This report today from Brad Van Liew, leading Class 2 of Around Alone in Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America:

‘Happy Birthday to myself in the Southern Ocean. Sounds like a country and western song title!

‘I had a big scrambled egg breakfast as a birthday treat rather than the standard of easy and messless granola. In the afternoon I had a little solo birthday party after receiving lots of well wishing emails. After opening a couple of gifts which had been left behind for the occasion a glass of Dry Creek Vineyard Merlot and an Alpine Aire dehydrated barbecue turkey dinner wrapped up the 35th year celebration.

‘One email in particular was not very happily received, however. An urgent email arrived from race operations advising that [Olivier de Kersauson’s] record setting trimaran Géronimo had just sent an email from just south of the Around Alone fleet’s position advising they had seen an iceberg – confirming the icebergs are along our route and north of the normal position!

‘I will be sailing a very conservative northerly course through this dangerous piece of ocean but the threat is always there. Hitting an iceberg or a small chunk of one would be catastrophic so prudence is the better part of valor on this one.

‘Birthday regards, Brad’.