03 January 2006 - New Year's Message from Christina!
Just so as we can get this in before all you comedians out there get there first - we will not be sending a New Year message next January - we will be finished this trip before then!!
A very Happy New Year to all our friends, supporters and to the many people we did not know before this project began. Your support, your prayers and your best wishes have been warmly received.
Christmas was different. We stayed in mostly, except when Tori popped out one day after a wave hit her rather suddenly and she took an unexpected swim which gave her the opportunity to see the colour of the bottom of the boat. She tells me it's white but for that moment everything must have looked white. Apart from loosing a pair of oars (Canadian ones of course), there were no injuries ? we just got annoyed with the sea again, but you can't complain about something that is just so beautiful (the sea that is).
Christmas Day was obviously busy on the satellite services and so contact with family was limited in time but we did get to share greetings from mid-Atlantic. We had presents from family and friends (they posted early for Christmas) which were limited in terms of size and content. I imagine that it must have been similar to what family and friends send to their loved ones in prison. We got various things like Santa hats, liquors, sweets, a small Christmas tree and a Santa doll, with a guitar, which actually sings a most ridiculous song (my Dad has a funny sense of humour). He doesn't sing anymore (the doll unfortunately). My mum sent us Pringles - oh they were so good. In case you need to know, there are 21 in the small packs. That's 10 each for Tori and I, and the last one was raffled but we ended up sharing it - well it was Christmas!
We are now beginning to experience the initial trade wind influence and we have expectations that this will make a big difference to our progress. We have had so many setbacks in relation to timing that we feel we are now due a break. In about a week we should have reached the halfway mark. If the trade winds effect is as we expect, the second half of this voyage will be much quicker.
On the business front, we cannot do much from here to help bring in funds for Concern, so please keep up the support in that regard.
