Wednesday 25 February 1953 (cont) Lat 11°04'S ; Long 114°27'W. Course 242° T. Dist 365 mi. St. T. 24 hr. Av sp 15.21 K. Wind SE 3-4 Sea SE slight. T.T. 6 d 15 hr 35 min. To Brisbane 5255 mi; from Balboa 2450. Moon almost full. No sunset color. Am learning a few of navigating stars each night. Whole schools of flying fish breaking water today. Read most of day. Keeping out of sun. Have a short talk with captain each day. Found a crew member today who visits museums and zoos. Most people know of Museum or have visited it within recent years. (GEOFF & I DECIDED TODAY THAT IF WE GO TO AUSTRALIA IN FUTURE WE WILL TAKE KAY & MIRIAM WITH US AS FAR AS PRACTICAL. LOCAL HOSPITALITY WILL TAKE CARE OF THEM WHILE WE ARE OFF FOR A FEW WEEKS AT A TIME.) Thursday 26 February 1953 Temp. Wet 76° Dry 90°F. Hot and sultry. Following wind about same speed as ship. Engine room blowing stacks in A.M. Soot all over flying bridge. Poor sunset. Talked with crew on forward well deck for a couple of hours. Then with 2nd electrician for a few hours until midnight. Then on bridge with 3rd mate until 3 A.M. A beautiful moon--last night, soft air. Lat 13°40'S; Long 120° 00'W. Course 245°T. Dist 363 mi. St. T. 24 hr. Av sp 15.12 K. Wind E 4 Sea E slight T.T. 7 d 15 hr 35 min. To Brisbane 4892; from Balboa 2813 mi. Friday 27 February 1953 Overcast but bright. Squall off starboard bow at 8 A.M. Bird which may have been a fairy tern flew across rain front. Low over water. May have been tropic bird but did not investigate ship. Lean towards trop. bird. Lat 16°12'S ; Long 126°00'W; course 247°T. Dist 382 mi. St.T 25 hrs; Av sp 15.28 K. Wind E 3; Sea E slight; T.T. 8 d 16 hr 35 min. To Brisbane4510 mi; from Balboa 3195 mi. Temp 78° wet; 85° dry. Read most of afternoon in deck chair, port side boat deck forward--cool. A lovely rose sunset. Nearly full moon rising in ship's track; clouds above it touched with sunset. Many cumulus on western rim outlined by color. To bed at 10:00 P.M. Saturday 28 February 1953 9:10 A.M. Course 250° T. Booby flying around ship. Black wing tips & bl 2°s. Bill pinkish (dull). In ship's track for a few minutes. We are now within a few hundred miles of the Tuamotu Arch. Tomorrow there should be many birds, although we will not sight the islands to the north. Rain squall at 11:15. 1:15 P.M. Blue-faced booby flying around ship. Bill yellow; could not see color of feet. Lat (d.r.) 18°22'S ; Long (d.r.)131°54'W; course 249°T. Dist 364 mi. St.T 24 hr. Av sp 15.16 K Wind ENE 3 Sea ENE slight T.T. 9 d 16 hr 35 min. To Brisbane 4146 mi; from Balboa 3559 mi. A beautiful sunny, blue afternoon. Read & slept in deck chair. Steward gave me 2 doz oranges for orangeade tonight(for "our gang" who like fruit juice without a spike). Full moon up at sunset. Sunset showed promise but the cumulus was too thick. Squall at 8:30.