Global Challenge 2004-2005 on BP Explorer

Dubbed 'the world's toughest yacht race' Global Challenge 2004-2005 goes the 'wrong way' around the world against the prevailing winds and currents. The race started on Sunday 3rd October from Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth (UK) and covered 30,000 miles to Buenos Aires, Argentina; Wellington, New Zealand; Sydney, Australia; Cape Town, South Africa; Boston, USA, La Rochelle France and back to Portsmouth in July 2005. These are the daily logs of BP Exporer.

Saturday, December 25, 2004

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
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