I am sitting here by the nav desk with a couple of guys, eating our best freeze dried meal as a celebration of my 30th birthday. I have received greetings by email, and even got sung a birthday song from 170 Norwegian Ericsson 3 fans while doing a live interview over the sat phone with an event in Norway!

It will be an unforgettable birthday, really. We are sailing straight into the middle of the low pressure with a bad sea state and variable breeze, trying to nail a big lead on THE leg of this Volvo Ocean Race. Stopping dead becalmed in the centre of the low, and then screaming out on the other side straight for the second ice gate, gaining 50 miles a sched.

We went well up in the North, reaching at good speeds for the last two days. All are happy onboard even though it once again is wet, difficult to eat, difficult to do anything. This morning I got smacked by a bad wave whilst trimming the main.  I bit my tongue in pieces, gained a little whiplash and discovered how it feels to just have been hit hard in the face and guts at once. Martin Krite (bowman) had a similar one, or actually - two!

We are enjoying this different 10-minute birthday party handing out Ibuprofens for the different bruises.

Best regards from E3

Aksel Magdahl - Navigator