49 56 S 81 02 E

Waypoint Bravo, that's what we are racing for now. It is something of a milestone in our trek across the Southern Ocean. We are hoping that when we pass it we can safely say the worst is over - at least we hope the worst is over. Another incentive to get there as quickly as possible it the promise of Champagne and ultra-large Crunchie bars which can incite a desperate crew to achieve almost anything. Apart from BG SPIRIT we are the most southerly boat and the fleet positions are probably showing us in second place. This is because we are positioning ourselves for Cape Town once we have passed the waypoint. We are hopeful that in a few days, once the fleet has rounded Bravo, we will be back in first place and looking good for the start of the two-week bit to the finish. We are now once again in the roaring forties but it is still very cold outside. As we enter our night watches there is something of a trade-off. On the one hand a clear sky means a fantastic display of the Southern Lights against a backdrop of stars, on the other, the lack of clouds means freezing temperatures and a watch where the maximum on-deck time is about 30 minutes. Standing at the cap shrouds trimming is a bit of an exciting affair as we dodge waves and freezing spray but 30 minutes of trimming is just a bit too much and so we stay as long as we can bear before crawling below to frantically wiggle fingers and toes back to life. Sailing has been made all the more difficult with the loss of our MkV TTS which was taken by a large wave over the deck. We have come to rely on this essential piece of equipment however we have cobbled something together that works, if not as efficiently. We are hoping that some friends and family visiting us in Cape Town will be able to bring a replacement. In contrast to the last Southern Ocean leg where spirits were far from high in the third week we are all still quite cheerful. We even come off some watches having enjoyed ourselves - not something we'll tell the Challenge Business of course they'll probably want to charge us more if we're having fun.

While searching for content for this log Stephen Allberry declared that he had been voted as hero of the leg, we agreed with him but what he didn't know is that we all voted for each other and so he has to share the prize with 17 others.

John Bass