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