We are 856 miles from Suva, expecting to arrive Thursday which is really Friday because we will be crossing the International Date Line just before arriving. We have had a lively discussion onboard during dinners as to whether we are gaining a day or losing a day, we'll find out on Thursday.
Everyone has recovered from seasickness and are doing well. The weather conditions are somewhat rougher than forecast but still okay. We have had to further shorten sail with the current conditions of 25-30 kts on the beam from due south, still making over 5 knots nearly straight to Fiji. Passage Weather is still calling for favorable conditions throughout the remainder of the trip but we have generally found wind strength to be about 5 kts greater than forecast. Still, their forecast areas are so vast that this variation is not unreasonable.
Conditions have been less than conducive for schoolwork so the girls are enjoying a short summer vacation, reading the books on their summer reading list but not much classroom work.
It has been nice having Alex on board, she has been helpful in both shipboard life and watch-standing. The girls have especially enjoyed access to her portable hard drive with hundreds of movies, much new viewing during movie nights!