Day 27 :Approachin Cabo Frio (just north of Rio)

It's been go, go, go on BP Explorer for the last 24 hours! A change, they say, is as good as a rest, but right now I am not sure that many of the crew would agree. A sofa, a hot bath, endless hours of mindless TV and pizza would, in short, be Heaven! But we will have to wait a little longer. As our watch came on deck yesterday afternoon, we were ready for an afternoon with the spinnaker up and all stops out to regain lost ground on Spirit of Sark and BG SPIRIT as we approached Cabo Frio (just north of Rio). In this area the weather looked set to change with the wind clocking around to the south and a possible lull in the process (which, we estimated, could take up to a day).

At around 2.30 (boat time), there we were, a light shower beginning but nothing untoward happening in the sky. Within less than ten minutes, it was spinnaker down (VERY quickly) and headsails up as the wind completed its predicted shift - not over the course of a day, but at lightning speed. Another five minutes and we were in the midst of a Force 7 - Gale 8! No boring lull for us. The reefs went in faster than you can say Jack Robinson, the yankee was changed and we surveyed the heaped-up sea - and our skipper's very stylish yellow helming goggles - with amazement. At one point in the maelstrom of wind and rain, we were also privy to a fleeting flypast by a bright-green fishing boat, its occupants all waving madly at us as we grappled with halyards and sheets. It's only a shame we did not manage to buy a bit of fresh fish for our supper!

David's goggles stayed on for the rest of the watch, but as for the rest of us, it is fair to say that shorts and T-shirts turned out to be a fashion mistake - total immersion was dolled out to one and all before we had time to change into foulies. Breathless and windswept, we finally found ourselves gulping down tea in unison on the rail, where our exertions were rewarded with a spectacular series of acrobatics courtesy of an energetic whale! Though in fine fettle considering our unforseen pasting, we prepared ourselves for the worst when the position reports came in; it was a mixed bag - there was now considerably more ocean between ourselves and BG SPIRIT, but Spirit of Sark had made miles on us during our stormy interval. At 2am this morning, however, after an exhausting 12 hours, we had clawed back our lead over the former foe. Fingers crossed that this is still the case when the next report comes in. As the leading packs close the coast, the question of whether or not it is necessary to tack out into the Atlantic again becomes a key one. Those who come in too close and then have to head out east again lose precious ground, whilst those who can maintain the course stand to make great gains. With just over 1,000 miles to go until the River Plate, it is all to play for and the tension is mounting.