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