weight, but we are in the other boat - ahr ahr ahr. We always start the day with fresh coffee and delicious breakfast burritos, or sandwiches - thanks Michelle. Jim is in charge of lunch, and will only shop at whole foods, or other delis. His sandwiches are amazing with fresh roast beef, pastrami, or turkey, with spinach, tomato, and cheese. The condiments are also gourmet. Tonight we will have tai beef over a bed of fresh rice for dinner - isn't sailing fun? Cheers, Capt Rod

Day 5 was full of strategy, battles and drudgery. First of all diving south seemed to have paid off and gave us leverage against the rest of our class. Our navigation software was telling us to stay north, but getting under your fleet gives you lots of options. We were very surprised to see Callisto converging on us first thing in the morning. They were 7 miles ahead of us, and on a faster line, but gave it up to match us.

So here is Callisto aiming right for us and then they hoist a new spinnaker - Tommy Trojan. Now there is only one school I dislike more than USC. Tommy reminded us of the womper, it was huge, and seemed to violate NCAA rules. I suddenly realized regretfully giving my Cal spinnaker to my brother right before the race - mistake. So the battle was on, they crossed our bow, we crossed under they came up, we came up more. Tommy with his big shoulders was no match for Azure. In the end Blue and Gold prevailed. Now let's see what happens on November 16th.

My worst nightmare was realized mid morning. Dr Vickers was spending way too long in the bathroom. Then he popped his head out with that look on his face. I thought I knew everything about Jim - more now. So we have full bowl and no way to get things out. So this is the tricky part, reaching under the head to disassemble the thru hull valve. There is nothing more exciting than opening a hole in a perfectly good boat in 3000' of water. So I pull the valve, hand it to Ted - wearing gloves of course, and then hold my hand over the hole as water shoots to the ceiling. All is good now. The Capt gets double rations tonight. Cheers, Capt Rod

We are starting to bring back our spinnaker pole and head down wind. The weather has been getting much better and we are drying out our clothes and the boat. The first few days of the race are always challenging with rough seas and close reaching. Now the fun starts with the best parts of the race. If you are following us on Yellow Brick we have dove further south than the rest of our fleet. Hopefully our strategy works out. Sailing is like playing chess while someone dumps cold water over your head.

We always have projects to work on while at sea. Our first challenge was the wind instruments. Ted did a great job of disconnecting and replacing the connectors at the bottom of the mast. Now we can accurately sail the proper course and choose the right sails. I have a feeling our head will need servicing at some point. There is no better way to know your crew than repairing the head while at sea.

Dr Vickers has been administering our medication at 5:00 each afternoon. He has learned from past challenges from our 2017 race. The solution - a bigger bag of ice. One problem with a bigger bag is that the extremities froze solid. Jim has taken to a rusty hammer to dislodge our rations. He is still confident that we will survive 10 days.

Lisa update: This morning she was doing the limbo, but still in one piece. Unfortunately she does battle with the spinnaker from time to time.

Today we headed slightly farther south and hoisted our spinnaker. Most of our completion is north of us, so we are hoping for stronger winds in the south. The sun has come out so we are starting to dry off which is good, cause everything is wet.

Last night was pretty amazing and the stars were incredible. Every day we see a Albatross cruising across the waves. They are amazing sea birds with huge wing spans. Today we also sailed through a fleet the tiny little sails from Portuguese man of wars. I have only seen them in the Atlantic Ocean so this was an unexpected surprise. We are always on the lookout for floating debris. We come across logs, and other big objects out here that can cause a hazard to navigation.

Today we enjoyed Michelle's famous breakfast sandwiches. Between the sandwiches and burritos, we always have a good hot meal in the morning - thanks Michelle!. Making coffee is a real challenge. I like fresh coffee, so I make a pot of Pete's every morning with boiling water in a Melitta filter. Pouring boiling water underway is an athletic feat involving holding the pot at whatever heal we are dealing with, and forming a spread eagle tripod by balancing my head against the side of the boat. I guess it's like a downward dog while holding boiling water and coffee pot. Cheers, Capt Rod

It was a very rough night and water is everywhere. We are healed on starboard and there is a puddle on the cabin sole sloshing back and forth with nowhere to go. As soon as we flatten out it should find its way to the bilge. All our sailing gear is wet and before every watch we put it on again to go out there and meet Mother Nature.

I reheated a fabulous lasagna like substance for dinner last night. It was really good going down - unfortunately two of our youngest crew members decided to give it back to the sea gods. Cooking is really complicated when you are healing at 30 degrees and being shoved back and forth. Tonight's gourmet meal featured my award winning chili. We cook the chili ahead of time and freeze it in zip lock bags and then boil in salt water and serve. My longest fears were realized when I lifted the zip lock with famous chili out of the boiling water. The bottom burst with 90 percent landing in the pot, 10 percent on the stove, and the remaining finding its way to the abyss behind the stove. The only thing harder than cooking at 30 degrees, is cleaning.

Lisa Report: I am happy to report that Lisa, the dashboard hula girl, has made it through a very rough night, her straw dress may be a little tattered, but she is dancing up a storm. This year she is aided by several strategically placed zip ties. Hopefully she will make it the entire 2200 nautical miles. Cheers, Capt Rod