Leg 2 Day 2 : 37°47'00.0"S 56°27'00.0"W

This log (and those that follow) come to you from the 'graveyard shift' - the '2-6-er'. As friends and family move the pins in their globes back home, the logs are written earlier and earlier in the morning here on BP Explorer to arrive by 0900 GMT. Thus you may be hearing more about moonlight than sunrises, and your writers may be somewhat sleepier as they type quietly away by the night light which lends the media suite a red glow and anyone beavering away 'downstairs' the look of a submariner! The name of the game right now is making the best out of light winds. Not that this will be a long-term pattern of events; it is definitely the calm before the storm, as much heavier winds are forecast in the not-too-distant future. Those on mother watch (cooking and cleaning) are for once thanking their lucky stars that it is their go at the domestics, for they are able to work with the comfort of calm seas and a flat boat. At the top of the companionway steps meanwhile, we have been concentrating on keeping our attention on performance and 'controlling the controllables'. At 1800 local time we could see ten out of the eleven other boats - a situation which could easily make it hard to stay focused - but we have done our level best not to take our eye off the ball. Between 2100 and 2200 we decided that a gybe was in order then reflected that we should cover the other boats out to the east instead. Spirit of Sark later gybed behind us and as we prepared to follow in their wake the wind obligingly shifted, so we held our course and saved valuable time by avoiding the gybe. We have been level pegging with Spirit of Sark ever since; and although technically the position reports at 0145 GMT (1045 local time) had us in first place, it is a close-run thing. Now, one hour into the watch, we can see the lights of just two other boats - Spirit of Sark to port and Me To You (who earlier gave us a good run for our money) a little further out to starboard. Up on the wall in the saloon galley, have a few amusing pictures of our antics at sea (and in port!), and we also have a few aims for different stages of the long voyage ahead to New Zealand. Without giving too much away, the first reads 'top three out of the River Plate'. We have managed to achieve this by steering from brown waters out into the deep blue in second. The task now is to up the concentration, prepare for a blow and stick out our necks as we head south. Next stop, Cape Horn! Naomi Cudmore

Leg 2 Day 1 : 35°47'00.0"S 56°47'00.0"W

It was always going to be difficult to top the race start day from Portsmouth. Buenos Aires, however, gave it a very good shot! The blessing of the yachts and crews was particularly moving - every member of the fleet all too aware of what lies ahead - and there was certainly a tangible sense of affection in the air. The competition might be passionately pursued, but at the bottom of the world nobody wants anyone else to get hurt. Hug followed hug as people zipped back and forth along the narrow pontoon saying 'aufwiedersehen' to friends on other yachts. But all too soon it was time to cast off and store the mooring lines for five or six long, tough weeks. After many tears, a good dousing with Holy Water and a roaring cheer from all those watching from the shore, we were greeted outside the marina by a surprisingly large armada of supporter boats and curious boat-owners who had been drawn out to see the Global Challenge fleet heading off for 'Cabo de Hornos'. Their exhilaration was infectious and got each and every one of us in the mood again. So thanks to the city for a fantastic farewell to round off a wonderful stopover; during which we had a partying 'sandwich' - work, followed by parties, followed by work - and the shore team had a work overload! Thank you to them especially for grafting non-stop to make sure we all got underway again in fine fettle! The skyscrapers left behind, the ten-minute gun resounded, taking with it any remaining final cobwebs that might have hung about us as we got back into the groove. Hearts once again began to pound and the yachts jostled in the muddy waters of the Plate beneath a brilliant clear sky. It was a close-run thing, not everyone managing to stay behind the line at the gun. We manoeuvred ourselves into a very good position, however, and then took the losing tack to escape the 'bad air' from other yachts. As we went into the watch system at 6p.m. we took the lead. It felt good to be back! The night saw a wonderful display overhead after our somewhat narrowed skies amidst the city buildings of Buenos Aires, and helming by the Southern Cross was a real treat, albeit one which required every ounce of concentration as we found ourselves rapidly locked back into battle with BG SPIRIT and Spirit of Sark. As day begins the story is much the same. The wind has died and we are struggling to eek out every .1 of a knot of speed. However, there they still are, within spitting distance! Here we go again. PS: A note to all our supporters who were due out to see us off on the boat - we are sorry that you did not make it and have not yet heard what the problem was with your boat. Such a shame. Thanks to all of you for turning out and supporting us though - we will see those friends and family amongst you again soon! Huge hugs to Kate and Jasper, June, Anne, Claire and Ruth, Olli's Mum and Dad and everyone else. Xxxxx Naomi Cudmore

Leg 1 Compilation Race Video

Leg 1 BP Explorer Compilation Video

Leg 1 Day 33 : near a bar! (34 47 S 57 15 W)

'Once we are in the river, that's when the dye is nearly cast.' These were the words of David Melville just a few days ago and here we are, still in fourth and holding off the enemy!

Throughout the night we have been careering up the inappropriately named River Plate - which means River of Silver, although it is anything but. By night it was admittedly a sparkling sight - to port, a multitude of vessels in the shipping channel all lit up with their navigation lights; to starboard, the golden glow and streetlights of Montevideo; above, a canopy of stars; and all around us, the best show of phosphoresence of the journey - so bright that the rushing caps and foam of the brisk waves piled along luminously for as far as the eye could see. When a particularly frisky whitecap landed on the deck, that too was lit up with millions of spots of florescent light.

As dawn breaks, however, we regard our final bowl of porridge with some relief and the water with some surprise. We knew it would be muddy - but it really is very very brown - full of the earth washed down from the hills and mountains. In the Plate we have a series of waypoints to round, after each of which we must send in a brief report to Race HQ.

Information included in this is a list of yachts which we can see behind and in front. Thus far, this section has remained blank - a bittersweet fact, for whilst we have held off our old adversaries Sark and BG, we have not, thus far, managed to catch Samsung. Tantalisingly close at dusk yesterday - just a few miles distant - they managed to pull away from us dramatically during the high winds of the early hours. If we are honest with ourselves, only a fairly major mistake on their part is likely to see us pass them at this stage, but as they say, 'it isn't over until it's over!'

We have saved our final Mars bars until today for that extra bit of fuel in these last hard-fought hours of racing and perhaps it will make all the difference! I know for sure that as long as we hold our place there is going to be a huge roar of approval when we cross that line to the relieved shouts of our supporters bounding along in the ribs - Mum I'm on my way!!!!

Thanks to readers for all the kind comments about our logs throughout Leg 1! I am reliably informed that there will be much to see on our team website - www.bpoceanracingteam.com -during the stopover, and we will try to post logs throughout our stay in Buenos Aires. More soon when we head for Cape Horn - but for now it's off to the bar! Watch leader David Pugh ('Cop') may have discovered that he is not as addicted to Stella Artois as he previously thought, but there is still a lot of catching up to do!

Leg 1 Day 32 :34' 46S 53' 54W

After five weeks of sailing we are approaching the entrance to the River Plate and the waypoint where all the fleet will converge.

We can smell land over to our right and the first insects since the big locust incident of the 15th and 16th were fluttering around our mast light during the night. There is an excited buzz onboard at the thought of seeing friends and family, who have flown out to meet us in Buenos Aires and there is general chatter at meal times as to what we are going to do when we get there.

BP Explorer is currently in fourth place and during the afternoon we could see BG Spirit on our port quarter. They remained in view until late in the evening when they disappeared over the horizon or into the mist.

Samsung are within our sights at just over six miles away and the thought of stealing third place keeps us working harder. Barclays Adventurer and VAIO are about 23 miles ahead, a comfortable position, but if they have any problems, catching them is quite possible.

The main theme of the day was no cock-ups. We are now so close to the finish that any mistakes could cost us a place or even places and make recovery very difficult. We've managed to get this far (6140 miles) without trashing anything serious and more importantly with no injuries. So we are all taking that extra few seconds or so to check and double-check everything. We are still pushing the yacht and sails to their limit but crew are posted, geared up and prepared to change everything at a moment's notice.

This morning we crossed a final hurdle - a low-pressure trough separating a northeasterly wind from a southerly that should take us to BA. These troughs are quite dramatic. You approach with the kite up and slowly the cloud builds overhead, lightning flashes all around and thunder rumbles. Everybody eyes the kite nervously and is poised for a drop. The idea is to leave the kite drop to the absolute latest moment.

The gust front when it does come, comes quickly. Rain lashes down and the wind rises dramatically, sometimes gusting up to 40 knots. Headsails go up the kite comes down amid urgent shouting and frantic pulling. We are hard on the wind and the breeze has shifted all the way south. It's actually quite a relief to have the headsail up and have a simple bash to windward - kites are fast but stressful. Down below the kite is checked out, minor repairs are made and the thing packed away - until the next time!

Little note at the end of today's log: If sometimes when you go to your computer and my daily log is not there, at that very moment I'm on the foredeck with my watch hoisting or fighting down a spinnaker or headsail. It 's taken several attempts today and I'm sorry if it's a bit late. Naomi's log tomorrow will be the last of this leg so I just wanted to say thank you for all the positive feedback we've received and keep logging on to read the next exciting chapter; Leg 2 - BP Explorer in the Southern Ocean.

Leg 1 Day 31 :32 02 S 49 36 W

'New boat speed record,' hollers the helm, his voice coming through the gloom of a rapid nightfall in a mixture of exhilaration and fear. 'A phrase which often comes before maximum mess-ups,' adds the skipper wryly - but you can tell that he is relieved to be going fast once again! Yesterday afternoon we watched in dismay as the wind speed faded and faded to practically nothing. For several hours we crept along, tiptoeing about the yacht as the helms nursed her through the water, sniffing out every bit of available breeze.

By this time in fifth position (BG SPIRIT having overtaken us by several miles), we had to re-remind ourselves of what David had told us at our lunchtime meeting - 'The die is not cast for another couple of days, you have to keep going.' Two hours later he came on deck and padded about the decks tweaking here, tweaking there and looking like sleep was the last thing on his mind. 'I really have a feeling that this afternoon could prove to be a crucial watch so please make sure that you are doing everything you can to make the yacht go faster.' It is useful to hear words of encouragement like this but we are all as hungry as each other for a good position. The stops are permanently all pulled out in this neck of the woods! The afternoon did, indeed, turn out to see some significant changes.

As we went from the lightweight kite, to the 1.5 (and later the flanker) with the wind building steadily, the boat accelerated, and accelerated, and accelerated some more.

By watch changeover at 6pm we were storming along. By the next change at 10pm, the watch coming off were taking to their bunks fully dressed and in lifejackets - constantly on the edge of our wind range for each spinnaker, we had to be coiled for action at any time. At some point in the evening we overtook BG SPIRIT and saw that we were now just seven miles from Samsung! As the girls in the snakepit at midnight - Laura and Goldie - belted out 'Surfing USA' as they whooped through the surf aboard what they described as 'our one-horse open sleigh', I think it is fair to say that however conservative we want to be, everyone on BP Explorer is now secretly hoping for something better than fourth.

Leg 1 Day 30 : East of Rio Grande

We all came on watch after Saturday's 24-hour marathon looking very tired. What sleep we did manage to get was often interrupted by noise on deck. Every shout, every clatter of sheets and grinding of the winches echoes through the hull and it's difficult to just count sheep when the next 'everyone on deck' could be moments away. So, tired and physically exhausted we start our watches but throughout the day we all talk about the events of the night before and a strong sense of camaraderie builds. As we recount our individual stories of heroics from helm to foredeck thought of returning to our bunks disappear and we remember why we wanted to do this thing in the first place. It is at these times that the two watches tend to overlap more.

During the day people arrive on deck and muck-in with sail changes whether they are on watch or not and soon we are a dynamic team again and patting each other on the back. Spirits lifted, we view the fleet positions not with a defeated gloom but an optimistic 'right that's the problem - let's try fix it'. The problem is not a small one, we pulled five miles back on Barclays Adventurer in the afternoon only to lose it again during the night and they took 11 miles from us over the 24 hour period. Samsung and VAIO have increased their lead over us by 8 and 20 miles respectively and although we were only 1.8 miles from BG SPIRIT yesterday morning they pulled away too and are now about nine miles in front. We did however take 20 miles from Spirit of Sark. The leading five yachts are quite spread out now with most of them further west than BP Explorer. At the moment we are far enough apart to be experiencing different conditions and trying to match the yachts performance like for like is impossible. The next two and a half days will be very interesting as we all converge on a waypoint at the mouth of the River Plate and aim for a piece of ocean one tenth of a mile wide. The challenge will be to get the best possible position before the waypoint hoping that conditions are better for us further east. After that it's a straight race up the River Plate to the finish.

Halloween brought it's sailing horrors to the deck but during the day a friendly witch by the name of Laura Alexander promised to cast a 'good luck' spell over the chart table. We've no doubt of her abilities in the snake pit let's hope the spell works as well.