Leg 2 Day 33 : 46' 51S 173' 2W

As I write this log wedged in next to the radar panel at the chart table, it's late Thursday night local time on 30th December in an hours time it will be Friday 31st December, and a couple of hours after that it will be Saturday 1st January 2005. Nobody is too confused yet? I feel cheated of the traditional homemade outfit I would certainly have worn for the Heroes and Villains night in my local (Happy New Year's Eve to all at The Notley Arms! And from everyone onboard to all friends and family at home), for as far as we can make out the crew of BP Explorer lose the right to link arms and sing very badly in unison due to an untimely crossing of the International Date Line. It's the New Year's Eve that we will never have. Hopefully we will tag a suitable celebration on the end of our belated Christmas lunch in Wellington and mark the occasion in style, but for now there is a veritable mountain of real cheese hidden under the saloon seats and we will feast on this tomorrow. Admittedly, with 651 miles to go and a Waypoint (or Wellington and Wine) Closing Velocity of 8.3 knots, all treats are rapidly losing their trading value; the Double Decker once worth at least two cereal bars will soon just be a squashy nothing in the bottom of our Curver boxes. Levels of treat exchange and consumption have therefore reached an all-time high in the last few days. The excitement beyond racing does not end there; our wildlife sitings have included not only some new large brown birds (as yet unidentified), a jellyfish on deck and two whales off the port beam, but also a floating rubber glove to starboard - a sure sign of approaching civilisation. It is tantalisingly close. Currently, it looks like we will arrive on Monday 3rd January (which will be Sunday 2nd in the UK). As the yachts to the south of us tack furiously, trying get north, we have thanked our lucky stars that we headed north early; the third-place position which we now enjoy seems relatively safe for now, but we certainly have a fight on our hands to catch Spirit of Sark we have made mile on them for the last three or four consecutive sets of scheds, and they are now seeming to hold their distance from us at ten miles. BG, SPIRIT meanwhile have been advantaged by being even more to the north, are 21 miles in front of us, and just over ten ahead of Spirt of Sark. We take our battle one step at a time and are simply doing what we always agreed upon - changing nothing at the last minute but maximising our best efforts to sail consistently as fast as we can. The goals which we set ourselves for Leg 2 are up on the galley wall and read 'Top Three out of the River Plate, Top Five Around Cape Horn and Top Three into Wellington.' We achieved the first two and to add a third tick to the list would be fantastic. Not-so-secretly, however, we are all hoping for one better. Naomi Cudmore

Leg 2 Day 32 : 46 48 S 169 01 W

Alas, no 'peaches and cream' sunsets today. A curtain fell on the myriad of colour that painted the heavens and, as the winds rose and the clouds joined to hide the blue and blanket sparkle-topped waves we were, once more, shrouded in ever so grey. BP Explorer heeled as her sails filled, lifted and surged through the waves. Gripping tightly at her reigns her occupants braced themselves for the inevitable 'bumpy ride' and contemplated the error of not taking their showers yesterday. Elsewhere, BG Spirit are cashing in some of their northerly advantage chips and have sailed faster than us today to take second position pushing us back to third. We expect them to make more of their good tactical decision and gain further miles over the next couple of days. Samsung have changed course to intercept with Imagine It. Done. and pass across urgent medical supplies. We can't tell at the moment the affect it will have on our final position after any compensation is taken into consideration, however the important thing is that they are there to assist as will BP Explorer if required and as Imagine It Done speed towards the Chatham Islands, some 360 miles from our current position, BP Explorer will be the next in line should further assistance be required. Our immediate target is Spirit of Sark and we are doing everything we can to eat away at their lead over us. We expect to have northerly winds for the next 36 hours and only time will tell what we will have to do to improve our position when the leaders converge to pass the Chatham Islands themselves. In approximately 24 hours we will pass the International Date Line and as Andrew Smith put it "this time tomorrow it will be the day after tomorrow." New Year's Eve is safe for now though I thought it would have been nice when asked what we did for new year 2004-5 the answer would be 'we missed it because it wasn't there' - stories of heroics on the foredeck and fighting Southern Ocean waves would invariably follow. As stories of injuries and medical problems make their way into the logs we would just like to reassure our friends and families that we are all safe and well. At no point will we ever sacrifice safety or the well being of the crew for race position or the yacht and we are also looking after ourselves nutritionally and mentally. Safe and happy are first in the list for very good reason - faster is the bonus. John Bass

Leg 2 Day 31 : 47o36S 164o45W

As a peaches-and-cream sunset gave way to a canopy of stars this evening, it seemed to us that we had finally made inroads into a more hospitable atmosphere, leaving behind us the dark desert that is the Southern Ocean. The fearless winds that blow day and night, the perpetual bulleting rain, and a never-ending cloak of darkness have been lifted to reveal again a brilliant sky, lit up tonight over the helmsman's right shoulder by the brightest star in the entire sky, the southern hemisphere's Sirius, 8.6 light years away. The beautiful night seems so at odds with the scenes of devastation in Indonesia which, even out here, we have heard about but can only imagine; and which certainly make the small war we wage seem in many ways insignificant. It is very easy to forget things on a global scale, encapsulated as we are in our own minutely-focussed bubble, and perhaps it is worth keeping this in the back of our minds as we approach the finish and the last battle at the front of the fleet intensifies. Today we saw 'distance to waypoint' flick to below 1,000 miles on our screens and let out a quiet breath of relief; it has been a long, hard slog. Last night saw BG SPIRIT and Samsung heading away from the pack to the north on a flyer to position themselves for the forecast northerly winds; due to a medical incident on Imagine It. Done. (to whom we send our best wishes for a speedy recovery) we experienced a communications embargo for some time and did not, as a result, receive a position report on the rest of the fleet. With an inkling of BG SPIRIT and Samsung's tactics, but with no confirmation to aid our own decision-making, we played with the hand we were dealt and sailed as fast as we could to cover Spirit of Sark - whose masthead light could be seen just a couple of miles away on the starboard bow. As day dawned and we were enlightened by the scheds, it became clear that our adversaries had made a bold move which, for BG SPIRIT at least, has paid off - around 70 miles north of us, they have now made up considerable ground, and Samsung, around 35 miles north, are also gaining, although somewhat more slowly. As all this was going on, Spirit of Sark remained in sight for the early part of the morning, until the last remnants of a dying breeze lifted their tail and scooped them away from us over the glittering horizon. Agonisingly we watched as they disappeared from view and left us wallowing in light airs. The last position reports tell us that they are now 13.3 miles away - the slings and arrows indeed! Naomi Cudmore

Leg 2 Day 30 : 48' 49S 161' 36W

As the Southern Ocean becomes the South Pacific the difference in sailing conditions couldn't be more marked. The suntan cream is out again and the bitter cold has been replaced with a bracing chill. It's a chance to remove at least one layer and as there is little water over the decks the foulies, for the most part, can stay hung up in the locker. Flatter seas and nearly no heeling make the jobs below decks more comfortable and it's a chance to give BP Explorer a thorough clean and going over. Today we gave the floors a good scrub and used old toothbrushes to get into every corner. With about 1000 miles to go and the finish counted in days rather than weeks the mood amongst the crew is positive and focused. It's incredible that after so many miles the fleet are so close. As we are almost neck and neck with Spirit of Sark, this time with them just in front of us, we are reminded that this leg could see leading final positions separated by minutes rather than hours. Tricky weather and high-pressure systems to negotiate makes for constant tweaking and analysis of tactics and routing and the now well practiced circle of spinnaker hoists, peels and packs dominate the on watch duties. We know we can sail BP Explorer fast and maybe faster and the key is to focus even more and try and grab and increase miles between us and the rest of the fleet. We desperately want to be first into Wellington and we know we are capable of doing so. The last thing we want to do is relax now and regret not trying harder when we get into port so every day of the last week will be as important at the first and last days of the race. The rest is in the laps of the Gods. John Bass

leg 2 Day 29 : 50 deg 18 S 157 deg 29 W

Sail starts Boxing Day! As I write this we have put exactly 5,136 miles behind us since Buenos Aires; there are 1,305.7 miles to go to the next waypoint (which happens to be a bar in Wellington) and the racing is so close that it might as well be the start, not the last week, of Leg 2. Throughout the previous watch, Spirit of Sark's 1.5 race spinnaker could be seen fluttering and straining neck and neck with our own as they flew along on the opposite gybe - sailing towards us, visible through the murk on the port beam. According to the scheds they are just 1.3 miles away - and the light-winds lottery is back. We have enjoyed this return to kiting conditions, but whilst we made not inconsiderable gains on both VAIO and Spirit of Sark during the afternoon, Samsung, BG SPIRIT and Barclays Adventurer caught up some miles on us at the same time. One mistake now and we could just as easily end in eighth position as on the podium; nerve-wracking times indeed! To dream of sailing our beautiful yacht over land rather than sea has been a common theme to several crew members' dreams aboard BP Explorer from time to time since before Portsmouth and, over our lamb googah at dinner, we connected this phenomenon with times of particular tension. Last night, amidst the familiar rustling sound of a spinnaker being packed inches from our sleeping bodies, Chris dreamt we were sailing down a narrow alleyway, the sides of which crowded in on us and tore our spinnaker pole to pieces. It doesn't take a genius to analyse that one. It would certainly have been nice to have begun our last week with a comfortable position on which to build, but as we fly towards another year and the opposite side of the world it remains all to play for. For the time being we have positioned ourselves well in relation to the high-pressure cell which currently dominates the fleet's routing decisions; we just have to hope that the situation stays this way. Naomi Cudmore

Leg 2 Day 28 : 51 24S 152 53W

Christmas day in the Southern Ocean started early today and calls to family and loved ones started at midnight - 0900GMT. There was a definite party feel as we each wished each other Merry Christmas and took it in turns to call home. Later at 11am local time a core crew was left on deck while the rest huddled around the VHF to take part in a Christmas day chat show. Each yacht took it in turns to act out a scene from an alternative nativity play - alternative being the important word here. Lunch was a triumph and ordinary freeze dried chicken was transformed with the addition of some gravy, stuffing and a dollop of cranberry jelly. The real treat though was a Christmas pudding (Thanks Naomi's mum) with custard. David also announced that the girls could take showers if they wanted despite concerns over the operation of our water maker which, for now, seems to be working ok. After lunch we exchanged secret Santa gifts, which we'd each brought in Buenos Aires and a few of the crew opened gifts that they had been given at the start of the race. Meanwhile we were still racing the boat. We were convinced that yachts like Spirit of Sark and BG SPIRIT would use the possible loss of racing focus to gain some miles so we made sure that both Happy and Faster were satisfied today. The latest positions showed that we have gained 2 miles on Spirit of Sark in the last 24 hours and are holding off the rest of the fleet too. Dinner provided more treats in the form of two delicious Christmas cakes (thanks go to Sheila, David's mum and Olly's mum) and a shot of single malt to send us happily to our bunks at the end of the watch. The weather has been kind today and despite warnings of rough weather it has been comfortable sailing and as I write this we are speeding along at 11 knots. However, a high-pressure system is ahead of us and with the fleet being so close we can't afford to make any mistakes and get stuck in light winds. As a few of us sat on the rail smoking some cigars, courtesy of Major this afternoon, we reflected on the last few weeks and what lies ahead. We all agreed that this is certainly a challenge with highs and lows but today will certainly be one of the highs. On days like today we remember why we wanted to do this in the first place. A Merry Christmas indeed. John Bass

Leg 2 Day 27 : 51 59S 148 23W

Happy Christmas Everyone! Thanks for all the emails and we hope that you enjoyed our photo and video! Christmas Eve has been totally stress-free in the last-minute present-buying department, and there have been no mammoth vegetable-preparation scenes whilst The Great Escape is being shown on the telly for the zillionth year in a row, but we have had our fair share of nail biting here in the grey wilderness at the bottom of the world. Whilst consuming mountains of perfectly-whipped butterscotch Angel Delight (thanks John Stewart), we have been peering over the shoulders of our sage navigators Stephen and Andrew as each new set of scheds come in. At the chart table, which is decked in green tinsel, the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune that come hand in hand with ocean racing are writ large on the left-hand computer. The coin has most definitely had two sides of late - on the up side we have made gains ever so slowly but surely on Spirit of Sark, and have also managed by the skin of our teeth to keep BG SPIRIT and VAIO at bay, but over the horizon, apparently fuelled by their own personal Southern-Ocean jet pack, have come Samsung - storming their way into third and hot on our heels. At one stage just six miles behind us, they have now, thankfully, slipped back to nine. I for one am used to having a half-day on Christmas Eve but none of us can manage that luxury this year - we are all out to maintain the pressure and keep pushing. One loss of concentration and the position is gone, in the blink of an eye. It is definitely a case of eyes forward! Not so long ago, Spirit of Sark's wake was over 40 miles long; now they are just nine miles away. I think that for everyone on board BP Explorer one of the best Christmas presents we could wish for this year would be to glide into first place. If Father Christmas does not deliver this one, it will not be for want of trying! Lots of love to everyone this Christmas. PS. To all the crews and especially the crew of Stelmar, who we all admire, we wish you a merry Christmas and look forward to celebrating it big style in Wellington. Naomi Cudmore

Leg 2 Day 26 51 15S 144 28W:

It's Christmas Eve and below it is quiet but for the rumble of the watermaker and the purr of the generator. The off watch lay cosy in their bunks dreaming, perhaps as children, of Christmas mornings past. Bags of fruit, the fevered tearing of paper to reveal eagerly awaited toys and the comfort of being surrounded by the people they love. Above, the wind howls around the hoods of the huddled at the rail as water cascades around their feet. They think about the next hour, or is it two, until the end of their watch and sleep. The Southern Ocean has no public holidays and neither does this race but as Christmasses go this one will be special in so many ways. We will be sharing it with new friends in the crew and one of the World's most demanding environments. In our hearts we will be sharing it with the ones we love at home. To Mum, Stephen, Emily, Oliver and Isabelle, to Alison and my dearest friends whom I love and miss so so much, to all the school children in Royston who have been following my progress and the others who have supported me and the team including Claire, Ruth and the people at BP and Cathy and the staff at UK - I wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy new year, Love John Bass x Holger Bindel :- Ich wuensche allen ein Frohes Weihnachtsfest und ein gesundes Neues Jahr. Ein besonders schoenes Fest wuensche ich meiner Familie und meinem Patenkind Noah und seine Familie. Laura Alexander :- Merry Christmas to my family in the UK, Australia and Canada from the Southern Ocean. PS Mum can you save me some of your Xmas pudding please. Love Laura xxx Colin Barber :- Wishing my wife Hazel, Family and Friends in Inverness, Torphins, Milngavie, Strathblane and St Cyrus a fantastic time this Christmas. Looking forward to seeing you all in the New Year. All my Love from the "bottom of the World". Colin xx Stephen Allberry :- Happy Christmas to all friends in Hampshire, Hackney and Sussex. I wish you were here! Goldie Raley :- To my family and friends. Seasons Greetings from the Southern Ocean! Have a Merry Christmas and a VERY Happy 2005. LOADS of love to you all - especially those 'rascals' on the farm. Golds x x x x Rob Phillips:- To Iris, my family and my friends I wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year. Oliver Browett :- To all of my family and friends who have been following my progress; hope you all enjoy a merry Christmas and a happy new year. I will miss the usual festive season celebrations but I'm sure Christmas at the bottom of the world is one to remember. And not forgetting - David Melville Beautiful girl and little boy, I love you. Family and friends all my best times are with you, lots of love to you all. Hello to this year's new borns what a difference you make! All the crew

Leg 2 Day 26 : 51 43S 139 16W

We hope that readers will not mind us devoting most of today's log to personal messages from our watch to those back home. Currently battling through yet another F8-9, we still lie in second place, but with very little distance between ourselves and VAIO and BG SPIRIT. Second is hardly something which we can take for granted; every mile gained is hard won, every mile lost a bitter pill to take. Incredibly, after over 4,000 miles of racing, the first nine yachts are within 45 miles of each other - the competition is stiffer than a treble shot of neat Gordons! And yet loved ones are at the forefront of our minds as Christmas fast approaches. This one is for them. [AS] Happy Christmas to everyone at home, especially Sarah, Rachel & Peter and all the Smith clan staying in Lytham. Looking forward to seeing you in New Zealand soon. Lots of love from Andrew XXX. [CT] Alla mia famiglia: buon natale e vi voglio bene, I love you s.c.l.w. this is the last Christmas without you! See you in kiwiland. FF and Flash: keep a cold one ready for next month . Vabene people I send you all my love! [RW] Happy Christmas to Mum, Dad, Julie, Sarah, Andy, Sue, Phoebe, Cameron, Chris, Art, Des, plus everyone in the Thatched in Epping and a tickle for Harry. A special thankyou and Happy Christmas to my brother Graham without who's help and support I wouldn't be here. A big wave to you all from the other side of the world, probably cold and wet but happy. This is truly rock and roll. [NC] Haaaappy Christmas! to M&N, W&M&M(woof) and T&J at LNQ (Heaven) and Jilly&Hannah up the hill I MISS YOU ALL! Festive love&hugs&pinksparklythings to Jo, James, Helen, Neet, Sarah, Dylan, both Carols, Liz, Jon, Dunstan, Paul, Barbara & family, Sandy, Rich, Sarah, Lauren, Elly, Wills R & B, Dot, Kal, Devon Ben, Foxy, Georgie, Andy, Lucy, Oliver, The Nettlecombe Clan, Angela, Mark, Keith, Bernie, Glen, Pat, Angie, Charlie, Beth, Ellen, Jasmine (and my cosy fireplace), all the Hampshire crew, Ed, Sam, D&S, John, Teresa, Roger, Maureen, Duncs & Lesley, Neil, Halsgrove and everyone at The Notley Arms and any other West Somerseters left off the list! Lots and lots of love from Naomi xxxxx [GM] Happy Christmas to all my family and friends. Thanks for all your support and good wishes. I wish you a cosy, warm Christmas by the fire and an appetising Southern Ocean yuletide log (much better than the Queen's speech!). I will look forward to some mulled wine and mistletoe in NZ! love G. [JS] Warm wishes to all my friends who have been a source of inspiration and support over the last few years. Thanks to the Tullamore crew for listening to all the sailing talk. Have a great Xmas to you all. Special greetings to all my co-workers at Applied Materials, my family in Dublin and friends around the world. Sweetie I miss you dearly and hope that this will be the last xmas apart, lots of love John [DP] Happy Christmas to Mum, Dad, Till, Liz, Jon, Lisa, Bev, Sarah, Laura, Marylin, Dodge, Sue, Andy & Bev and everyone at the SSSC... Cop [JC] Merry Christmas to the best mum in the world, to my fab big sister and the McKerracher clan and to Lynda, a better pal I couldn't ask for. Have a great Christmas everyone at Scottish Enterprise, Tighnabruaich Primary School and all of the other friends that have supported me in my 'Challenge' Miss you all heaps. [MM] Major would like to wish a very happy and peaceful Christmas and a wonderful new year to his family including his children Rochelle, Melissa, Cass and Carlene also Jimi, Cherry and Ben. His mum and his brothers and sisters Joe, Graham, Surinder, Kalinder and Nini. All the nephews and nieces including Michael, David Lee and Levina. All friends including Bob, Vicky and family, John and Karen, Steve and Pam, Clare and Graham, Ken and Sue, and Bal who all came to see him off at Portsmouth. Also best wishes to Sudir who came to see him off at BA. Mick and Mary, to all the regulars at the Seven Bar in Shifnal and everybody at the Bell in Harborne, plus everyone who knows me. The Crew

Leg 2 Day 25 : 52 31S 134 33W

Well in the week before xmas I thought it might be appropriate to hear a word from the skipper on progress to date. Our objectives are to be safe, happy and faster. Safe: John and Naomi have vividly described the conditions in which the crew have been working in. Nearly always cold, damp, arduous and sometimes dangerous. Our stated objective onboard is to ''be free from the unacceptable risk of harm''. We are trying to create an environment onboard where the crew can cross an ocean and not be injured - and have been assisted in this by Paul Everest a Safety Manager with BP. Safety is a daily topic, formally discussed and changes continually made to our working practices. So far, on this our most risky passage, we have had only had two very minor injuries onboard - a bashed thumb and a pulled muscle in the back. You might get worse working in your back garden at the weekend! All of the crew are committed to protecting each other and this might prove to be the most enduring achievement of the trip. Happy: We also discuss the morale onboard the boat on a daily basis. Another stated objective is that nobody should be unhappy during their time onboard the yacht. This is sometimes a challenging objective. Perhaps the most difficult aspect of racing a yacht is that you never have a day off. Three times a day you must climb on deck and face a cold and biting wind that is rarely stable for more than an hour or so. There is an endless round of sail changes that require a high degree of effort and no respite until Wellington. The Southern Ocean is a bleak place with less wildlife than you might imagine - there is a continual greyness that cloaks the ocean and does little to lift the spirits. But onboard the yacht laughter swirls around. The crew sit huddled together sniggering over their misfortunes. Where someone does become down, this is spotted and the story drawn out where possible. At the end of each watch issues must be communicated, resolved and forgotten. Happiness is not left to chance. Each crewmember has an A4 laminate of people and places that they love. What I have noticed is that these are more often on hand than in the sunny Atlantic. People show each other their montages and while the faces are different, the images are the same. Families pressed up around each other smiling at the camera. Friends crowd in holding drinks and smiling mischievously, pets look up loyally. Humans are such social animals, living in such close quarters down here does not seem oppressive, it's almost as if the harsh conditions require it. Particularly at this emotional time of year I have been struck by the genuine warmth and affection that exists between the crewmembers of BP Explorer and their love for their friends and family at home. Faster: We have crossed 4000m of ocean and 50m separates 1st and 9th place. Those of you who don't regularly follow ocean racing might not realise, but this is extremely close and competitive racing. We are lying in second place at the moment, but our closest rival is only 1 mile behind and may well be 1 mile in front by the time this email reaches you. BP Explorer is continually at the forefront of the fleet and this has taken an exceptional amount of effort from the crew. Sail changes are relentless and unless executed at speed lead to small reductions in speed which see you slowly fall back. Everybody onboard must continually battle the wind and waves if we are not to be immediately overhauled by our competitors. In this the crew have been magnificent, their level of motivation and dedication to sailing the yacht is an inspiration. Months ago they arrived from disparate occupations and now labour together towards a single objective - the relentless pursuit of boat speed, where success is measured in a 1% advantage over your rivals. As their skipper I am full of admiration for their energy, bravery, and cheerfulness. So this xmas don't feel sorry for the crew of BP Explorer, they will soon be home to sit around fires and do the rounds of xmas parties. But this year they will experience something truly unique. The close comradeship that comes from working in a team for a worthwhile objective. They will miss the love of their families, but will be supported by the warmth and affection that exists onboard the boat. They will be safe, happy and faster. David Melville

Leg 2 Day 24 : 52 29S 129 56W

The phrase 'going away for Christmas this year' does little justice to our adventure right now - there is the romantic mini-break to escape the in-laws and then there is the extreme extended break for 18 - romantic, but in an entirely different way. Two days ago BP Explorer was as far from land as you can get on the planet. Picture the biggest bit of ocean on your spinning globe (the one that you are all lovingly sticking pins into Blue-Peter style) and that will be us! 'Remote' seems a very small word to describe just how isolated we are. I am sure that each and every crew member visualises our track across this vast blue in different ways; we all see the numbers up on screen every day - latitude, longitude, nautical miles to New Zealand (currently 2,350), sea depth (3,812 metres) and so on - but there is something surreal about the whole experience, something that the facts and figures do not convey and which is deeply personal although shared in such a confined space. Admittedly, there are times when it is easy for us all to forget that we are in the Southern Ocean - today, for example, we have had light and fickle winds, have flown our spinnakers and are right now slipping silently through the iron-grey sea with barely a whisper of wind in our genoa. And the New Zealand forecast predicts a sedate 15 knots from the north-west on Christmas Eve - perfect decorating weather after the gales on their way for Wednesday and Thursday. But then, apart from the bashings from wind and waves which come with guaranteed regularity, we do get a reminder that we have indeed truly 'gone away' for Christmas - the same New Zealand forecasters today predicted 15 large icebergs sighted at 52o36S - further north than us, although far out to the west, and in the same breath NZ informed us of an 'Area temporarily dangerous to navigation from falling spacecraft from 22nd December 2230 UTC to 23rd December 0030.' Again, we are even further south of this sea area which has presumably been chosen as a suitable place to receive space debris due to its great distance from anywhere. Yet for all our isolation we do not feel alone. The boat is a hive of activity round the clock and even when the wind dies, the deck seems to be swept by gales of laughter as we get into the Christmas mood. The racing is more intense than ever. Just to our right we can see the masthead light of BG (according to the last scheds we had overtaken them after our waypoint disappointment), we are trying to creep up on Spirit of Sark unnoticed and we are battling to increase our new lead on VAIO, although this is not helped by the wind hole we now find ourselves in (as we are sandwiched between two low-pressure systems). Shops and last-minute Brussels sprouts peeling sessions we can live without for one year, but if there is one thing we would all love for Christmas, it is a crack at clean air ahead and first position! Naomi Cudmore

Leg 2 Day 23 : 52 36S 125 44W

So, here we are again, after weeks of bashing through the Southern Ocean we are once again becalmed. The same sea that once rose and thundered is now flat but for the occasional ripple. The horizon almost merges with the water creating an eerie feeling of floating in space. Sails, which only a few days ago pulled on their sheets like dogs pulling their owners through the park, now flap wistfully like the silk negligee on the girl next door's washing line. Below decks it is quiet except for the occasional gurgle of water around the hull and we can tell we're not moving at all. There are three noughts on the boat speed display and the wind direction indicator spins around 360 degrees and back again. Frustrating is a word used before in these logs and here it is again. The fleet positions become redundant, as we know they are probably changing significantly by the hour. All we can hope for is that the others are suffering the same. As it happens it would appear that Spirit of Sark are stuck too, however, BG SPIRIT further south are suffering less. It is a chance to pump water from the bilges that has eluded us when we've been heeled over and those that didn't get their showers before can now do so in comfort. The rest is welcomed but at the unacceptable cost that every hour we are still means an hour later getting into Wellington. That's it! That's been our day, somewhat different from most years where I'd be scurrying around the shops looking for Christmas presents or recovering from an over enthusiastic drinking session. Even though we've be dragged through it over the last few weeks, at this moment, I wouldn't exchange being right here, right now for how I've spent the week before Christmas in any previous year. I may well change my mind when it blows 30 knots again but for the time being - Now's the season to be jolly tra ah la la la, la la la la. John Bass

Leg 2 Day 22 : 52' 27S 123' 0W

We were expecting some sort of barge anchored at the mythical Waypoint Alpha, laden with cold beers, a huge steak and champagne, but were sadly disappointed this morning when we rounded the waypoint watched by a couple of indifferent seabirds and surrounded by a light, cold drizzle in the middle, literally, of nowhere. Tensions on deck ran high after learning of BG SPIRIT's positioning which had enabled them to overtake us, putting us back to fourth position, and everyone is noticeably relieved that New Zealand now seems a tangible destination, at just over a fortnight's distance. When we all first signed up for the Global Challenge - some of us more than four years ago, others more recently - we read all the blurb and watched footage from the previous race. Those images of foredeck crews taking a pasting through stormy sail-changes, waist deep in icy water and being bashed around like rag dolls were not, as it turns out, at all exaggerated - nor the portrayal of the elation felt by each crew at the end of a leg. What did not come through in those early stages, however, were the many other ways in which the Southern Ocean legs are such a test of endurance. It is not so much the individual storms, but the endless progression of them, with an unrelenting theme of cold and wet running through it all. Even on the occasional watch where there are no sail changes to be made, simply keeping warm on deck for any length of time is pretty tiring, and staggering around down below whilst heeled over in six or seven layers of clothing sometimes gets a bit waring! We soldier on, though, still currently in fourth, but according to the most recent scheds having made up a little ground on BG SPIRIT since this morning who are three miles away, and continuing to pursue VAIO, who are five-and-a-half miles in front. < of>remain a longer-term goal but we have more than a couple of thousand miles to try to turn this around! Naomi Cudmore

Leg 2 Day 21 : 51.55 S 119.44 W

In just a few short hours we will be rounding Waypoint Alpha (WA), in all likelihood in fourth position. This is one less than we would have anticipated until the most recent scheds came in just minutes ago, when we were disappointed to learn that BG SPIRIT (on whom we had, day by day, built up a useful lead of 15 miles or so) have positioned themselves cleverly and overhauled us. Until we have rounded the waypoint, however, it will be difficult to tell exactly how the distances between the leading pack pan out - VAIO, who are now less than five miles away, could conceivably also be overtaken by BG SPIRIT before WA. Bearing in mind the overall positions and points thus far (VAIO came 2nd on Leg 1, whilst BG SPIRIT lie equal with us), we are obviously keen to beat both of these boats. The Southern Ocean is a relentlessly tiring place and everyone is ready for a bath and a long, long snooze in a normal bed, but it has never been so important to dig deep and focus as it is now in order for us to do well on this second part of the leg. Everything is still to play for. From the waypoint we estimate that it should take around 16 days to reach Wellington. Life on board remains a daily contrast - between the constant fluctuations and changes in the sea and sky above decks, and the routines at the bottom of the companionway steps. Here it can seem rather like Groundhog Day; just over a fortnight to go means 40 more sleeps, 40 more abrupt awakenings and stumblings into our yellow Michelin-man-style outfits, around 100 more cups of tea each, another 80 tiring sail changes, 1 more shower apiece (unless we get another one for Christmas!), and a lot more googah served up in our pale-blue dog bowls. Apart from the days when we are treated - as we were yesterday - to the culinary delights of Major's daal, which was out of this world at the start of the race but whose perfection has now reached a peak. Let's hope that it spurs us on to a podium position! Naomi Cudmore

Leg 2 Day 20 : 52 37S 116 01W

For a few brief moments today a gap appeared in the icy grey sky and the sun appeared and shone. Spirits were lifted on deck and the cold dark Southern Ocean was transformed, as if moving from a black and white image to one in glorious Technicolor. We were reminded how beautiful the ocean can be and how majestic BP Explorer can look as she surfs the waves under full sail. News came from below that we could have a shower if we wanted. Apparently the saloon cleared of the off watch as crew eager to wash after two and a half weeks at sea scurried to their Curver boxes for their towels and change of underwear. The winds had eased slightly and our angle of heel had become flatter which made for a less hazardous adventure in the heads/showers, however, by the time we came off watch the winds had built again and a simple operation a few moments earlier became a whole different story. As the yacht lifts and crashes over the waves you are essentially in a washing machine below. Some very careful bracing while also allowing for some suspension in the knees does allow the use the shower in rough conditions but it takes considerably longer. The really tricky bit is when you are all lathered up and a whole lot more slippery than normal. What would normally be a working method of wedging your butt on one wall while using a forearm on another is less effective as you slide a full 360 round the inside of the cubicle. You end up at a position gravity dictates until the next movement of the boat sends you spinning back again. Anyway we all survived and are now smelling fresh and clean and feeling a lot better for it. We are still in third place and wary that if we believe we can catch and overtake the leaders, which we do, then it would be just as easy for the rest of the fleet, a similar distance behind, to do the same to us. This makes for busy watches and a constant attention to trimming the yacht for optimum performance. As we pass Waypoint Alpha in the next 24 hours the crew know that we will soon be nearer to our destination than anywhere else, which is a huge relief after hearing of Team Stelmar having to turn back the way they came. It is also a stark reminder that we are now at least two weeks from anywhere! John Bass

Leg 2 Day 19 : 52 45S 111 02W

The last 24 hours have provided a rough ride for all aboard BP Explorer, with winds of up to 40 knots and a confused sea making for a very bumpy time of it; those of us sitting on the high side are secured to the hand rail by doubled-up safety lines to minimise our trip each time that a wave washes us along the deck, whilst those on the helm have their work cut out to keep their balance and the boat going fast. On our watch this involves Cop and Andrew - who are the only helms strong enough to steer in these conditions - and it is an exhausting task. It is no less tricky down below, the current average time for taking a detour to the heads, for example, standing at around 20 minutes for girls, slightly less for the men. Fighting your way out of full battle dress as the floor rears and bucks beneath you is just the start. Once actually in the heads, it is a complex and risky operation; the best method has been developed by Giles Mackey (currently on Mother watch) and involves five or more points of contact - with floor, walls, handrail and the heads themselves to minimise the risk of being dislodged as we are launched down into the next trough and brought to a shuddering halt at the bottom. Life is not very dignified here right now! We have had several casualties of the rough weather as well. It has been one of our most prized secret weapons since Portsmouth, but as we speak our TTS is making its way back to Chile. Lifted up by a huge breaking wave and washed down the side-deck yesterday morning, it became lodged against the block, whereupon Major made a valiant dive to rescue it. As he held fast to the boat with one hand on his lifeline, he managed to grab hold of the TTS and attempted to toss it back into the cockpit. Alas, it was not to be, and a big gust took hold of it and sent it off the back of the boat, bobbing away over the heaped-up sea. This is going to make things a little more difficult until New Zealand when we can hunt for a decent replacement. (We apologise for not revealing what TTS stands for at this point but promise to do so once it has ceased to be play a crucial role in our strategy.) Sadly, Cop's treasured Wolverhampton Wanderers hat plus two dorades (air-vent covers) soon fell victim to the high winds as well and followed the TTS into the drink. Racing wise, we currently lie in third, enjoying a short lead over BG SPIRIT as we approach Waypoint Alpha (ETA Friday). With more than 3,000 miles behind us, we have passed the half-way mark and can look forward to warmer climes as we track north. It will soon be time to deck our damp halls ands get into festive spirit! Naomi Cudmore

Leg 2 Day 18 : 54 41S 106 11W

Three cheers for Rob. 

The heater, which has been giving us so many problems over the last week, is, for now at least, working again. It was totally removed from its position in the foulie locker and laid out on the saloon table. It was then gazed at from all angles and cleaned with kitchen towels. After seeing no reason for it's failure Rob turned to the fuel filter back in the locker. A thorough clean and new filter later the whole thing was re-assembled and fired up. Heat glorious heat. The three cheers, well deserved, were delivered at today's crew meeting on deck. More stuff to cheer us was to our starboard side. The latest positions had arrived and Stephen, our navigator, had called up that we should be able to see BG SPIRIT on our right. As if by magic they were (we'd not noticed them before) and we proceeded to see them move further behind us as the afternoon went on. When there is so little to bring cheer in this bleak place the return of a basic requirement, heat, and the confirmation that we are remaining competitive really does bring a welcome boost. Though we think it may have been something they were doing wrong rather than something we were doing exceptionally right. It is still bitterly cold on deck and we are living under a water and gas preservation order. Shortage of water means no showers and no shaving. All the guys onboard are sporting beards which make the drysuit seals on our Musto smock tops much more itchy. Until we are confident that the water maker will function properly this looks set to continue. When asked for his thoughts on the conditions David succinctly replied, "arse"- we concur. As we battle through our thoughts do go out the crew of Team Stelmar who have stopped racing due to one of their foredeck team breaking his arm. They have had turn back to South America and look like they will be adding two weeks to their Southern Ocean journey. It has brought home how quickly circumstances can change for any of the crews. As a member of the foredeck team on BP Explorer it is a timely reminder that you can never let your guard down for a moment. We are looking out for each other and calling every large wave which will hopefully give us time to prepare for it. John Bass

Leg 2 Day 17 : 55 47S 101 20W

Come Hell and High Water 

The voice of the wind has by this time worked itself up into a constant banshee chorus which screams through each scrap of sailcloth, every wire of the straining rigging, and wails across the myriad boiling surfaces of the sea. It is lost for a moment in the huge breaking waves which heap up in all directions, their blown foam mingling with the tiny prions which weave in and out of sight around the pitching horizon. My lifeline - which hangs from a handrail on the high side of the snakepit (where, by turns, Laura, Goldie and myself do our 'stuff') - pulls taught as the boat is launched off the back of a picture-book wave and slides down into the trough, 40 feet below. The perfectly-curved crest is green, translucent and roaring as it breaks over the bow and plunges towards my stinging face. Six legs - belonging to Rich, Giles and Major - disappear briefly from my view as they are submerged in the cold, cold water. Upright again, they continue fighting down the staysail, which snaps angrily against sheet and shroud, struggling to keep their balance, and a weather eye open for the next punching wall of water. The snakepit is a great place to duck down out of the worst of it, but only if you can crouch low and turn your back on the wind. Whilst easing out the rope and awaiting the hand-signal for 'halyard made' from Rich, I force myself to keep standing and looking forwards, the salt all the while burning my eyeballs, whilst an unfriendly concoction of snow, hail and spray pound already raw nose and cheeks. Ridiculously I realise that I am now also crying (which at least is warm) - because everything is so Goddamn hard, so very heavy and so unrelenting. For today at least I have had my fill. My arms feel like they are about to come out of their sockets. I remind myself that if I think this is hard I want to try being up there on the foredeck - once they have this sail down and back, the boys have to take the storm staysail forwards and hank it on in a rising wind. They have already done three sail changes this watch. I am too nervous in weather like this to take even the briefest of trips up there; I silently take my hat off to them and winch up the slack on the halyard. This is what is was like two days ago, what it is like today and no doubt what it will continue to be like every few days until Auld Lang's Syne is being bellowed in my cosy, West-Country local. The rough weather seems to come in cycles every few days; it makes a Force 6 in this bleak, yet beautiful environment seem like a birthday present and reduces everyday life to its most basic. We are still racing, though, and this helps to give shape and meaning to work on deck when otherwise anyone in their right mind would pack up and go home. This morning's scheds (two hours old now) show that for all our efforts we have made a small gain on VAIO and slightly larger one - six miles - on BG SPIRIT. Naomi Cudmore

Leg 2 Day 16 : 56' 45S 96' 51W

Now we have snow! 

Both watches are reporting snow showers every time they are on deck in many of the squally clouds that we are passing through throughout the last 24 hours. If the freezing cold wasn't enough the almost horizontal stream of ice stings when it hits and is even worse should a crystal catch you in the eye. As it clings to the mast and sails, this season's attire for the BP Explorer helm is a full neoprene facemask and ski goggles. For the hands, blue 'extreme' divers gloves. Collars and hoods on our fetching yellow Musto foulies are worn up with the Velcro mouth and nose panel in place. Exposure time is limited and a strange dance takes place every 30 minutes as helms and trimmers rotate with those who have been trying to keep warm below. The heater below decks is not running at all now so it looks like a huddle of smokers in the saloon as their breath forms clouds around them. Mother watch really is being mother as the person on duty makes hot drinks and looks after the crew that are sick. A sense of humour is required to and trying to raise a smile as gloves are peeled from frozen fingers is a must. It must be a similar situation for the rest of the fleet as we are all quite close together now as the packs have merged heading North for Waypoint Alpha. We are maintaining our 4th place position but it's hard work. Still, Goldie Raley is still in good spirits and says "It's never the easy times you always remember" and "OK, so it's tough now but we' ll have plenty of stories to bore our friends with once we get home" John Bass

Leg 2 Day 15 : 58 14S 93 02W

Soon the only thing missing will be the sound of distant gunfire; life down here at 58 South gets more and more like the Home Front every day. We have a shortage of pretty much everything except powdered egg - you name it: gas, water, heat, dry socks. all are being carefully preserved and rationed. And as for oranges and other such treats - these are as rare as hens' teeth and there seem to be no signs of the supplies getting through. No tangerines in the bottom of our stockings this year! The galley resembles a soup kitchen - full of huge steaming pans of various types of runny googah, all of which taste pretty much the same and look even more similar; whilst by night cold crew descend the companionway steps for a quick defrost in hushed tones and a communal warming of hands on the kettle under the red night lights. The back bedroom, meanwhile, feels like an Anderson shelter - packed with heavily-wrapped-up bods all trying to keep warm in the icy chill. Yesterday David lent a suitably Churchillian tone to our daily midday roundup - which for once we were able to enjoy above decks during this spell of calm weather. 'This is not the beginning of the end, but the end of the beginning,' he enthused. And the beginning will be over when we reach Waypoint Alpha - now less than 1,000 nautical miles distant. As the fleet begins to converge on this point (at 52 South, and approximately four days away), less than 60 miles separate the first 11 boats. As I write this, we may be in our worst position yet - according to the 0145 position reports this morning we were lying in fifth - but at the same time we are just one-and-a-half miles from third position and six miles from second. In many ways this is more cheering than labouring in third with more than 50 miles to the leaders. Yesterday we were dealt something of a 'Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free' card, with the flukey winds which have shaken up the scheds favouring us rather than Spirit of Sark and BG SPIRIT - on both of whom we made rapid gains. But of course we were not the only ones, and those behind us crowded forwards and began hunting us down too. Now it is all to play for - things are changing so fast that by the time this reaches you the positions may have altered yet again, hopefully for the better! Naomi Cudmore

Leg 2 Day 14 : 58 28 S 88 41 W

Anyone following the race on the Challenge site would see that we've gone from a healthy third to a much more sickly fourth in the space of several days. While we languish in light winds in the South the yachts that were able to turn North after rounding the Horn have been catapulted ahead as if finding a turbo boost for their sails. Ironically yachts that were far behind us when we came round were also able to head north and have made significant gains too. SAIC La Jolla to the north sailed nearly 40 miles more than us in just six hours and the same favourable conditions have benefited BG SPIRIT and Spirit of Sark too. This makes for very frustrating reading for us when we see the positions come in. We know they are not necessarily sailing better than us or they are more focused but their route has seen better winds go their way. The two packs, north and south, are converging now and we are happy that we've been able to sail faster than the rest of the southern pack and stay ahead of the likes of Barclays Adventurer and Samsung. The lighter winds have brought some relief from the pounding we've had over the last week but worries about our water maker and gas usage, combined with a mystery problem with the heater onboard, is another kick to an already sore body. We think we've tracked the water maker problem to the filters getting blocked with algae and plankton and we are currently trailing a filter behind the boat to clean it. However, rationing means no showers and no washing clothes for the foreseeable future. Winds from the South bring a chill that slowly creeps through each layer of clothing finally settling deep in your bones. The only thing to do is head below for a hot drink and warm up before going to relieve someone else on deck so they can do the same. With the hardship comes a certain honesty and bonding amongst the crew and we are all doing our best to look after each other. As one person's shoulders drop and their eyes fill another steps in with words of encouragement knowing that it'll probably be them that'll need the shoulder and kind word tomorrow. In years to come I'll remember these moments fondly for now I look forward to the end of the watch where my bunk awaits and dreams of pubs with log fires, Sunday roasts and, well whatever else a fella dreams about after two weeks at sea. John Bass

Leg 2 Day 13 : 59' 07S 81' 10W

Our fortunes have been somewhat mixed over the last few hours it has to be said. There is water water everywhere and not a lot to drink. Well, for the time being - and after hours and hours of struggle from Cop and David wielding manuals and tools - we HAVE just managed to fill all our tanks, but are facing a situation with the water-maker which is far from ideal. And, if it worsens of course, our position could be in jeopardy if forced to divert to pick up water from a passing ship. Due to plankton and algae blocking up the filters, and a weak pump, we have not been able to make much water. This problem is all compounded when it's rough, punching through the waves to windward; the water-maker is far fonder of calm seas for doing its job. The net result is that we are brushing our teeth in sea water, unable to wash and monitoring every drop. 'Fresh water to be used only for drinking and cooking - NOTHING ELSE, signed The Management' reads the notice in the companionway. [Editor's Note: they have got 1700 litres onboard in tanks, including 2 that are sealed that they can open if it breaks down completely, which is designed to be enough to get them to the end of the leg] Not that many of us would be hardy enough to strip off for a shower anyway - we have come all this way to 59 south without any heating below decks whatsoever! Yesterday, I woke up sensing that perhaps three sets of thermals, four socks and a hat was overdoing it a little for bed, and it was explained that the heaters had finally been cajoled into action. For 12 hours, a comforting, steamy fug of baking and tea-making greeted us when we come down off watch into the saloon and headed for our cosy sleeping pits. It might have been at this point that we suddenly realised that the boat does in fact smell, but it was nice to be warm. Now, however, the heaters have broken down again. When our watch headed for our respective pits just four hours ago, the position reports had been promising, whilst the weather looked worrying. We were lying in a very strong third position with a good lead over those behind us but had, along with the rest of the fleet, sailed into an area of wind sheer sandwiched between low-pressure systems to both north and south. This has considerably shaken up the pecking order and we now lie in a tenuous fourth - which could well worsen by the time that the wonderful dawn that is now breaking has turned to day. VAIO and Me to You have overtaken us and for the time being that must be our goal, to hunt them down and re-claim a place in the top three. Naomi Cudmore

Leg 2 Day 12 : 59 07 S 77 49 W

Freezing cold, tired, emotionally drained, sometimes dreading the next sail change because you are so worn out from the last one, sometimes welcoming a chance to warm up a bit. The only real comfort onboard is your bunk. I am sleeping in thermals, fleece thermals, a thermal liner in my winter sleeping bag and a Gore-Tex bivvy bag. It's quite cosy but you need a rest just getting in! The girls are suffering more than the guys and they are wearing hats and gloves too. There is a heater onboard but it's not working so the only heat comes from the hob when we are boiling the kettle or cooking food. On deck, winds are howling at up to 40 knots true and averaging 35 knots. The yacht is heeled over at 25 degrees all the time. We are relentlessly slamming into huge waves sending torrents of water down the deck and freezing bullets of spray into the faces of the helms or anyone on the rail who lifts their head from the 'tortoise in it's shell position' for the briefest of moments. We are wearing everything we've got in our Curver boxes on deck but we're still taking it in turns to come below to warm up. Sail changes on the foredeck can be likened to trying to sew your initials into a parachute while clinging to a cliff face upside down under a freezing waterfall. Sounds bleak? Bloody hell you're not kidding! The secret is not to think how awful this environment is or how long we're going to be here. Laura gets through by thinking in milestones, only so many miles to the next waypoint, only so many miles from there etc. Me? I just try not to think about it at all and sing 80's pop tunes in my head. When I asked the rest of my watch if what I'm writing here was how they felt too, Rob (Robin Phillips) said, "If the fires of Hell went out, this is what it would be like". This is the kind of stuff that our parents said builds character. It' s not all bad, we've got each other and we still laugh, we are not miserable just in a bit of a state of shock. We are living the Challenge Business rough weather video. When I bravely told my mates in the pub of how rough it was going to be I wasn't thinking rough 24 hours a day for five weeks - that 'll learn me. Our course takes us to the edge of the Artic Peninsular and into the 'screaming 60's' so we may not have seen the worst yet either. On a good note, we cracked open a couple of bottles of bubbly today to celebrate Laura and Graham's engagement and David made a moving speech on the importance of love in the world. "It's at times like these, in places like this, that you realise just how important love is" he said. We're in third place and leading a pack of six yachts all following a similar course. To the North of us are BG SPIRIT and Spirit of Sark holding first and second place with the rest of the fleet behind them. There is a major incentive to sail the boat fast, the quicker we go the sooner we'll get there. Oh! And Mum, I'll never complain about your cooking again. John Bass

Leg 2 Day 11 : 58°37'00.0"S 72°10'00.0"W

There has been nothing half-hearted about our deep, icy latitude in the last 24 hours - it has been a tough day's run. As watch leader Cop (David Pugh) finally wedges himself against the saloon rail at four in the afternoon to spoon down a long-overdue lunch of risotto (by this point resembling something more like a cold, congealed brick of mushroom googah), the call comes down the companionway - 'up on deck please' - again. It is time for yet another sail change in what has already been a long afternoon. There is a roar of water, those on the rail preparing the No3 yankee are lifted off their backsides by a huge wave and down below the galley comes alive as pots and pans are airborne. Cop's risotto joins the two sails on the floor - a tangle of soaking, and now filthy, spinnaker and yankee sailcloth - none of which has yet been packed away because we simply have not made it down below to bring order to chaos. Getting the No2 down and hoisting the 3 is a fight because the wind has changed so swiftly - six beefy men grit teeth and hang on as they haul the yellow monster onto the deck. It is hard to keep up with the changeable weather. When asked by David how I was finding the Southern Ocean, I replied through chattering teeth, 'exhilarating but cold'. It is interminably cold - our breath visible in our damp bunks let alone on deck - but at 58 degrees we are almost in the 'screaming sixties' and about as far south as we are likely to get on this leg. Northerly winds are expected later today ahead of a depression, and these should help get us back on the great circle line. Waypoint Alpha is up at a tropical 52 degrees south and is included in the route to keep the fleet north of iceberg territory and the worst of the southern ocean. We are about a quarter of the way to Wellington and a hot shower, and 1,700 miles from Waypoint Alpha. Our wake, meanwhile, is 1,755 miles long! This morning things are a little more shipshape, but the winds have been hooning around our heads all night - dress code: as many clothes as you can find; menu for the day: as much as possible! Life is very, very basic down here. but we ARE having fun - honest! Naomi Cudmore

Leg 2 Day 10 : Cape Horn here we come - eta 10 hours 55°59'43.3"S 67°09'09.5"W

I cannot imagine being in the shoes of heroic Mary Patten when, after putting to sea on her second voyage, her husband, Joshua, collapsed during a storm as they approached Cape Horn in the early autumn of 1856. Captain of the huge clipper ship the Neptune's Car (a three-masted, 200-foot vessel, whose largest sail measured a staggering 70 feet across), Joshua rapidly became too ill to command the ship, and Mary, just 19 years of age and expecting her first child, recognised that the fate of the Neptune's Car, the crew, and her ailing husband lay in her hands.

As luck would have it, thanks to instruction from an enlightened Joshua on her first voyage, Mary was well versed in the art of navigation; she knew how to read the wind and tides, how to calculate the ship's position with sextant and chronometer, how to work out a course to steer and how to record the ship's progress. Drawing on these skills, and earning the loyalty of the anxious crew with an impressive display of oratory delivered from the poop deck, she got on with the job of dealing with everything which the cruel sea (and a mutinous first mate) could throw at her. She finally helmed the vessel into San Francisco Bay on 15 November and was soon besieged by admiring reporters.

In a tragic twist of fate, Mary was to lose her husband just four months after the birth of their son - named after his father - and although she managed to survive the ordeal of the Southern Ocean, it had taken its toll on her health. She died of consumption shortly before her 25th birthday.

It is difficult to overestimate the scale of Mary Patten's achievement. 'Below 40 degrees there is no law, below 50 degrees there is no God' so the saying goes. Cape Horn, the deepest continental point on the planet, lying almost at the bottom of the world in the 'furious fifties' and just 500 miles from Antarctica, certainly sounds like a Godless place!

Here, where the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans meet to do battle in storms that occur on average for 200 days of the year, waves regularly top 65 feet and have been known, on rare occasions, to reach an unimaginable 120 feet.

It is not simply a case of two oceans meeting, however. A multitude of factors combine to lend Drake's Passage - the 400-mile-wide stretch of water between the Horn and Antarctica - its ferocity. The Andes mountains form an effective block, 1,200 miles wide, to the predominantly westerly winds, forcing them south through the gap which is Drake's Passage. And whilst the wind funnelling through this narrow gap gathers pace, to too do the already rapid currents, which are made all the more stormy due to the steep shelving of the sea bed. Francis Chichester makes a useful comparison: 'It is like the sea breaking on the beach at Bournemouth in a gale, except that the waves, instead of being 4 feet high, are likely to be 60 feet high.'

The effect of all of this is that, for the modern sailor, the experience of Cape Horn is often an uncomfortable if momentous occasion. In the great age of sail, however, it was for many a fatal journey - more than 10,000 souls have been lost rounding the Horn.

The significance of the day is not lost on the crew of BP Explorer as we prepare to join the relatively slender ranks of those who have not only had the privilege of rounding the Horn, but of doing it the 'wrong way' - i.e. east to west, against the prevailing winds and currents. Nobody back home need worry too much about our safety - we have our Goretex layers to protect us against consumption and all manner of instruments (not to mention David!) instead of a Mary Patten to get us to where we are going - but think of us as you gather around the fire with the sideways rain on the other side of the window. Out here the albatross are getting bigger by the day and the icy winds are beginning to blow.

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The crew of BP Explorer are now offical Cape Horners

Leg 2 Day 9 : 55°00'00.0"S 65°20'00.0"W

Two hours ago when we came on watch, the Straits de la Maire looked set to become a complete night-mare. Having gone to our beds with Me To You very much within reach and VAIO on the horizon, we emerged from the warmth of our pits to find the enemy all around us! 'Basically the Straights de la Maire have turned into one big parking lot for Challenge yachts,' declared David when I asked him for an update at 0200 local time. 'There are six yachts visible and all the rest are more or less within VHF range. It's a bit of a headache this windhole, depending on who you are of course.' The tide and the fickle winds have held everyone up. Having arrived in the Straights with the kite flying in a westerly breeze and caught up those in front, we promptly stopped and stuck fast in the frosty seas off Tierra del Fuego whilst others then caught us in the same way. Surrounded by mountains, seals, dolphins and a steel-grey and pink dawn, the air punctuated with seabirds of all kinds, our wonderful surroundings were strangely at odds with our frustration. It seemed ironic to pull in next to the Bay of Great Success, but in fact now it appears that this might be more apt than we previously hoped. Things change so fast. Just a watch ago we were pounding through big seas, fighting to get through the sail changes and reefs with hands which refused to work any more in the penetrating cold. Now, two hours into the new watch, we have a light wind and have narrowly avoided being caught by Team Stelmar (close enough for a chat... no doubt they smelt our early-morning flapjack feast too!), we have overhauled Me To You and are now rapidly hunting down VAIO. 'This is no time for tea! See that light over there,' says the skipper, 'that's third - let's go and get it!' Naomi Cudmore

Leg 2 Day 8 : 52°36'00.0"S 63°26'00.0"W

One week in and we know we're approaching the Horn now. The temperature has dropped considerably and the jobs on deck are ten times more difficult. Cold fingers make hanking on a sail painful and thick clothing means just moving around is a bigger drain on energy than normal. In the constantly changing winds we are changing headsails at a rapid pace. As we went on one watch today we changed from a Genoa to hanking on the number one Yankee, to removing it, hoisting the number two, preparing the number three and finally dropping the number two and hoisting the number one in the space of about 40 minutes. The previous watch had been through three different spinnakers before settling with the Genoa. We are about 140 nautical miles from Staten Island where we hope to pass through the Straits de la Maire with the tide and thus keep or better our third place position. Team Stelmar have swapped places with Barclays Adventurer on the horizon and are keeping us on our toes constantly. Naomi introduced her watch yesterday and I will do the same now: Olly Browett - Watch leader and the youngest member of the crew, he has plenty of sailing experience which makes him a natural choice to lead the watch. Helmsman and occasionally on the bow when he's not looking at the numbers. On the Bow John Bass (Bass to avoid confusion when the other John is on deck). I occupy the no 1 position, trim the headsails, scribble these logs and generally look after technical stuff like the e-mail system onboard. Colin Barber (one of the BP Crew) Colin is the number two on the bow occasionally swapping with Holger. He is also our pole monkey; regularly scaling the forestay and perching at the end of the pole for spinnaker peels. At the Helm Holger Bindel - Medic (when you can get an appointment) Helm, main trimmer and is often seen on the bow in the no 2 position. Rob Phillips - Helm and safety officer. Rob has many a story tell we just wish we could understand his broad Northern accent. In the Snake Pit Goldie Raley - Part of a crack two girl team in the 'pit' and in charge of sail repair and maintenance. Laura Alexander - works the pit with Goldie and has clothed the team in everything we need. At the Nav' table Stephen Allberry - Navigator and veritable encyclopaedia of interesting facts. John Bass

Leg 2 Day 7 : 500 miles to Cape Horn 50°32'12.6"S 65°02'42.7"W

By the time that you read this we will be 60 miles off the Falklands and heading for the Straits of the Maire between Tierra del Fuego and Staten Island - which is a short hop, just 100 miles, from Cape Horn. If there were background music on deck right now it would probably be the very faint sound of the Jaws signature tune just over the horizon. And the tension - although masked by more than the usual dose of ribald humour (it must be something in the food) - is twofold. Firstly, we are fast approaching a key tactical moment in the leg; the Straits of the Maire form a tidal gate which could propel us away from our pursuers or rein us back as anyone in front plunges straight for the Horn and those behind make fast gains on our lead. It all depends on when we get there... and in what order. We are currently lying third, although this is changing constantly, and of course we hope to reach the Straits with the strong tide aiding us. It will be a mountainous challenge to claw back the distance if this does not go our way, and we are doing everything in our power to give ourselves the best chance. Emotions are also bubbling away - firstly excitement - because here we are, just two days off the Cape, and this is what we came for. It looks set to live up to its cruel reputation. Put simply, we are expecting a gale late Saturday as a dress rehearsal, then a day's respite (just long enough for us to take our weekly shower and get clean for our celebration), before, right on cue, another gale hits us full in the face as we turn right at the bottom of South America. The albatross are getting bigger, we are nearly there... The Watch As we approach the Horn I should probably introduce those on my 'watch' - apologies for not doing this before - and I am sure that John will introduce the other half of the crew tomorrow. Our watch: 'Cop' (David Pugh) - watch leader and head helm (very dodgy Bjorn Borg hairdo right now, boat's bosun) Chris (Christian Talpo) - No 1 at the bow, head trimmer, mainsheet apprentice (a coffee perfectionist - being Italian - and style assistant to the crew) Rich (Richard Wardley) - No 2 at the bow, second trimmer (always but always says please and thank you! Techy expert) Giles Mackey (BP Crew) - No 3 in bow team, snakepit apprentice (as we speak baking bread for the first time - we'll let you know how it goes) John Stewart - No 4 in bow team, mainsheet boss (best spinnaker packer in the west, accommodation boss for port) Major Malhi - No 5 in bow team (curry genius, best porridge award, entertainments officer) Naomi Cudmore - snakepit boss, helm (on-board scribe, hygiene police & in charge of all cosmetic purchasing) Jane Cook - helm, trimmer (Delia of the boat, head of all consumables, menus and snack disputes) Andrew Smith - navigator, helm (the 'Michael Fish' of our watch) Naomi Cudmore