37' 07S 27' 12E

Holes! Some as tiny as your fingernail others bigger, that's what we are looking for and dreading. It's spinnaker weather on BP Explorer and every time we hoist we scan the kite for any damage. To be able to fly in light winds the spinnakers are made of a very light nylon similar to the material used in the pack-away rain jackets you get from camping shops. This makes them very susceptible to damage especially if they wrap around some of the rigging or catch on something as they're dropped. The winds are a bit fluky at the moment so that means a lot of hoists and drops. The ones at night are the most worrying. The nights are very dark when there is no moon and everything is checked and re-checked to make sure there are no costly mistakes. When it is hoisted torches sweep over it like search lights during the blitz. When the slightest of holes is spotted we drop and hoist another kite in its place and fix the hole before it gets any bigger. Extra care during these procedures can mean gained miles on yachts that are not so diligent and have had something go wrong - often the only advantage you can get. We have been gaining steadily on Imagine It. Done. during the times when the spinnaker is up and we hope that this may be a weakness in their sailing that we can exploit. Spirit of Sark are more elusive and are pretty much holding their distance between us, they are also gaining on Imagine It. Done. Today has been very hectic and before the end of it we'll have probably hoisted all our kites and the headsails. The sun shines on deck and we are down to green mid-layer bottoms and long sleeved shirts, though in the shade a jacket is needed. Below, the flatter sea means showers and a chance to clean off the last few weeks grime. The thick Mountain Equipment sleeping bags have been replaced with just a thermal liner and maybe thermals though most of us are now down to the minimum (just enough to keep our mystique you understand). Major Malhi gave us another one of his inspirational speeches today and although we tease him over his 'football manager' style what he says is spot on. "We deserve a win because every one of us has put the 100% effort in what is the most difficult leg of the race," he said. "What we have to do now is hold it together and find that extra 1% for the last few days".

Squid are proving something of a hazard and they seem to be firing themselves onto the deck in large numbers. Such is the risk of injury to the helm they have taken to wearing riot police type helmets as protection. Just when you think you've seen everything in this race something else slaps you in the face - quite literally.

John Bass