I just wore a T-shirt on my first watch out of Murmansk. Today I wore my trawler suit and a primaloft under it with gloves and a hat….

Ben Edwards Sunday 23 July 14 year old crew member for whole expedition

We have a system which says: if someone is feeling sick they can stay down and rest for their shift.  So I did.  I don’t like doing that.  I makes me feel very lazy to leave an entire watch up to one person, even David.  We had a little birthday party for The Mother.  She got three cakes, some chocolates, a T-shirt from Nikolai’s yacht and and a little pot she’d chosen from me.  We still have most of the cake.  Two are a sort of heavy Russian cake with raspberry jam in the middle.  The third reminds me of an opera cake.  They’re very nice.  In the morning I was feeling a lot better for some sleep and did my watch.  During that time I did another audio blog with David and sent that off the Frances and Big Nose.  Over the past couple of days it’s been getting much colder.  I just wore a T-shirt on my first watch out of Murmansk.  Today I wore my trawler suit and a primaloft under it with gloves and a hat.  We’re still heading north east to the top of Novaya Zemlya, the long island north of Russia, and we’ve been under sail for more than forty eight hours, whoo.  We haven’t needed the engine at all, we’re going faster under sail than we were under motor.  Not that we’re in any rush mind.  The  Kara sea is already open, that doesn’t usually happen until next month, and we could already go through the North West Passage.  Over the past couple of years the passages have been open and for long periods than one would normally expect.  While we were in The Lenin there was a display showing the difference in Arctic ice between now and the mid fifties.  The difference is huge.  I blame the fridges.

One of the dolphins I saw today was a bit odd.  It would leap out of the water and then turn onto its back and crash back down into the water.  I have no idea why.  In any case, it was funny.  I’m surprised at the number of dolphins we’re seeing.  And all of them seem to be going east.

I have developed an unfortunate habit.  The fire alarm is just above the peg where I hang my primaloft and fleece.  In the morning I pick up my fleece from the peg and my hand brushes the fire alarm.  Now these fire alarms can be tested by pressing a button on their top, or, to be more accurate, pressing their top.  So as I lift the fleece my hand sets off the fire alarm.  At this point Barbara and Dennis’s eyes snap open and David sits bolt upright his face quickly cycling from bewildered, to shocked, to angry, and then he lies back down again.  I have now moved my fleece and primaloft.

I’ve just read my last blog, sorry, it was terrible.  I wasn’t feeling well though, honest.

I did an audio blog with Constance today as well, that went okay and I managed to send it all right.  It should take us about three more days to reach the top of Novaya Zemlya and then another five or six days to get to the ice.  In any case, I’ll write again tomorrow, bye.